George Truman Morrell Commander George Truman Morrell RN ( 29 January 1830 – 7 May 1912 ) was a British naval , officer and explorer active during the Victorian era . Early years . George Truman Morrell was born 29 January 1830 in Dinan , France , a British subject . He was the second son of a naval officer , Arthur Fleming Morrell , and Elizabeth Reid , who was the daughter of a pay officer at the Plymouth Dockyard . His eldest brother , Charles Walter Morrell , would later die in 1839 , aged only 11 , leaving George as the eldest son . George had a younger brother , Arthur Morrell , who was also born in Dinan . Arthur would later become a Rear - Admiral in the Royal Navy . Career . George joined the Royal Navy in 1842 at age 12 , a first class volunteer aboard HMS Calcutta , Captain George Frederick Rich commanding . He would spend seven years as a midshipman , before becoming a mate aboard HMS Excellent in 1849 . He was then acting lieutenant on several occasions , before being confirmed to that rank in 1851 . In 1866 , the Foreign Office reported on " great judgement " displayed by George during a daring expedition up the Niger River aboard HMS Investigator , a journey he documented in his journal . During his naval career , George served aboard the following ships : He was paid off from the navy in 1869 , and then served for a short period with the coast guard in Sligo , Ireland , as a division lieutenant . He documented his final year of service in Ireland in another journal , filled with details such as the loss of ships and crew , the recovery of drowning victims ( " 30th June - Bodies of two young women aged about 16 & 18 both sweetly pretty , laying in our boat house , having been brought off Black rocks near L . House on Saturday , to await coroner ' s inquest on Monday , 30th June " ) , and discipline meted out to coast guardsmen ( " Sept . 9th - Mr . King to lose one good conduct stripe " ) . Marriage and family . George married Ellen Mary Stretton ( born c . 1835 , died 21 December 1903 ) , of Islington , in a ceremony on 29 August 1861 , at St Michael , Highgate , Middlesex . The family was mainly settled in Kent , however his son Patrick was born in Dublin , Ireland , during his service in the coast guard following his retirement from the navy . Together , they had several children . They were : George lived in Belvedere , Kent , at the time of his death on 7 May 1912 . Niger River Expedition . In late 1865 , George , who was then a lieutenant , was given command of HMS " Investigator " , a steam - powered , flat - bottomed British navy gunship . He spent the next several months steaming the ship up the Niger River , bringing gifts from the British government , in Queen Victoria ' s name , to tribal kings and elders along the river . During the voyage , George mediated a dispute between British colonists and King Obi Akazua , who reigned amongst the people at Onitsha , Nigeria . He observed first - hand the slave trade , which flourished locally despite the cessation of the trade throughout most of the western world . He recorded his interactions in a hand written diary , including coloured illustrations of fascinating aspects of contemporary West African life along the river , such as this drawing of a brass canoe fitted with an awning and armed with cannons , used for local trade along the river . References . Other sources :