Peter Cormac Sutherland (14 April 1822 – 30 November 1900) was born in Newlands of Forse, near Latheron, Caithness, Scotland. The son of Robert and Elizabeth Sutherland, he was one of three surviving children of a family of eight, due to smallpox and a drowning accident in Nova Scotia. He became a geologist, physician and an author.
In 1850 he embarked on a campaign to discover the fate of and ''Terror'' after a disastrous polar expedition. It was on that expedition that he sailed under the command of Mr
William Penny
Captain William Penny (1809–1892) was a Scottish shipmaster, whaler and Arctic explorer. He undertook the first maritime search for the ships of Sir John Franklin. In 1840, Penny established the first whaling station in the Cumberland Sound a ...
R.N. on board HMS ''Lady Franklin and Sophia'' and from which his book ''Journal of a voyage in Baffin's Bay and Barrow Straits'' originated. The campaign was largely a success as they discovered the fate of several crew members of the polar expedition buried at the winter base station.
Sutherland later moved with his wife and two children to
Pietermaritzburg, where he later became surveyor-general of
Natal, South Africa, succeeding
William Stanger. It was while Sutherland held this position that his friend, the father of
Cecil Rhodes requested that Cecil reside with him temporarily.
Sutherland was killed in a road accident on 30 November 1900 in
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
Sutherland's great-grandson, John Cormac Seekings, wrote a biography of Sutherland, entitled ''Natal's Little Doctor'' (2013).
Written works
Author: Journal of a voyage in Baffin's Bay and Barrow Straits, in the years 1850–1851, performed by HM Ships ""Lady Franklin"" and ""Sophia"", under the command of Mr William Penny, in search of the missing crews of HM Ships Erebus and Terror. 2 vols. London.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutherland, Peter Cormac
1822 births
Scottish explorers
1900 deaths