Collection comprises a diary (124 pgs.) maintained by an unidentified woman who was educated, knowledgeable about sailing, and quite religious, during her voyages and travels around the northern coast of Scotland to cities in Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, England, France, and Spain. The diary began with a business trip, when she accompanied her husband (who was likely captain of the unnamed ship), from Workington, Eng., to Horten, Norway, in order to deliver a cargo of rails to the Norwegian government. The rest of the travel was apparently for pleasure. The author described ocean and weather conditions, with emphasis on dangers for ships; lighthouses; shipwrecks; landscapes; architecture; historic sites and ruins; castles; cathedrals and churches; palaces; paintings, sculptures, and artists; bridges and engineers; and gardens. She also commented on the inhabitants of and various practices in individual European countries, often in comparison to England, and with a particular focus on the women in each country. She made occasional literary references. More often she interwove her Evangelical beliefs into her descriptions, with references to the resurrection of the dead, comments on Protestant denominations, and strongly worded anti-Catholic sentiments. Includes visits to William Thorburn, who was then British Consul to Sweden; Antwerp's Cathedral of Our Lady; Waterloo battlefield; the Norman Cathedral at Durham; and the Castle site at Newcastle.
