Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Musters, George Chaworth
MUSTERS, GEORGE CHAWORTH (1841–1879), 'King of Patagonia,' commander, royal navy, was the son of John George Musters of Wiverton Hall, Nottinghamshire, formerly of the 10th royal hussars, by his wife Emily, daughter of Philip Hammond, of Westacre, Norfolk. His grandfather, John Musters of Coldwick Hall, Nottinghamshire, 'the king of gentlemen huntsmen,' married in 1805 Mary Anne Chaworth, sole heiress of Chaworth of Annesley, Nottinghamshire, the 'Mary' of Byron's poem, 'The Dream.'
George Chaworth Musters was born at Naples, while his parents were travelling, 13 Feb. 1841. He was one of three children. His father dying in 1842, and his mother in 1845, he was brought up chiefly by his mother's brothers; one of whom, Robert Hammond, had sailed with Admiral Robert Fitzroy [q. v.] in H.M.S. Beagle. George went to school at Saxby's in the Isle of Wight, and Green's at Sandgate, and thence to Burney's academy at Gosport, to prepare for the navy. He was entered on board the Algiers, 74 guns, in 1854, and served in her in the Black Sea, receiving the English and Turkish Crimean medals by the time he was fifteen. In October 1856 he was transferred to the Gorgon, and served in 1857-8 in the Chesapeake, and in 1859-61 in the Marlborough. In 1861 he passed in the first class in his examination; was posted to the Victoria and Albert royal yacht; promoted to lieutenant 4 Sept. 1861, and appointed to the Stromboli sloop of war, Captain Philips, serving in her on the coast of South America from December 1861 until she was paid off in June 1866. When at Rio in 1862 he and a midshipman of the Stromboli, in a youthful freak, climbed the well-known Sugar Loaf mountain, and planted the British ensign on the summit, where for some years it defied all efforts to dislodge it. While on the South American station he bought land, and started sheep-farming at Montevideo.
After he was placed on half-pay, he carried out a long-cherished project of travelling over South America. The journey is described in his 'At Home with the Patagonians, a Year's Wanderings on Untrodden Ground from the Straits of Magellan to the Rio Negro,' London, 1871, 2nd ed. 1873. In this bold and adventurous undertaking, which occupied 1869-70, Musters lived on the most friendly terms with the Patagonian aborigines, by whom he was treated as a king, travelling with one of the hordes from Magellan Straits to the Rio Negro, and afterwards traversing the northern part of Patagonia from east to west, a distance of fourteen hundred miles. The results were a considerable addition to geographical knowledge particularly of the south-eastern slopes of the Andes full particulars of the character and customs of the Tehuelche tribes, and many interesting observations on the climate. The Royal Geographical Society of London presented him with a gold watch in 1872. The open-air habits acquired in this sort of life had a singular effect on his constitution. After his return to England he often preferred to sleep in the garden wrapped in a blanket, although as a rule he was susceptible to cold. Musters subsequently visited Vancouver's Island, and had some adventures with the Indians of British Columbia, of which a narrative was promised, but never published. Returning to South America, he set out to traverse Chili and Patagonia from west to east, but was obliged to return to Venezuela. He came home to England in 1873, married, and went out to South America with his wife to reside in Bolivia. From February 1874 to September 1876 he travelled much in Bolivia and the countries adjacent, gathering a large amount of geographical information, which is published in the Royal Geographical Society's 'Proceedings,' vol. xlvii. After his return home Musters resided chiefly with his brother at Wiverton, an old seat of the Chaworth family. In October 1878 he repaired to London in order to prepare himself for the Mozambique, where he had been appointed consul. He died on 25 Jan. 1879. He was a fearless explorer, and a man of unfailing tact and winning manners.
Musters's wife, Herminia, daughter of George Williams of Sucre, Bolivia, was authoress of 'A Book of Hunting Songs and Sport,' London, 1888, 12mo (Allibone).
[Burke's Landed Gentry, 1886 ed., under 'Musters;' Musters's At Home with the Patagonians, 2nd ed. 1873; Proceedings Royal Geographical Soc. London, vol. xlvii., and obituary notice in Proceedings, new ser. vol. i. (1879), pp. 397-8; Allibone's Dict., Suppl.]