BELCHER, SIR Edward, English admiral and hydrographer: b. Halifax, N. S., 1799; d. 18 March 1877. Having taken part as midshipman in the defense of Gaeta and the battle of Al giers, he was in 1819 appointed to the Myrmidon sloop, destined for the African station, and in 1825 became assistant surveyor to the Bering Strait discovery expedition under Captain Beechey. In 1829 he was promoted to the rank of commander, and served on the coast of Africa, and of Portugal, rendering on the latter occasion valuable services to the British resi dents by protecting their property during the political troubles in Portugal. Subsequently he was engaged for a number of years in a voyage around the world in the surveying vessel, Sul phur. In 1841 he explored the inlets of the Canton River, and materially assisted in secur ing the triumph of the British army. In ac
knowledgment of these services, he was knighted. Afterward he was employed on board of the Samarang, on surveying service in the East Indies, and was severely wounded while assist-L ing the Rajah of Sarawak, Sir James Brooke, to subdue the pirates of Borneo. From 1852 to 1854 he commanded the expedition in search of Sir John Franklin. On his return to Eng land, he was tried before a court-martial for voluntarily abandoning the ships The case against him, however, was not legally supported, he was acquitted, and his sword returned to him, but while some of the other officers were commended, his name was passed over in sig nificant silence. In 1872 he became rear admiral. He published 'The Last of the Arctic Voyages' (1855); 'Narrative of a Voyage to the East Indies.'