Logbooks
Robert Scott, Journal of the proceedings of the Hon[orable] Company ship, Marq[uis] of Huntly, towards Bombay & China : Don[ald] McLeod, Commander (1817-1819)
![Journal of the proceedings of the Hon[orable] Company ship, Marq[uis] of Huntly, towards Bombay & China : Don[ald] McLeod, Commander (1817-1819)](/images/2852-580617ddd9766483fe80e87057f192d5/full/!400,400/0/default.jpg)
Midshipman Robert Scott kept the logbook for the East India Company vessel Marquis of Huntly. He recorded the weather, the ship’s provisions, vessels encountered during the voyage, and the punishment of sailors, among other details. He even produced 18 watercolor paintings of various scenes he encountered including this one of Malacca.
Rob Roy LaRoy, Journal of a Voyage from Auger Java to New York in the ship Ariel commanded by James S. Copp (1849)
During the nineteenth century, ships’ officers could buy pre-printed logbooks that included columns for data essential for navigating the ship, including the ship’s speed and sailing direction, wind speed and direction, as well as a blank space for the officer in charge of the logbook to leave daily comments and observations. This log was kept by Rob Roy LaRoy on the America ship Ariel on a voyage from New York to China in 1849.
S.C. Akaster, Log of H.M.S. Victory (1867-1868)
This is a series of ships’ logs for different voyages kept by Midshipman S.C. Akaster. This page includes a hand drawn map of the voyage of HMS Meeanee through Southeast Asia. In the journal entry here, he describes one of the many menial labors sailors performed during long voyages: mending and cleaning clothes.
Log of the ship Peruvian, (1868-1870)
Long distance maritime navigation often required a knowledge of mathematics. Here you can see the calculations of an unnamed officer aboard the merchant ship Peruvian on a voyage that began in Hong Kong in 1868. A few years later this logbook was compiled, the Peruvian wrecked off Cape Cod in Massachusetts, killing everyone on board.