| Description Of Item | This is an account of a voyage leaving the Orkney Islands on 10th March 1818. The account is 285 pages and these are numbered except for pp35-42. Part of this gap is made up by an unnumbered section which overlaps with pp43-78 and is in a more draft format. Blanks left in the account have been filled in by another hand. These blanks often concerned scientific information about wildlife sighted or quotations, often from the classics. Other than the blanks it is a fair copy with few amendments. The account starts with a description of the habits and customs of the people of Stromness; describes the 'esquimaux' (p127, p234 etc - of Inuit women 'they seem to be all beauties of their kind...and to have their own pride and affectation in common with the generality of their less dizzy sisters of the civilized world'); the natural history of the area (how polar bears hunt p265); the breaking up of an iceberg (p214-216); the burning of the Governor's house by the crew of the Eagle (p222-227); and meeting Captain Ross' expedition (p232). The account appears to have been written by a doctor as he treats a sailor on another vessel pp169-172. There are references to meeting Captain William Blyth (p174 and p186) of the Brunswick (source: W Coltish 'Manuscript of Whaling Statistics' www.hull.ac.uk British Arctic Whaling bibliography).
It differs substantially from the other copy at CRD/2/1/2 between pp168-187 and seems to be missing pages at p174 where an account is given of dining with Captain Blyth and his surgeon Mr Cullen.
There is a transcript of this manuscript available. For information contact the library. |