How a British civil servant came up with the idea to keep no-longer-fighting military types busy, by directing them to find the North West Passage, the source of The Nile, and the frosty Poles.When the Napoleonic wars ended, demobilized naval officers were kicking their heels around England, looking for stuff to keep them gainfully employed.
The Admiralty appointed Second Secretary John Barrow to keep them busy, so he assigned them tasks of exploration.
For the next 30 years, Barrow's teams of captains, first mates and other ranks (but mostly well-bred captains) set about their journeys of discovery.
This is history that reads like the adventure stories they really are.
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