The officers were not only thoroughly efficient; there were among them men who were distinguished in their profession and whose record is worthy of remembrance. Sir James Ross was by far the most experienced Arctic officer then living. He had passed through no less than nine Arctic winters and seventeen navigable seasons, was the most eminent magnetic observer next to Sabine, an admirable collector, and an unequalled navigator. Crozier was his old friend and messmate in the Arctic regions, and was also a practised magnetic observer.
The first Lieutenants were worthy to serve under such men. Lieutenant Bird of the Erebus, son of the Rev. Godfrey Bird, Rector of Little Witham, was a distinguished Arctic officer, highly thought of by Parry as well as by Ross. Knowing his work thoroughly he was steady, reliable, and calm in moments of danger. As a midshipman he had seen service at the blockade of Brest and the battle of Algiers. Archibald M’Murdo of the Terror, grandson of Major M’Murdo, the friend of the poet Burns, was an officer of more than ordinary ability, whose brother Sir Herbert was equally distinguished as a soldier, and as the right hand of Sir Charles Napier in Sind. Archibald served in the Blonde with Sir Edmund Lyons in the operations against the Turks in the Morea, and later in the Alligator under Captain Lambert in the East Indies and New Zealand. He was promoted in 1836 for his intrepidity and skill in recovering a crew of wrecked whalers from the clutches of the Maoris. He served in the disastrous voyage of the Terror with Sir George Back, who had a very high opinion of his capacity, and he was first Lieutenant of that ship until ill health obliged him to return home. He afterwards commanded the Contest on the coast of Africa, became a Rear-Admiral, and died in December, 1875.
Of the other Lieutenants John Sibbald was a steady, capable officer, and Wood a good surveyor. Phillips of the Terror, a very active enthusiastic officer, was a good seaman, and a man of ability and sound sense. He afterwards showed those qualities in the Arctic regions under Sir John Ross, when I knew him well.
Of the Mates, Oakley was a good observer and a useful young officer, and Alexander Smith was well known to Sir James Ross, having served under him in Davis Strait, on board the Cove. Moore was a young officer endowed with no ordinary ability, energy, and tact. He commanded the Pagoda afterwards, when she was sent south to complete some of Ross’s magnetic work. In command of the Plover he made a boat voyage to Cape Barrow; he became a Rear Admiral, Fellow of the Royal Society, and Governor of the Falkland Islands 1855–62. He died in 1870.
Dr McCormick and Dr Robertson undertook the geology and zoology. McCormick, enthusiastic, energetic, and tireless, had been Assistant-Surgeon in the Hecla with Sir Edward Parry. Afterwards he commanded a boat to examine the western side of Wellington Channel in 1852 during the Franklin search. In his old age Dr McCormick published an interesting narrative of his three polar voyages, and was quite indefatigable in helping and advising us when we were fitting out for the search expedition in 1850. Dr Robertson of the Terror was equally hard working, but not so excitable and sensitive. He was afterwards Surgeon of the Enterprise with Sir James Ross in the first Franklin search expedition.
Of the Assistant-Surgeons, Sir Joseph Hooker, though then a very young man, was already a skilled botanist. He was a most valuable member of the expedition, and his future eminence had some of its roots within the Antarctic circle. His colleague Dr Lyall of the Terror, a zealous botanist, was a scientific student of rare ability and had a distinguished career. He was afterwards naturalist of the Acheron, New Zealand surveying ship from 1847 to 1852, then surgeon of the Pembroke during the Russian war, and afterwards of the Plumper, surveying ship in the North Pacific. He was surgeon of the Assistance in the Arctic expedition of 1852–54, and made a valuable collection of plants in Wellington Channel. Dr Lyall, after a very useful career, died as a Deputy Inspector, on the 25th February, 1895.
Mr Tucker, Master of the Erebus, was a very capable and efficient officer, afterwards Staff Commander and a useful member of the Thames Conservancy Board. Mr Cotter was Master of the Terror. Henry Yule, the second Master of the Erebus, was a good surveyor and continued his service in that capacity on the Home Survey. John Davis, second Master of the Terror, was an officer of much ability, a good surveyor, and an excellent artist. He had previously served under Captain FitzRoy on board the Beagle in Magellan’s Strait. He executed the charts and drawings for Sir James Ross, for which he received the special thanks of the Hydrographer. Afterwards he was employed as a surveyor in the Fox with Sir Allen Young in 1862, and Naval Assistant to the Hydrographer from 1863 to 1876. His most interesting letter to his sister in 1843 was printed in 1891. Retired as Staff Captain in 1876, he was the author, jointly with his son, of the Azimuth Tables. Captain Davis died on the 30th January, 1877.
Mr Hallett, Purser of the Erebus, had previously been with Sir James Ross in the Cove in 1836. He afterwards served on the coast of Africa, where he died. George Moubray, the clerk in charge of the Terror, was thought so highly of that he received the very responsible appointment of Naval Agent and Storekeeper at Constantinople during the Crimean war, and was afterwards Storekeeper at Malta for some time, retiring as a Paymaster-in-Chief with the Greenwich pension. The gunner of the Erebus must not be left out, as he was a very exceptional character and had very wide Arctic experience. Thomas Abernethy, born at Peterhead in 1802, was an experienced seaman when he joined the Fury in Parry’s third Arctic expedition in 1824, and was very active and useful in all the work at Fury Beach. He was with Parry again in 1827, and second mate of the Victory with the Rosses during the Boothian expedition 1829–33. When the boatswain of the Erebus fell overboard in a heavy sea on the voyage out and was drowned, Abernethy and Oakley commanded the two boats that were lowered for his rescue. Oakley’s boat was struck by a sea which knocked four of the crew out of her. Abernethy, whose boat was again alongside ready to be hoisted up, immediately pushed off and succeeded in saving the crew of Oakley’s boat from their perilous position. Abernethy was a splendid seaman. He served again with Sir James Ross in the Enterprise, and finally with old Sir John Ross in the Felix. He died at Peterhead on April 13th, 1860[192].
With this exceptionally distinguished staff and two well-equipped and strongly built ships, Sir James Ross sailed from the Thames on his great enterprise on the 30th September, 1839. After visiting and exploring Kerguelen Island, the expedition arrived at Tasmania on August 16th, 1840. Sir John Franklin was then Governor, and gave every assistance in his power. The chief thing was the erection of an observatory for synchronous observations. Sir John selected the site and, with convict labour, the building, with its pillars carried down to the bed rock, was erected in nine days. Sir John named it Rossbank. Lieutenant Kay, R.N., was placed in charge, with two Mates named Dayman and Scott as assistants. Kay, who was a Fellow of the Royal Society, had served in the Chanticleer with Captain Foster, and in the Rainbow with Sir John Franklin. The magnetic observations of the expedition were under the immediate superintendence of Commander Crozier, and were continued uninterruptedly every hour throughout the day and night[193].
Sir James Ross heard of the voyages of Dumont D’Urville and Wilkes, and received advice from the latter about the best places he had seen for entering the ice. But Sir James had no intention of shaping a course in their direction. Captain Balleny had been much further south than either of them, having attained a latitude of 69° S., finding an open sea. Sir James, therefore, resolved to proceed on Balleny’s meridian, about 170° E.