Narrative of the Voyage of HMS Herald during the Years 1845-51 under the Command of Captain Henry Kellett, R.N., C.B.

Berthold Seemann (1825-71), a German-born botanist and traveller, published several scientific books and articles. He also composed music and in the 1860s he wrote three plays which enjoyed some success in Germany. In 1846 Seemann was appointed naturalist to the British ship HMS Herald, which was engaged in a hydrographical survey of the Pacific. In this two-volume work, published in 1853, the author recounts how he joined the Herald in Panama in 1847 and remained on board until 1851. The ship explored almost all of the West Coast of America and also sailed north into the Arctic seas. In Volume 2, the Herald is ordered to the Bering Strait to search for the Arctic explorer John Franklin. New islands are discovered and Seemann collects anthropological data related to the Inuit. The Herald also visits the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) several times, and eventually returns home via the Ascension Island.