Eight manuscript ships' logs by an unnamed New York sailor, covering several voyages, 1838 to 1851, entitled: "Abstract Log of a Voyage to Lima l837[-1838]" (2 vols.); "Abstract Log of a Cruise in the Pacific, 1838-40" (1 vol.); "Abstract Log of the U.S. Steam Barque Edith, 1848 [-1850]" (4 vols.); the last, untitled, recording several voyages from New York to the Gulf of Mexico in 1851. Daily entries record weather, navigational statistics, sailing maneuvers, repairs and maintenance as well as any events of interest, and are occasionally enlivened by personal comments and observations. The first three journals recount a single 2 1/2 year voyage, mainly aboard a British merchantman, sailing from New York around Cape Horn and up the coast to California. From September 1838 to November of the following year the writer sailed up and down the California cost, and his entries record trading in hides and other goods with the San Francisco Bay missions and the settlements of Santa Barbara, Monterey, and San Diego. In November 1848, the same mariner embarked on the steamship Edith, sent to study ocean currents and to collect information about the Gulf Stream. This was one of the first steamship voyages around the southern continent. On March 21 the Edith arrived in San Francisco. Late entries mention the ship's orders to transport troops and U.S. government officials.
