Matthew Brisbane was a Scottish mariner, sealer and notable figure in the early history of the Falkland Islands.
24 Facts About Matthew Brisbane
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Matthew Brisbane was born in Perth, Scotland in 1787 but his exact birth date is unknown.
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Matthew Brisbane's brother was the master of a brig that traded between Liverpool and Quebec.
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Matthew Brisbane was the commander of the small cutter Beaufoy with a crew of thirteen; the Beaufoy being owned by Weddell.
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Weddell initially sailed for Madeira for provisions for the Antarctic voyage, whilst Matthew Brisbane headed for Bonavista in the Cape Verde islands for a cargo of salt with which to cure seal skins.
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Matthew Brisbane sailed south to hunt for seals arranging to rendezvous with Weddell at Penguin Island on the Patagonian coast.
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Matthew 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 Matthew Brisbane's Bluff.
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Weddell and Matthew 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.
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On 23 August 1824, Matthew Brisbane set sail in the Beaufoy for another sealing voyage along the Patagonian coast and the Falkland Islands.
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On 16 June 1826, Matthew Brisbane became the master of the 103 ton schooner Prince of Saxe-Coburg outfitted for sealing in the South Orkney Islands.
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Matthew Brisbane survived with his entire crew, managing to salvage three of the schooner's boats and provisions.
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Meanwhile, Matthew 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.
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Matthew 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.
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At Port Louis, Matthew Brisbane met the entrepreneur Luis Vernet and became his director of fisheries.
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Matthew 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.
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Matthew Brisbane returned to Buenos Aires in the Sarandi where he resigned as pilot.
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Matthew Brisbane returned to the Falklands in March 1833 aboard the schooner Rapid, at the time of the first visit by HMS Beagle under the command of Captain Fitzroy and with Charles Darwin on board as naturalist.
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Matthew Brisbane was reunited with one of the officer who had saved his life when he was wrecked in the Prince of Saxe-Coburg.
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Matthew 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.
20.
Matthew Brisbane resumed his position as Vernet's agent and with other senior members of the settlement tried to rebuild Vernet's business interests.
21.
Matthew Brisbane recommenced paying the Gauchos in promissory notes issued by Vernet, which led to conflict within the settlement.
22.
Matthew Brisbane was informed by other residents that Brisbane had been killed, along with Juan Simon.
23.
Matthew Brisbane was murdered by villains, because he defended the property of his friend; he was mangled by them to satisfy their hellish spite; dragged by a lasso, at a horse's heels, away from the houses, and left to be eaten by dogs.
24.
Matthew Brisbane was reburied in 1842 by James Clark Ross, then in the Falklands with the Erebus and Terror.