TITIAN ft. PEALS. 
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Oregon, May 18, 1840. After this he was with the party 
that proceeded overland from Oregon to San Francisco, where 
he joined the Vincennes. Oregon at this time was claimed 
by England and California belonged to Mexico. 
The exploring expedition, under command of Captain 
Charles Wilkes, left Norfolk August 18, 1838. They went 
first to Madeira, next to Brazil, and then followed down the 
coast of South America, rounded Cape Horn, and after visit¬ 
ing Chili, explored the various groups of islands in the South 
Seas, among them the Navigator Islands and Fiji, and after 
examining the little-known areas of the Antarctic Sea, 
touched at New Zealand, and then proceeded to the north¬ 
west coast of America, stopping at the Sandwich Islands on 
the way. From San Francisco they sailed to Japan, and 
thence home via the Philippine Islands, Singapore, and the 
Cape of Good Hope, reaching New York in June, 1842. 
Peale made many sketches during this voyage, some of 
which were used to illustrate a number of the volumes 
published by Captain Wilkes. A river in one of the Fiji 
Islands was named for him. 
The friction that somehow seemed inevitable in the earlier 
days of exploration, when civilian scientific men and mili¬ 
tary and naval officers were associated, occurred during the 
course of this expedition. Wilkes refers to it as follows: 
“ Some dissatisfaction was felt at the outset by a few of the 
naturalists because they were not allowed all the opportuni¬ 
ties they desired of making investigation. It was not to be 
supposed, from the many interests and their inexperience 
in naval duties, that all could agree that the particular ob¬ 
jects of the several departments received the proper consid¬ 
eration. Each would naturally look upon his own as the 
most important. They were not aware of my instructions 
and of the duties that were enjoined upon me, and I think 
did not take into consideration the loss of time I had met 
with from various causes, and that my instructions were at 
times partly frustrated. Besides, it was my duty to look to 
the essential objects of the expedition, which were entirely 
