Beschreibung:

Title: Manuscript journal of a whaling voyage to the Pacific Ocean, with other voyages as well Author: ** Place: Various places Publisher: Date: 1854-1860 Description: Approx. 104 pp. 13¼x8¼, original leather-backed marbled boards with paper label "Daily Journal for 1855 published annually by Marvin & Hitchcock San Francisco..." mounted on front board. Exeptional journal covering a Pacific whalng voyaging commencing in 1854, with later voyages (in another hand) to Africa, South America, also involving the pursuit of Whales. The log was written by two men, perhaps brothers, Joseph M. Tucker and one John (Tucker?) from Dartmouth, MA. beginning in 1854 aboard the whaler Lydia, returning to Fairhaven, MA on May 19, 1858. The second whaing voyage written by the second writer John, is in blue ink in another hand and begins with the bark Roscius of New Bedford, MA, on September 10, 1858 sailing to the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Both narratives have great content concerning actual whaling, including the killing of whales and processing the oil on board ship. There is much on the Lydia sailing to and around Hawaii, and landing at Hilo etc. The first voyage contains entries in more simple and less literate fashion than the later ones, and in a cruder hand, likely the journal was passed from one sailor to another, but all of the entries are evocative and fascinating, offering rare insights into the day-to-day activities aboard whaling ships of the mid-19th century, from the mundane to the frenetic. The diary begins in 1854: "Jan. 22th - Fourteen h run a way yesterday and two whits we caught two of the h we heard that the rest was seen to gether by five of the natives they treid to seize them but with out success…"; "Jan. 23th - This morning the natives brought the two white men that run away they were hand cuffed the crue has been employed in getting of wood and stowing it in the hole, to day..."; "Jan. 30th - Last night three more men run away dutchy and the steward was caught this fore noon the capt flogged them, one dozen a piece this afternoon..."; "Seventh day the 21st – All hand employed on the oil to day such as coopering and breaking out for casks…"; "Fifth day the Fifth – We have seen porpess black fish and a fin back to day. We have been engaged repairing boat blocks and S. We raised a blow last night most dark some said it was a sperm whale others said it was a fin back..."; "May the 31th – We raised whales the starboard bow boat strucke and saived him the whale made some where about 1200..."; "June the 3th - …The Capt… came on bord to night and stated that she had struck three whales only saived one, one of them the irons broke and the other the Capt. strucke and got stove..."; "First day June 21. To day we raised whales the waste boat got one of them we brought him along side and cut him in before dark..."; "July 4th. - …We have had for dinner this day roast pig vegetables &c. &c. But still we are all in poor spirits. There is no whales in sight and consequently we cannot catch one..." The later voyages also were for whales, as 4 years later, in 1859, “July the 7th, This afternoon we lowered for hump-backs, struck about two o’clock a large cow, we killed him about 8 o’clock we towed until two o’clock we got him along side and got the fluke-chain on and then we went below. Rather tired some of us…" Lot Amendments Condition: Worn, covers detached, spine perished, signatures coming loose; but internally very good. Item number: 192323