The planning and direction of the British government's efforts to find and rescue Sir John Franklin were carried out in the Admiralty offices on Whitehall by the Board of Admiralty, which comprised six Lords Commissioners and two Secretaries, subject to the ultimate authority of Parliament. The Board worked closely with the Navy's Hydrographer, Francis Beaufort, who was probably the single most influential person involved in the planning. He and the Board utilized advice from various officers who had been on Arctic expeditions, and consulted many organizations and individuals in Britain and abroad on particular aspects of the search.