VOYAGE

IN

HIS MAJESTY'S SLOOP

CHANTICLEER.

CHAPTER I.

Appointed Surgeon of the Chanticleer. - Objects of the Voyage.Commander Foster.-Equipments. - Frazer's Stove. Departure from Spithead. The Eddystone Lighthouse.-Detained at Falmouth.-Final departure.Madeira. Teneriffe.-Fry of the whale.-St. Antonio.— Dolphins in chase. Various kinds of produce.-Sucking Fish.-Calms. -Touch at Fernando Noronha.-Abrolhos. -A suspicious Sail.-Arrive at Rio Janeiro.

On the 14th December 1827 my appointment of surgeon summoned me to repair on board His Majesty's sloop Chanticleer, commanded by Captain Henry Foster, F.R.S. Having reached Portsmouth on the 29th, I found the vessel preparing for a voyage, the principal object of which was to ascertain the true figure of the earth, by a series of pendulum experiments at various places in the northern and southern

2

OBJECTS OF THE VOYAGE.

hemispheres. This method of solving a problem which still occupies the attention of scientific men, depends on the force of gravity at different parts of the earth's surface in producing a greater or less number of vibrations of the pendulum in a certain space of time, which is found to vary according to the distance of the place of observation from the earth's centre. From these observations the radius of the earth is obtained in various northern and southern latitudes, from which its figure is inferred by calculation. Another object contemplated in the present voyage, and one of the first importance in navigation, was to measure accurately the meridian distances by means of chronometers between the various places visited by the Chanticleer. Several other inquiries, relating to meteorology, the currents of the ocean, magnetism, and the usual detail connected with navigation, were combined with the foregoing, and served to render the voyage highly interesting to men of science.

The valuable experiments made by Captain Foster in the polar regions, while serving as astronomer with Sir Edward Parry, had obtained him the Copley medal of the Royal

Society; and it was at the suggestion of the Council of this learned body that the present voyage was undertaken, and the care of it entrusted to Captain Foster by His Most Gracious Majesty, then Lord High Admiral.

In order to achieve the important objects above enumerated, which demanded a considerable range of scientific attainment, many instruments of the most expensive kind were supplied to Captain Foster. The ordinary mode of equipment was departed from at the dockyard in the internal arrangements of the vessel, and nothing was left undone which his experience, added to that of the first lieutenant, could suggest to render the Chanticleer in every respect fit to perform the extraordinary service on which she was about to be employed. By the express direction of His Royal Highness the Lord High Admiral, the same attention was paid to this as to the scientific department, and, when completed, the vessel presented a model which might justly be pointed out as a specimen of the skill and ingenuity of the age.

The Chanticleer was built in the year 1804, at the Isle of Wight, and was pierced for ten guns, her burthen being two hundred and

4

ADMIRAL'S VISIT.

thirty-seven tons. For the present voyage two guns only were supplied, and she was rigged as a barque. The complement of the Chanticleer consisted of fifty-seven men, including fifteen officers and six marines.

The various equipments having been completed, and the instruments deposited on board, we left Portsmouth harbour on the 21st of April 1828, and on the following day the customary visit was paid to us by the Port Admiral, Sir Robert Stopford. This ceremony of visiting His Majesty's ships before they go to sea, and more particularly when preparing for a voyage like the present, forms an important part of the Port Admiral's duty. The object of it is to inspect the condition of the ship and her crew, the names of the latter being severally called over as they appear before him, and to ensure that the rating of each individual on the ship's books, according to which his pay is proportioned, shall be consistent with his merits. In addition to this, all classes on board, from the highest to the lowest, are brought under the immediate notice of their Commander-in-chief, a measure which is always attended with beneficial results. So complete

FRAZER'S STOVE.

5

were the arrangements of the Chanticleer, and so much attention had been paid to them by Lieutenant Austin to whom the duty principally belonged, that the Admiral expressed himself well satisfied with the state of the vessel, and her efficiency formed the subject of a very favourable report to His Royal Highness the Lord High Admiral.

In the course of the voyage, Captain Foster was directed to make observations at sundry places in the Atlantic ocean near the equator, as well as in high southern latitudes, and these being of a nature to produce considerable delay, so as to prevent fresh provisions from being obtained, a large quantity of Donkin's preserved meat was supplied. Another acquisition deserves to be mentioned, as it proved of the utmost consequence in preserving the health of the crew in the cold and boisterous regions of South Shetland. This consisted in Frazer's stove, an article which has undergone a three years' trial on board the Chanticleer, and its good qualities have been the constant admiration of every one on board. The provisions were cooked by it in bad weather and in a boisterous sea equally as well as if the vessel