Page:Narrative of a Voyage around the World - 1843.djvu/12

vi by her consort the Starling, Lieut. Commander Kellett, quitted England in the following December. Captain Beechey invalided at Valparaiso, and was succeeded by Acting Commander Kellett, who was again superseded by the author of the present narrative, who took the command at Panama, in February, 1837, having crossed the Isthmus of Darien for that purpose, and retained it till the conclusion of her protracted voyage. After some little delay in completing certain necessary operations, the two vessels proceeded northerly, touching at Realejo and Libertad in Central America, and reached San Blas in June, 1837, whence she sailed for the Sandwich Islands, which she reached the following month.

Port Etches, in King William's Sound, in 60° 30′ N. was the next destination of the Expedition. Point Riou and Port Mulgrave were chosen as base stations for determining the position of Mount St. Elias, and further settling the question of longitude between Cook and Vancouver. The Sulphur then proceeded to Sitka or New Archangel, in Norfolk Sound, where the officers received very courteous treatment from Captain Koupreanoff, the Russian governor. She next visited Friendly Cove, in Nootka Sound, and thence sailed to San Francisco, when the examination of the river Sacramento, one hundred and fifty-six miles from her anchorage, occupied the party in open boats for thirty-one days. Thence the Sulphur successively visited Monterey, San Blas, Acapulco, and Libertad, on her way to Realejo, where the author, for the recovery of his health, undertook a land survey of the principal mountains overlooking his future ground in the