Commissary General was instructed to attend to all my demands, and to
supply the requisite quantities of provisions and stores; but,
notwithstanding every wish on the part of His Excellency to forward our
outfit and complete the vessel for sea without delay, it was not until
the 21st of December that the alterations were finished. Had we met with
as much opposition and inattention from the commissariat department as
from the engineer, the vessel would not have been ready for sea for six
months; it is, however, a duty I owe to Deputy Commissary General Allan,
to acknowledge the readiness with which that officer's department
attended to my wants.

The following is a list of the officers and men who formed the crew of
the Mermaid:--

Commander:
Lieutenant Phillip Parker King.

Master's mates, 2:
Mr. Frederick Bedwell.
Mr. John Septimus Roe.

Botanical collector:
Mr. Allan Cunningham.

Seamen, 12.

Boys, 2.

Total, 18.