Born 1734
Died July 21, 1796,
Southampton, England

Samuel Wallis

Born April 23, 1728,
Cornwall, England
Died January 21, 1795,
London, England

Little is known about Philip Carteret’s early life. Apparently the only source of information is his journal, which was published in 1773. In it Carteret gives an account of his voyage around the world in 1764-66, when he sailed with an expedition led by John Byron, the English navigator who laid claim to the Falkland Islands for Great Britain. Carteret served as first lieutenant on both ships in Byron’s expedition. Soon after his return to England, Carteret embarked on a new expedition under the command of Samuel Wallis.

Wallis, born in Cornwall, England, on April 23, 1728, went to sea as a young boy. He served in the Royal Navy during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48) and was promoted to lieutenant at the end of the war. For...