Matthew Brisbane

[3] Weddell initially sailed for Madeira for provisions for the Antarctic voyage, whilst Brisbane headed for Bonavista in the Cape Verde islands for a cargo of salt with which to cure seal skins.

[3] Brisbane sailed south to hunt for seals arranging to rendezvous with Weddell at Penguin Island on the Patagonian coast.

[3] Discovered by Nathaniel Brown Palmer and George Powell in 1821, little was known at the time about the islands and Weddell intended to explore them for seals and to conduct a hydrographic survey.

[3] Weddell and Brisbane sailed further south in the hope of finding more islands but made slow progress due to the combination of adverse weather and the need to heave to at night to avoid collision with ice floes.

[4] On 16 June 1826, Brisbane became the master of the 103 ton schooner Prince of Saxe-Coburg outfitted for sealing in the South Orkney Islands.

[5] This voyage proved to be disastrous: first meeting atrocious weather and then pack ice that damaged the ship, Brisbane made the decision to run for Tierra del Fuego in order to make repairs.

[5] There on 16 December 1826, whilst anchored in Fury Bay on the southern end of the Cockburn Channel the schooner was driven ashore by violent williwaws.

[6] Meanwhile, Brisbane continued to organise the survivors sending out patrols in the remaining two boats and setting the crew to work constructing a vessel from the wreck of the Prince of Saxe-Coburg.

In Buenos Aires, he met Luis Vernet from whom he chartered the American Brig Betsy to rescue the remaining crew members.

[6] Supplies were exhausted in early April and the crew nearly starved surviving on a diet of hides, putrid blubber, berries, limpets and fish.

[6] In 1830, he visited Buenos Aires and gave notice in the British Packet and Argentine News of Vernet's fishing claims and warnings to sealers.

[8] The USS Lexington had been sent to reinforce the Brazil Squadron to protect American commerce, in part a response to Argentine proclamations on sealing and fishing in the South Atlantic.

[8] On 31 December 1831, the Lexington came to anchor off Port Louis, Brisbane and six others were arrested on charges of piracy, the guns of the settlement spiked and the powder magazine blown.

[8] The Lexington arrived in Montevideo on 3 February 1832, where those given passage were released, but Brisbane and six others remained as prisoners until 16 April, when they were transferred to the USS Warren.

[6] Pinedo returned and had put down the mutiny with the assistance of the British schooner Rapid when on 3 January HMS Clio appeared off Port Louis and delivered the message that the UK intended to re-assert sovereignty over the islands.

[6] Brisbane returned to the Falklands in March 1833 aboard the schooner Rapid, at the time of the first visit by HMS Beagle under the command of Captain Fitzroy and with Charles Darwin on board as naturalist.

[11] On 26 August 1833, five Indian convicts and three gauchos led by Antonio Rivero embarked on a killing spree which resulted in the deaths of Brisbane and the senior leaders of the settlement.

[13] I was ordered by them into Captain Brisbane's house, and there first saw his body lying dead upon the floor, he appeared to have been making towards his pistols before he fell, and there was smile of contempt or disdain very strongly marked in his countenance.

He was murdered by villains, because he defended the property of his friend; he was mangled by them to satisfy their hellish spite; dragged by a lasso, at a horse's heels, away from the houses, and left to be eaten by dogs.

of Mr Matthew Brisbane who was barbarously murdered on the 26th August 1833 —————— In the command of the Beaufoy Cutter he was the Zealous and able Companion of Captn James Weddell during his enterprising Voyage to beyond the 74th degree of South Latitude in February 1823 —————— His remains were removed to this spot by the crews of H.B.M.

ships "Erebus" and "Terror" on the 25th August 1842 The wooden marker remained until 1906 by which time it had become illegible through weathering, it was replaced with another marked with the same inscription.