East India Marine Society, 1799-1972.

The East India Marine Society was organized in 1799. Membership was limited to ships' masters or supercargos who had sailed around either Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope. The purposes of the society were to share navigation information relating to the East Indies; to provide benefits to members who had been disabled or to the families of members who had died; and "to form a Museum of natural and artifical curiosities, particularly such as are to be found beyond the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn ".

From the description of East India Marine Society Records, 1799-1972. (Peabody Essex Museum). WorldCat record id: 179916991