Lord of the Admiralty, in consequence of an application which had been
made to him by the Royal Society, laid before the King a proposal for an
expedition to try how far navigation might be practicable towards the
North Pole; which his Majesty was pleased to direct should be
immediately undertaken, with every encouragement that could countenance
such an enterprise, and every assistance that could contribute to it's
success. The Racehorse and Carcass bombs, being selected as the
strongest, and therefore the properest, vessels to be employed in this
voyage, were taken into dock, and fitted in the most complete manner for
the service. The command of the former was given to Captain Constantine
John Phipps, afterwards Lord Mulgrave; and that of the latter, to
Captain Skeffington Lutwidge, now Admiral of the White. The complement
for each was fixed at ninety men; and the ordinary establishment
departed from, by appointing an additional number of officers, the whole
recommended by their respective captains, and entering effective men
instead of the usual number of boys Two masters of Greenlandmen were
employed as pilots for each ship; the Racehorse was furnished with new
chain-pumps on Captain Bentinck's improved plan; Dr. Irving's apparatus
for distilling fresh water from the sea was adopted; Mr. Israel Lyons
was engaged, by the Board of Longitude, to embark in this voyage, for
the purpose of making astronomical observations; the board also sent two
watch machines for keeping the longitude by difference of time, one on
Mr. Harrison's principles, the other by Mr. Arnold; and, in short, every
possible arrangement was made effectually to decide the long-agitated
question concerning the practicability of a north-east passage into the
Pacific ocean.
The report of this scientific voyage, from which so much nautical
knowledge could not fail to be derived by a youth thirsting for
professional information, most powerfully attracted the enterprising
spirit of young Nelson; who resolved, if possible, to participate in
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