Voyages Of Discovery And Research Within The Arctic Regions, From The Year 1818 To The Present Time (1846)

If [the voyages] were merely to be prosecuted for the sake of making a passage from England to China, and for no other purpose, their utility might fairly be questioned. But when the acquisition of knowledge is the groundwork for all the instructions, under which they are sent forth, when the commanding officer is directed to cause constant observations to be made for the advancement of the science – astronomy, navigation, hydrography, meteorology, including electricity and magnetism, and to make collections of subjects in natural history – in short, to lose no opportunity of acquiring new and important information and discovery; and when it is considered that these voyages give employment to officers and men, in time of peace, and produce officers and men not to be surpassed, perhaps not equalled in any other branch of the service, the question cui bono is easily answered in the words of the minister of Queen Elizabeth – "Knowledge is Power." – the truth of which was practically demonstrated by the grumblers of that day.