Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
brief and tragic. On his return, his achievements were recognised by
the Geographical Society, who awarded him their Grand Gold Medal.
He did not long enjoy the honour. On 8 May 1842, he was returning
to Paris from Versailles with his wife and son on the recently-con-
structed railway when his train was involved in an appalling crash.
All three of them were killed along with scores of other travellers.
D'Urville's body was among the many incapable of recognition. The
news reached James Ross during the course of his expedition and he
took the first opportunity to honour the Frenchman. On Louis-Phil-
ippe land he sighted a great tower of rock and named it D'Urville's
Monument 'in memory of that enterprising navigator, whose loss not
only France, but every civilised nation must deplore'.
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No hero's return awaited Charles Wilkes. The scientific estab-
lishment was dubious about the utility of his expedition. The general
public was totally indifferent. Enemies in high places were not slow
to exploit the conflict generated by his claimed discoveries. And sev-
eral of the men who had been forced to endure his tantrums for
nearly four years were thirsting for revenge. The chagrin Wilkes ex-
perienced at receiving no popular acclaim, no immediate scholarly
recognition (not until 1847 was he awarded the Royal Geographical
Society's Founder's Medal) and no naval promotion was balm to
the bodies and egos which the commander had so often bruised.
But Wilkes's disappointment alone could not assuage their wrath.
Some of his officers lodged official complaints and these resulted in
Wilkes being court-martialled on an array of charges grouped under
seven heads: oppression, cruelty, illegal punishment, disobedience
of orders, scandalous conduct, conduct tending to the destruction
of good morals, and conduct unbecoming an officer. Several of the
charges failed on technicalities. Perhaps they would not have done
had the naval authorities not found themselves caught between the
demands of justice and expediency. On the one hand they could not
permit Wilkes's blatantly bad leadership to go unpunished. On the
