In 1828, Congress passed a resolution to request that a small vessel be outfitted to explore the Pacific Ocean and the South Sea. The expedition was commonly known at the time as an expedition to the South Pole. President John Quincy Adams, supported the expedition, but requested that additional vessels be sent along to "contribute much to the safety of the citizens embarked on this under-taking". Perhaps, Adams fear was based upon stories about a great white Sperm whale known as "Mocha Dick", a whale that at least partially inspired Herman Melville's Moby-Dick.
In 1827, Jeremiah N. Reynolds, an American author, lecturer and explorer led an effort to outfit a small vessel for an expedition to the South Pole. Mr. Reynolds, also known as J.N. Reynolds generated a lot of support from around the different sections of the country for such an expedition. Prominent citizens signed petitions or "memorials" in support of the expedition, and a great number of these citizens reached out to the government begging for aid from the government in fitting out vessels for the expedition. In response, the Congressional Committee on Naval Affairs reached out to Mr. J.N. Reynolds on February 10th, 1828 asking for a statement and testimony on the expedition.
In a letter to the committee, J.N. Reynolds provided signed statements from several of the memorialists recommending that Congress provide funding to fit out a small expedition to "explore the immense and unknown regions in the Southern hemisphere." In their statements, they shared beliefs that the expedition is highly likely to make discoveries of importance by finding new islands, or increasing the knowledge of those already on the maps. By surveying these coasts, American commerce would benefit from the surveying of the coasts that are used by fisherman, thereby reducing the loss of property due to frequent shipwrecks. In addition, new channels might be opened for the lucrative trading of fur from . Among the "memorials" was included one signed by Nathaniel Pitcher, the Lieutenant Governor of New York and Speaker of the House Erastus Root. Reynolds wrote that these "memorials" or petitions were signed by "nearly all the members of the legislature". Another memorial was signed by the mayor of Charleston South Carolina and a "very long list of respectable citizens". It was clear, that there was significant support for the expedition from all parts of the country. Included in the letter from Reynolds was also for reference a copy of the preamble and resolution adopted by the house of delegates of the State of Maryland.
"Resolved, by the general assembly of the State of Maryland, That we do highly approve of the views of the said memorialists, believing that a polar expedition, if properly conducted, could scarcely fail in adding something to the general stock of national wealth and knowledge, and to the honor and glory of the United States."
With, this Reynolds closed his letter by urging Congress to consider such a resolution.
A few days later, the Committee then reached out to Thomas ap Gatesby Jones, a United Stated Navy Officer and veteran of the War of 1812 and one of the signers of the memorials. Commodore Jones was recently in command of the sloop-of-war Peacock, damaged in 1828 by a whale on it's way back from signing a treaty with Queen regent Kaʻahumanu and other chiefs of the Kingdom of Hawai'i. Jones replied to Committee that his recent cruise to the Pacific ocean where he spent some time among the Sandwich islands (known today as the Hawaiian Islands) provided him with the opportunity of seeing first hand the different branches of commerce that had been previously discussed by the committee. Jones thus responded with some very encouraging words: "That there is a great field open for national enterprise, in the region to which you have invited the attention of the American people, cannot be doubted; and I accord most heartily with you that such a voyage as you contemplate would open to our commercial, and of course, national interests, sources of great wealth, which cannot be brought into action without the protecting aid of government."
By the end of 1828, it seemed that the expedition to the South Pole was all set and ready to go. In President John Quincy Adams final State of the Union Address, he wrote that "The vessel is nearly ready to depart." The House of Representatives passed a resolution requisition that on of the Navy's smaller vessels "should be sent to the Pacific Ocean and South Sea to examine the coasts, islands, harbors, shoals, and reefs in those seas, and to ascertain their true situation and description". All that was needed now, was for Congress to appropriate some additional funds to defray the necessary expenses, and perhaps a second or third vessel to contribute to the "safety of the citizens embarked on this under-taking, the results of which may be of the deepest interest to our country."
"A resolution of the House of Representatives requesting that one of our small public vessels should be sent to the Pacific Ocean and South Sea to examine the coasts, islands, harbors, shoals, and reefs in those seas, and to ascertain their true situation and description, has been put in a train of execution. The vessel is nearly ready to depart. The successful accomplishment of the expedition may be greatly facilitated by suitable legislative provisions, and particularly by an appropriation to defray its necessary expense. The addition of a 2nd, and perhaps a 3rd, vessel, with a slight aggravation of the cost, would contribute much to the safety of the citizens embarked on this under-taking, the results of which may be of the deepest interest to our country."Unfortunately, Congress did not follow through with additional appropriations and without support from President Andrew Jackson the expedition was delayed until 1838. By then Commodore Jones who survived an attack by a great whale in the South seas had resigned the appointment. There was no mention of the fear of whales in the expedition, but it as clearly on the mind of both Commodore Jones and J.N. Reynolds. It doesn't require a stretch of the imagination to to tie the concerns of John Quincy Adams for the safety of our citizens to the dangers of whales like "Mocha Dick". Mocha Dick was a male sperm whale that lived in the Pacific Ocean at the time. J.N. Reynolds had been gathering first-hand observations of Mocha Dick since the first encounter by Nantucket whalers in 1810 off Mocha Island. Mocha Dick was known to be quite docile, and would sometimes swim alongside the ship of Nantucket whalers, but when attacked he would retaliate with such great ferocity that his body would sometimes come completely out of water. Given the first-hand accounts of Mocha Dick and the attack Commodore Jones survived, it's safe to say that many Americans feared that any expedition to the South Pole would perhaps suffer it's fate at the breach of a great whale like Mocha Dick. In 1838, J.N. Reynolds had published his account, "Mocha Dick: Or the White Whale of the Pacific" in the Knickerbocker magazine. According to Reynold's account, "Mocha Dick", the great white whale was killed in 1838. Officially the South Pole expedition was delayed due to lack of funding, but given fear of "Mocha Dick" and the slaying of Mocha Dick in 1838, it again does not take a stretch of the imagination to consider that perhaps it was the fear of Mocha Dick that delayed the expedition to the South Pole. Now that, Mocha Dick was dead, the expedition was back on.
Just a few years later in 1843, Jones returned to the Kingdom of Hawaii to assist with the restoration of peace there. Upon return, he brought with him a young deserter named Herman Melville, the future author of Moby-Dick. Melville himself was a whaler, and many believe that it was Mocha Dick that at least partially inspired Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick. So, excuse the catchy phrase, but it's perhaps it was the real Moby-Dick that delayed the expedition to the South Pole that J.N. Reynolds had petitioned so hard for.
References
Presidency.ucsb.edu. (2018). John Quincy Adams: Fourth Annual Message. [online] Available at: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29470 [Accessed 5 Jun. 2018].Tyler, T. (2018). On the expediency of fitting out vessels of the navy for an exploration of the pacific ocean and south seas - Committee on Naval Affairs - U.S. Congress. [online] Mysite.du.edu. Available at: http://mysite.du.edu/~ttyler/ploughboy/usexex363.htm [Accessed 5 Jun. 2018].
En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Jeremiah N. Reynolds. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah_N._Reynolds [Accessed 5 Jun. 2018].
En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Mocha Dick. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mocha_Dick [Accessed 5 Jun. 2018].
En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Thomas ap Catesby Jones. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_ap_Catesby_Jones [Accessed 5 Jun. 2018].
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