Matthew Brisbane (1787 – 8 August 1833) was a Scottish mariner, sealer and notable figure in the early history of the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...

Early life

Little is known of Brisbane's early life. He was born in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

Tayside Tayside ( gd, Taobh Tatha) was one of the nine regions used for local government in Scotland from 15 May 1975 to 31 March 1996. The region was named for the River Tay. It was created by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, following rec ...

in 1787 but his exact birth date is unknown. Gurney, 2008, p. 119. It appears that he was a merchant sailor during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...

but there is no record of his service in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

. His brother was the master of a

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part ...

that traded between

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

and

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

Antarctic exploration

Brisbane first rose to public attention though his association with James Weddell, the famous

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and othe ...

explorer. Brisbane was the commander of the small cutter ''Beaufoy'' with a crew of thirteen; the ''Beaufoy'' being owned by Weddell. Weddell in the ''Jane'' and Brisbane in the ''Beaufoy'' left England on 17 September 1822. Gurney, 2008, p. 115. Weddell initially sailed for

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

for provisions for the Antarctic voyage, whilst Brisbane headed for Bonavista in the

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

islands for a cargo of salt with which to cure seal skins. In December, they met up at Port St Elena in what is now Chile. Brisbane sailed south to hunt for seals arranging to rendezvous with Weddell at Penguin Island on the Patagonian coast. On New Year's Day 1823, they met up once again before sailing south to the

South Orkney Islands The South Orkney Islands are a group of islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula Discovered by

Nathaniel Brown Palmer Nathaniel Brown Palmer (August 8, 1799June 21, 1877) was an American seal hunter, explorer, sailing captain, and ship designer. He gave his name to Palmer Land, Antarctica, which he explored in 1820 on his sloop ''Hero''. He was born in Stoning ...

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. They arrived in the islands on 12 January 1823 and began sealing but with little success. Brisbane conducted a rough survey of the southern coasts of the islands and in response Weddell named the cliffs on the north point of Powell Island Brisbane's Bluff (now known as Cape Faraday). 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. By 27 January they had reached 64° 58' S, where the decision was made to sail north to look for islands between the South Orkney and

South Sandwich Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = , song = , image_map = South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in United Kingdom.svg , map_caption = Location of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in the southern Atlantic Oce ...

. Gurney, 2008, pp. 116. Finding none, the pair headed south again and on 20 February 1823 reached 74° 15' S, setting a record for the furthest voyage south that lasted till

James Clark Ross Sir James Clark Ross (15 April 1800 – 3 April 1862) was a British Royal Navy officer and polar explorer known for his explorations of the Arctic, participating in two expeditions led by his uncle John Ross, and four led by William Edwa ...

's voyage of 1842.

Sealing

During the voyage around the South Orkney Islands the expedition had tried sealing but with little success. In February, with the season drawing short, Weddell made the decision to head North toward South Georgia. After spending a month there, the two ships sailed to the

to spend the winter. Whilst the ''Jane'' was prepared for winter gales, the ''Beaufoy'' was used to scout for fur seals. In October, the decision was made to sail south again to the South Orkney Islands but found the conditions were terrible with both vessels damaged by ice and the men frostbitten. Both set sail North for

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla ...

and continued sealing along the

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...

n coast. The ships them split up, with Brisbane sailing for the Falkland Islands and South Georgia in January. The two intended to rendezvous in March off the coast of

but, having missed each other, sailed back to London. Brisbane in the ''Beaufoy'' arrived there on 20 June 1824, some two weeks before Weddell. On 23 August 1824, Brisbane set sail in the ''Beaufoy'' for another sealing voyage along the Patagonian coast and the Falkland Islands. On 15 January 1826, the ''Beaufoy'' set sail to return to England arriving on 29 March 1826.

Shipwrecks

On 16 June 1826, Brisbane became the master of the 103 ton

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoo ...

''Prince of Saxe-Coburg'' outfitted for sealing in the South Orkney Islands. Jones, 1971, p. 173. 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. 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

williwaw In meteorology, a williwaw (archaic spelling williwau) is a sudden blast of wind descending from a mountainous coast to the sea. The word is of unknown origin, but was earliest used by British seamen in the 19th century. The usage appears for wind ...

s. Brisbane survived with his entire crew, managing to salvage three of the schooner's boats and provisions. A camp was set up on shore and then Brisbane set about organising a rescue, whilst simultaneously dealing with an increasingly mutinous crew. Seven of the crew volunteered to take the largest boat to make for Rio Negro over a 1000 miles away (they succeeded and immediately volunteered to serve in the Argentine navy in the conflict with Brazil). Gurney, 2008, p. 117. 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''. On 3 March 1827, one of the boats was spotted by HMS ''Beagle'' who rescued the survivors. Brisbane returned to London in 1827, finding another command the 143 ton schooner ''Hope'' and left once more for the South Atlantic on 17 January 1828. In April 1829, the ''Hope'' was wrecked off the coast of South Georgia. Brisbane and the crew constructed a

shallop Shallop is a name used for several types of boats and small ships (French ''chaloupe'') used for coastal navigation from the seventeenth century. Originally smaller boats based on the chalupa, the watercraft named this ranged from small boats a li ...

from the wreckage and sailed for Montevideo. On 9 April he made landfall in Rio Negro, then sailed North in the smack ''Triunfo'' arriving in Buenos Aires on 2 May. Ten of his crew remained at South Georgia, so Brisbane set about organising a rescue. In Buenos Aires, he met Luis Vernet from whom he chartered the American Brig ''Betsy'' to rescue the remaining crew members. Brisbane's third and final shipwreck was aboard the sealer ''Bellville'' under the command of Captain Bray. This wrecked on the east coast of Tierra del Fuego. Again the crew constructed a shallop from the wreckage but were hampered in the task by the local Fuegians who constantly pilfered tools and supplies. Supplies were exhausted in early April and the crew nearly starved surviving on a diet of hides, putrid blubber, berries, limpets and fish. The shallop was finished on 1 May and the voyage in a very leaky boat began. Cape Meredith on

West Falkland West Falkland ( es, Isla Gran Malvina) is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland by the Falkland Sound. Its area is , 37% of the total area of the islands. Its coastli ...

was sighted four days later and the crew arrived in

Port Louis Port Louis (french: Port-Louis; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Polwi or , ) is the capital city of Mauritius. It is mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's ...

on 30 May.

Falkland Islands

At Port Louis, Brisbane once again met the entrepreneur Luis Vernet and became his director of fisheries. In 1830, he visited

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

and gave notice in the ''British Packet and Argentine News'' of Vernet's fishing claims and warnings to sealers. The British consul in Buenos Aires,

Woodbine Parish Sir Woodbine Parish KCH (14 September 1796, London – 16 August 1882, St. Leonards, Sussex) was a British diplomat, traveller and scientist. The son of Woodbine Parish, of Bawburgh Old Hall, Norfolk, a major in the Light Horse Volunteers, ...

, warned Brisbane not to interfere with British commerce in the islands. In July 1831, Brisbane and Vernet seized the American vessels ''Superior'', ''Breakwater'' and ''Harriet''. Cawkell, 2001, pp. 55–56. The ''Breakwater'' escaped and the ''Superior'' was allowed to continue sealing on Vernet's terms. Vernet returned in the ''Harriet'' to Buenos Aires to arrange for a trial. The seizure of the American ships proved to be a disastrous move for the small settlement at Port Louis. The USS ''Lexington'' had been sent to reinforce the

Brazil Squadron The Brazil Squadron, the Brazil Station, or the South Atlantic Squadron was an overseas military station established by the United States in 1826 to protect American commerce in the South Atlantic during a war between Brazil and Argentina. When th ...

to protect American commerce, in part a response to Argentine proclamations on sealing and fishing in the South Atlantic. Under the command of Silas M. Duncan the ''Lexington'' sailed for Port Louis to put an end to what was regarded by the US as a "nest of pirates". 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. Duncan also offered passage to any from the settlement who wished to leave, and the majority of the population took up this opportunity to leave the islands. The ''Lexington'' arrived in

Montevideo Montevideo () is the capital and largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . Montevideo is situated on the southern co ...

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''. Brisbane and the others were later released on the orders of Commodore Rodgers. Brisbane soon returned to the Falkland Islands acting as pilot for Major Pinedo commander of the ARA ''Sarandi'', which transported Major Esteban Mestivier to the islands to take up his post as governor and to establish a penal colony. Shortly after the ''Sarandi'' left to survey the islands Mestivier was murdered, leaving the settlement in uproar. 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. Brisbane returned to Buenos Aires in the ''Sarandi'' where he resigned as pilot. Brisbane returned to the Falklands in March 1833 aboard the

''Rapid'', at the time of the first visit by HMS ''Beagle'' under the command of Captain Fitzroy and with

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...

on board as naturalist. Gurney, 2008, p. 118. Brisbane was reunited with one of the officer who had saved his life when he was wrecked in the ''Prince of Saxe-Coburg''. Brisbane visited the ''Beagle'' presenting his papers to Captain Fitzroy showing that he was acting as Vernet's private agent and was there to look after the remains of Vernet's private property. Cawkell, 2001, p. 62. Brisbane and Fitzroy had a natural affinity and discussed a broad range of subjects; Fitzroy notes his diary his gratitude for a great deal of information about the Falklands. However, on leaving Fitzroy expressed his concern for the settlement with its lack of regular authority in a virtually lawless group of islands. Brisbane resumed his position as Vernet's agent and with other senior members of the settlement tried to rebuild Vernet's business interests. Cawkell, 2001, pp. 62–63. He recommenced paying the

Gaucho A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...

s in promissory notes issued by Vernet, which led to conflict within the settlement. The Gauchos resented the reimposition of authority and wanted to be paid in silver as Captain Onslow of the ''Clio'' had done. The situation was exacerbated by the devaluation of the promissory notes as a result of Vernet's reduced status.

Death

On 26 August 1833, five Indian convicts and three

gaucho A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...

s led by

Antonio Rivero Antonio "El Gaucho" Rivero was a gaucho known for his leading role in the Port Louis Murders of 26 August 1833, in which five prominent members of the settlement of Port Louis, Falkland Islands, Port Louis on the Falkland Islands were murdered. I ...

embarked on a killing spree which resulted in the deaths of Brisbane and the senior leaders of the settlement. Thomas Helsby, a clerk in the employ of Vernet, wrote an account of the murders. Extract of Thomas Helsby's Account of the Port Louis Murders Falkland Islands Government Archives, Stanley. At around ten in the morning, Helsby departed Brisbane's house to buy some oil from William Dickson, whom he found at the house of Antonio Wagner. Other people there included Daniel McKay and Joseph Douglas. On leaving, as he passed the house of Santiago Lopez, Helsby encountered the murderers. The gang was led by Rivero and comprised José María Luna, Juan Brasido, Manuel Gonzales, Luciano Flores, Manuel Godoy, Felipe Salagar and Lattorre. They were armed with "muskets, pistols, swords, dirks and knives". Alarmed, Helsby ran to Brisbane's house for aid, but he found it locked and could raise no response. He was informed by other residents that Brisbane had been killed, along with Juan Simon (the Capitaz of the Gauchos). A third man, Don Ventura, had been left for dead, wounded in the throat by a musket, his head split and his hand almost severed by a sword, but he had since escaped by a back window and headed toward the house of Antonina Roxa. Helsby then heard two musket shots from the house of Antonio Wagner: Wagner and Dickson had been killed, witnessed by Joseph Douglas and Daniel McKay. The gang then returned to Brisbane's house to find Ventura missing. After a brief search they found him. Ventura tried to flee but was shot down. Helsby witnessed the murder and attempted his own escape but was soon caught by Felipe Salagar, who was on horseback. Convinced he was about to be killed he complied with their instructions, and was allowed to live. Brisbane was buried in a shallow grave. Visiting the Falklands a year later on the ''

Beagle The beagle is a breed of small scent hound, similar in appearance to the much larger foxhound. The beagle was developed primarily for hunting hare, known as beagling. Possessing a great sense of smell and superior tracking instincts, th ...

's'' second visit to the islands, Captain Fitzroy was appalled to find that Brisbane's feet were protruding from the ground, and that dogs had fed on the corpse. King, 1839, p. 332.

Memorials

Brisbane was reburied in 1842 by

, then in the Falklands with the ''Erebus'' and ''Terror''. Jones, 1971, p. 174. A simple wooden memorial was erected inscribed with: 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. In 1933, it was replaced with a marble slab laid by Governor O'Grady. The replacement wooden marker is now in Stanley museum. There is a Brisbane Road in Stanley. Brisbane is also memorialised by Cape Brisbane and Mount Beaufoy on Henderson Island in

and by Brisbane Heights on Coronation Island in the

South Orkney Islands The South Orkney Islands are a group of islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula

Early life

Antarctic exploration

Sealing

Shipwrecks

Falkland Islands

Death

Memorials

References

Footnotes

Web sources

Bibliography