John Edward Davis's Log of H.M.S. Samarang, 1831-1834

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Summary

Creators:
Davis, John Edward, 1816-1877
Abstract:
This illustrated log records the travels of H.M.S. Samarang, a ship of the British Royal Navy that was engaged in surveying coastal areas of Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Panama, and Mexico from 1831-1834.
Extent:
201 leaves : paper, ill., 5 maps ; 308 x 190 mm. bound to 320 x 205 mm.
Language:
Finding aid is written in English.

Background

Scope and content:

The H.M.S. Samarang traveled from Prawl Point in Devon to Rio De Janeiro in the summer of 1831; it then spent the next three years traveling from Brazil to Uruguay, Peru, Chile, Panama, and Mexico. The journal ends abruptly on September 28, 1831 with the ship in Chile. The log employs a standard, basic format with notes on wind, weather, activities onboard, and the ship's coordinates, course, and distance from its destination recorded four times daily: AM, PM, sunset, and midnight.

The manuscript is supplemented with 32 illustrations. These include schematic drawings of the ship's ballast and tanks, as well as watercolour and pen-and-ink illustrations of small islands or coastal areas in the Americas and five maps of prominent ports, all of which apparently done by the log's author. The most ambitious of these illustrations is a large, detailed map of the Bahia coast; there are also smaller maps of Maceio, Panama Bay, Acapulco, and Guayama. The watercolour and pen-and-ink illustrations generally depict small islands or coastal areas from the perspective of the ship; all are labeled with a location and approximate distance from the ship.

Biographical / historical:

Little is known about John Edward Davis (1816-1877). His bookplate states "Master Royal Navy". The manuscript suggests that from 1831-1834, H.M.S. Samarang was engaged in surveying in Central and South America. From 1843-1846, Sir Edward Belcher (1799-1877) captained H.M.S. Samarang during his travels along the Pacific Coast of North America and throughout Oceania and Southeast Asia. As with his other voyages, these expeditions made contributions to the fields of natural history and ethnography; Belcher published a narrative of his time aboard H.M.S. Samarang in 1848.

Acquisition information:
Ex libris John Edwards Davis, his bookplate on upper pastedown.
Physical location:
Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:
Manuscripts.

Access and use

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
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