Details
BRITISH ARCTIC EXPEDITION, 1875-1876
H.M.S. ALERT. -- A manuscript journal in pencil, May 29 - August 8 1875, oblong 8°(12.5 x 20.5cm.), 30pp., describing events from setting sail from Portsmouth, sighting Greenland on July 5th, re-fuelling and -fitting at Godhavn on Disko Island off the Greenland coast, where on the 12th July the writer records that 'the Sarjent and Engineer ashore taking Photos. of the Ships' and on the 14th 'Photographers ashore taking groups of the natives'. They continued north towards Davis Strait, July 24th: 'Middle Watch entered the Ice of Melville Bay taking middle pack very young Ice at commencing but got heavier during the day so that we had some smart navigating to get through two hands at the wheel and it will make a fellow sweat at that only one hour tricks we passed 1 Warluss and several seals and sighted a Bear which we went in chase off with three dogs one of which ran away the Bear escaped as soon as the boats were back and hoisted up we proceeded on our course the ice getting thinner we saw the tracks of 3 or 4 Bears wheather dead calm the temperature 3 degrees above freezing the water at freezing point'. July 28th: they anchored in 'Port Foulke the Winter Quarters of Dr Hayes in 1860', the Captain and Commander found evidence of the U.S.S. Polaris: 'a Boat the ships log a Journal'. July 29th-August 12th: they start encountering more severe weather, August 2nd 'we could walk from one ship to another', the entries end with 'after a good deal of dodging we got into Franklin Peirce bay at 10pm where we lay all night made fast to the ice.' In addition to the journal entries there is a single page in the same hand at the rear of the volume recording data about a sledge journey to Cape Joseph Henry and back, dated September 25 to October 14th 1875. Contemporary speckled sheep (spine worn, upper cover detached).
The author of this interesting journal does not, unfortunately, identify himself. From internal evidence he is not an officer, and of those known to have taken part in the sledging expedition to Cape Joseph Henry the possible candidates are: Edwin Lawrence (gunner's mate); James Doidge (captain foretop); Thomas Rawlins (captain forecastle); Thomas Joliffe (captain maintop) and John Hawkins (cooper).
Included in the lot is a 2pp. als from Lady Jane FRANKLIN (1792-1875) to Mrs Gilbert, thanking her for the offer of the loan of the stabling attached to 27 Gower Street. (2)
H.M.S. ALERT. -- A manuscript journal in pencil, May 29 - August 8 1875, oblong 8°(12.5 x 20.5cm.), 30pp., describing events from setting sail from Portsmouth, sighting Greenland on July 5th, re-fuelling and -fitting at Godhavn on Disko Island off the Greenland coast, where on the 12th July the writer records that 'the Sarjent and Engineer ashore taking Photos. of the Ships' and on the 14th 'Photographers ashore taking groups of the natives'. They continued north towards Davis Strait, July 24th: 'Middle Watch entered the Ice of Melville Bay taking middle pack very young Ice at commencing but got heavier during the day so that we had some smart navigating to get through two hands at the wheel and it will make a fellow sweat at that only one hour tricks we passed 1 Warluss and several seals and sighted a Bear which we went in chase off with three dogs one of which ran away the Bear escaped as soon as the boats were back and hoisted up we proceeded on our course the ice getting thinner we saw the tracks of 3 or 4 Bears wheather dead calm the temperature 3 degrees above freezing the water at freezing point'. July 28th: they anchored in 'Port Foulke the Winter Quarters of Dr Hayes in 1860', the Captain and Commander found evidence of the U.S.S. Polaris: 'a Boat the ships log a Journal'. July 29th-August 12th: they start encountering more severe weather, August 2nd 'we could walk from one ship to another', the entries end with 'after a good deal of dodging we got into Franklin Peirce bay at 10pm where we lay all night made fast to the ice.' In addition to the journal entries there is a single page in the same hand at the rear of the volume recording data about a sledge journey to Cape Joseph Henry and back, dated September 25 to October 14th 1875. Contemporary speckled sheep (spine worn, upper cover detached).
The author of this interesting journal does not, unfortunately, identify himself. From internal evidence he is not an officer, and of those known to have taken part in the sledging expedition to Cape Joseph Henry the possible candidates are: Edwin Lawrence (gunner's mate); James Doidge (captain foretop); Thomas Rawlins (captain forecastle); Thomas Joliffe (captain maintop) and John Hawkins (cooper).
Included in the lot is a 2pp. als from Lady Jane FRANKLIN (1792-1875) to Mrs Gilbert, thanking her for the offer of the loan of the stabling attached to 27 Gower Street. (2)