Augustus Henry Beesly

“ The name of it was Thlew-ee-choh-deeseth, or Great Fish River, and how doggedly he traced it to the sea, amid perils from the ice and the rapids, managing the Indians, and making friends with the Esquimaux, he has vividly recounted in his 'Narrative of the Arctic Land Expedition to the Mouth of the Great Fish River, in 1834 and 1835.' The narrative is beautifully illustrated by sketches made by himself. ”

“ Five or six of the upper boys of the school subscribed to purchase a celestial globe and a map of the heavens, and he never let a starlight night pass without observing the constellations. In return for instruction given in mathematics he was taught navigation by a midshipman. ”

“ Educated at the Town Bank Grammar School at Ulverston, the master of which was ‘an old gouty gentleman named Ferdinand Hodgson, usually called Fardy by the boys,’ who had the good sense to discern his pupil's merits, he was taught mathematics by ‘a sort of perambulating preceptor, who used to pay an annual visit of about three months.’ A son of the Robert Walker whom Wordsworth immortalised succeeded to the mastership, and helped young Barrow to his first step in life by recommending him to assist in the survey of Conishead Priory. ”

“ The Cape was evacuated, and a year later Barrow was once more in England. Here his friend General Dundas strongly recommended him to his uncle, at whose house he met Pitt. He describes Pitt and Dundas as being ‘as playful as two schoolboys.’ On Pitt returning to office in 1804, Dundas, now Lord Melville, was made first lord of the admiralty, and he appointed Barrow second secretary, a post which he occupied with but small intermission for the next forty years. ”

“ His observations of the country and language are recorded in his ‘Autobiography’ (1847) , his ‘Travels in China’ (1804) , his ‘Life of Lord Macartney’ (1807) , and in numerous articles in the ‘Quarterly Review,’ and his advice was asked by government on two subsequent occasions with regard to our dealings with the Chinese empire. His first care on coming home was to visit his parents. A fortnight later saw him in London, where he lived with Sir George Staunton, assisting him in his literary work till he accompanied Lord Macartney as his private secretary to the Cape of Good Hope. ”

“ The council accepted his offer, and a grant from government, supplemented by a public subscription, supplied the funds for the expedition, on which he set out with only one companion of his own rank. Dr. Richard King, as surgeon and naturalist, in February 1833. His instructions were, in brief, first to make for the sea by the aforesaid river and, if possible, aid Captain Ross, and, secondly, to survey the sea-coast as far as possible. ”

“ In five months he travelled 1,204 miles on snow shoes, with no other covering at night in the woods but a blanket and a deerskin, when the thermometor was frequently at 48 deg. and once at 67 deg. below zero, and sometimes without tasting food for two or three days at a time. ”