Cruise of the "Alert"

An account of a multi-year survey voyage that combines shipboard travel narrative with natural-history observation along coasts and islands of Patagonia, the Straits of Magellan, Chile, the South Atlantic, Polynesia, and parts of the Indian Ocean. The author records dredging and collecting methods, descriptions of marine and terrestrial fauna and flora, geological features and fossils, encounters with indigenous peoples and settlers, and practical field notes on specimen preservation. Organized as sequential regional chapters, the work interleaves anecdotal shipboard incidents, scientific observations, and lists of collected specimens, with illustrative engravings and advice for amateurs wishing to undertake similar collecting during naval surveys.