Frederick William Beechey (1796–1856), naval officer and hydrographer, was born into a family of artists, joined the Navy at a young age and went on to travel the world to survey coastlines and oceans. He published several accounts of his expeditions to destinations including the Arctic and Africa. This two-volume work, first published in 1831, describes his voyage as commander of the Blossom in 1825–1828. The ship's mission was to support the exploration of the North-West Passage by travelling eastwards via the Bering Strait to meet the explorers Sir John Franklin and Sir Edward Parry who were travelling west from the North Atlantic. Volume 1 records Beechey's outward journey via Cape Horn, his visits to Pitcairn Island, where he met the last surviving Bounty mutineer and documented his story (retold in Chapters 3 and 4), Tahiti, and Hawai'i, and his first season exploring the Bering Strait.
ISBN: | 9781108031035 |
Publication date: | 1st May 2011 |
Author: | Frederick William Beechey |
Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
Format: | Paperback |
Pagination: | 558 pages |
Series: | Cambridge Library Collection - Maritime Exploration |
Genres: |
History of science |