[SHIP'S LOG]. Log of the "Ship La Fayette from New Bedford and Towards the Pacific Ocean" [-caption title, p. 1], 22 October 1840 - 20 May 1843. Folio, 120 pages, written in a clear hand on 62 leaves, some leaves at front apparently cut away, contemporary half sheep and paper boards, worn, one corner damaged, one page torn and patched. Interspersed in the text are a large number of small drawings of whales, dolphins, sea birds, etc. (all drawn freehand, rather than stamped), many drawings of sailing ships (one of a paddle wheel steamer) with rigging and sometimes flags carefully depicted, these rendered in pencil and various colored inks (red, blue, green, yellow and white), plus several dozen small pencil sketches of the topography of various islands and coastlines.

Details

[SHIP'S LOG]. Log of the "Ship La Fayette from New Bedford and Towards the Pacific Ocean" [-caption title, p. 1], 22 October 1840 - 20 May 1843. Folio, 120 pages, written in a clear hand on 62 leaves, some leaves at front apparently cut away, contemporary half sheep and paper boards, worn, one corner damaged, one page torn and patched. Interspersed in the text are a large number of small drawings of whales, dolphins, sea birds, etc. (all drawn freehand, rather than stamped), many drawings of sailing ships (one of a paddle wheel steamer) with rigging and sometimes flags carefully depicted, these rendered in pencil and various colored inks (red, blue, green, yellow and white), plus several dozen small pencil sketches of the topography of various islands and coastlines.

A very attractively decorated New Bedford whaler's log, kept by an unnamed amateur artist, recording in some detail the La Fayette's highly successful sojourn on the Pacific whaling grounds, mostly along the western coast of South America.