 The first to fill that post was another Irishman, Barry Edward O'Meara, but he was dismissed as it was felt he was too close to Napoleon.Verling had already been a surgeon on board the ship HMS "Northumberland", which brought Napoleon to St Helena, and was chosen to replace O'Meara and to Spy on Napoleon by Hudson Lowe who was general of the Island at that time.He never treated Napoleon only saw him from a distance.