huge archive, includes the 92-page, vellum-bound journal Spencer kept during a sea voyage that began in Portsmouth (presumably Ontario) on March 26, 1844. He kept the journal through April 29, but stopped before reaching the destination. Included in the journal are several poems, 10 fine sketches of large ships, and detailed account of life on board a mid-19th-century passenger ship. Frequent passages refer to the rationing out of bottles of beer. One evening Spencer and his comrades-at-sea adjourned to the cabin where Bill Jackson got his guitar & sang--We joined in chorus--& became quite musical. We made egg flip--My bottle of beer to their Bottle of Beer. I found eggs they found gine and spice. When at sea, however, one must also find entertainment in the small things, W. Jackson & I amused ourselves all afternoon in looking over the stern & pitching little bits of wood into the water. Regular reports of the weather and sea conditions include a frightening account of movement through an ice field in the North Atlantic, [The ice] was quite close all around us scarcely a speck of water to be seen--and the ice had torn away all the fenders from the bows. The ship then encountered a barge further into the ice than they were. Although the captain attempted to help the stranded vessel, they could not get close enough without further endangering themselves, so they turned back. Spencer notes that their close call necessitated repairs in Quebec. He wrote in his diary nearly every day and offers a wonderful narrative of an ocean voyage in the mid-19th century. The lot also includes a folio ledgerbook of Spencer's law practice in Owen Sound, Ontario, from June, 1856 through December, 1858, a folio letterbook from August, 1857 through January, 1861 (which includes the names of Owen Sound residents listed with their professions and property), and a folio ledger and related documents pertaining to the settlement of the estate of George Spencer The rest of the archive is comprised of about 50 legal documents, 2 vellum land deeds, a packet of notes from the Bank of Hamilton in Owen Sound, a newsclipping related to the Redfern and LePan Store in Owen Sound, and a brief family history indicating that George Spencer was born in Portsea, England in 1823 and married there in 1847. An interesting mix of legal materials with a great 19th-century travel diary. Condition:The journal is VG-, the ledgers and letterbook range from poor to VG, the legal documents, all folded, range from G-VG.
huge archive, includes the 92-page, vellum-bound journal Spencer kept during a sea voyage that began in Portsmouth (presumably Ontario) on March 26, 1844. He kept the journal through April 29, but stopped before reaching the destination. Included in the journal are several poems, 10 fine sketches of large ships, and detailed account of life on board a mid-19th-century passenger ship. Frequent passages refer to the rationing out of bottles of beer. One evening Spencer and his comrades-at-sea adjourned to the cabin where Bill Jackson got his guitar & sang--We joined in chorus--& became quite musical. We made egg flip--My bottle of beer to their Bottle of Beer. I found eggs they found gine and spice. When at sea, however, one must also find entertainment in the small things, W. Jackson & I amused ourselves all afternoon in looking over the stern & pitching little bits of wood into the water. Regular reports of the weather and sea conditions include a frightening account of movement through an ice field in the North Atlantic, [The ice] was quite close all around us scarcely a speck of water to be seen--and the ice had torn away all the fenders from the bows. The ship then encountered a barge further into the ice than they were. Although the captain attempted to help the stranded vessel, they could not get close enough without further endangering themselves, so they turned back. Spencer notes that their close call necessitated repairs in Quebec. He wrote in his diary nearly every day and offers a wonderful narrative of an ocean voyage in the mid-19th century. The lot also includes a folio ledgerbook of Spencer's law practice in Owen Sound, Ontario, from June, 1856 through December, 1858, a folio letterbook from August, 1857 through January, 1861 (which includes the names of Owen Sound residents listed with their professions and property), and a folio ledger and related documents pertaining to the settlement of the estate of George Spencer The rest of the archive is comprised of about 50 legal documents, 2 vellum land deeds, a packet of notes from the Bank of Hamilton in Owen Sound, a newsclipping related to the Redfern and LePan Store in Owen Sound, and a brief family history indicating that George Spencer was born in Portsea, England in 1823 and married there in 1847. An interesting mix of legal materials with a great 19th-century travel diary. Condition:The journal is VG-, the ledgers and letterbook range from poor to VG, the legal documents, all folded, range from G-VG.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
