as prevented from hiring boats and crews to remedy the situation. Another source of tension was that at least some members of the committee felt that Denham was exceeding his brief by advocating changes in the way the port approaches were managed, proposing a body with authority over the entire river estuary, not just of the port. His appointment was terminated in 1839. He remained in the NW of England for several years, being appointed by the Admiralty to survey the coasts of Lancashire and Cumberland. He published many of the results of his work in a set of Sailing direction for the area, published in 1840. From 15 January 1842 Denham was commander (second in charge) in , commanded by Frederick William Beechey, surveying the coast of Ireland. On 30 July 1845, he was made commander of , surveying on the west coast of Africa including the mouth of the Niger River. From 1848 to 1851 he was employed in conducting inquiries into accidents at sea. Survey of the South Pacific, 1852-1861 On 18 February 1852 Denham was made captain of . As captain of HMS Herald, he carried out major survey work around Australia, New Caledonia and other parts of the Southwest Pacific in the period 1852 to 1861. The voyage of HMS Herald earned him a lasting place in the history of maritime surveying. For a decade, the Herald surveyed and charted known land masses and suspected hazards in the south-west Pacific and substantial parts of the Australian coast, thereby establishing safe routes for shipping. Some of the Herald's charts are still in use. At the time of Denham's voyages, the south-west Pacific was a mission field, a site of commercial activity, and a colonial outpost. The natural history specimens gathered by naturalists William Grant Milne and John MacGillivray on the expedition resulted in significant additions to botanical and ornithological collections. The voyage began in England on 21 February 1852, arriving in Australia on 18 February 1853. On 30 October 1852, a deep-sea sounding taken ono the passage betwee Rio de Janeiro and the Cape of Good Hope showed a depth of . The ship then began its main survey by visiting Lord Howe Island, the Isle of Pines (New Caledonia) and Aneityum (Vanuatu) (19 February 1853 to 1 January 1854); New Zealand and Raoul Island, (2 January 1854 to 2 September 1854); Fiji, (3 September 1854