He wrote of this journey: "I never had a happier cruise ... a nobler set of fellows never sailed together." He returned to England on the support vessel , although the homeward voyage was delayed after "Valorous" struck a reef and required substantial repairs. Markham's extended absence from his India Office duties, together with his increasing involvement in a range of other interests, caused his superiors to request his resignation. Markham retired from his post in 1877, his 22 years of service entitling him to a pension.