Seaman’s Log Book of 8 Voyages from England and Scotland to Australia, India, the United States, Canada, and the Mediterranean on Merchant Ships, 1868-1872

E. Acton

:

E. Acton

,

1868-1872

.
.

20.5cm x 16cm. [340] pages, original manuscript. Half leather, marbled papered boards, marbled endpapers.

Manuscript logbook recording the daily observations of a merchant seaman, E. Acton, on eight voyages aboard the merchant ships Duke of Edinburgh, S.S. St. David, and S.S. Fern Tower for the White Star Company, Montreal Ocean Steam Ship Company, and others. While at sea the log largely records details about the weather and sailing conditions, as well as latitude and longitude, and distanced travelled, “October 7, 1868. Lat 33.08.S. Long. 154.53.E. Dist 167 miles. Course EbyN. Fresh breeze and clear.” While in port the observations also pertain to the comings and goings of people and goods, including deserters as at Newcastle, N.S.W. “September 3, 1868 Commenced at noon to put out ballast. Captain Aberdeen of the Ship “Glouerra” came on board, with the Police, and took 3 of our crew to gaol viz Curran, Hislop and Lawley, who had deserted from his ship in Melbourne where we had shipped them, the former men got 2 months, and the latter 3 months imprisonment.”. Lengthy descriptions are often given when a pilot is on board arriving and departing harbours. Each voyage is given its own title page, listing the ship, a drawing of the flag sailed under, locations visited, and a crew and passenger manifest (crew names are given, passengers are given as a count of the types of passengers). The voyages taken are: 1st Voyage: Duke of Edinburgh, White Star Company, from Liverpool to Melbourne, Vict., thence to Newcastle, N.S.W., thence to San Francisco, Cal., [thence to Cork], thence to Liverpool (April 22nd, 1868 to June 8, 1869); 2nd Voyage: Duke of Edinburgh, Thames & Mersey Line, from Liverpool to Melbourne, Vict, thence to Geelong, Victoria, thence to London (August 7, 1869 to May 13, 1870); 3rd Voyage: Duke of Edinburgh, T. H. Holderness, Esq., from London to Bombay, thence to Liverpool (August 17, 1870 to August 6, 1871); 4th Voyage: St. David, Montreal Ocean Steam Ship Company, from Glasgow to Quebec and Montreal, and back to Glasgow (August 22, 1871 to September 30, 1871); 5th Voyage: St. David, M.O.S.S. Co., from Glasgow to Quebec and Montreal and back to Glasgow (October 4, 1871 to November 11, 1871); 6th Voyage: St, David, The Anchor Line, from Glasgow to The Mediterranean calling at the following places, Talmouth, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Genoa, Leghorn, Naples, Marseilles, Valentia, Malaga and Gibraltar, thence to New York and Liverpool (November 17, 1871 to February 11, 1872); 7th Voyage: St. David, M.O.S.S. Co., from Liverpool to Portland, Maine, W.S., and back to Liverpool (February 15, 1872 to May 3rd, 1872); 8th Voyage: S. S. Fern Tower, from Cardiff to St. Nazaire, thence to L’Orient and back to Cardiff (September 24, 1872 to October 8, 1872).

Spineback worn off, the upper board and first gathering nearly detached, the first few sheets inside that gathering loose. The rest of the binding is sound. Some foxing to verso of endpapers and first page, else interior is very clean and bright. The manuscript is clean, neat, and easy to read. Good Condition.