Vashon Baker naval documents, 1835-1843.

ArchivalResource

Baker, Vashon. Vashon Baker naval documents, 1835-1843.

Vashon Baker naval documents, 1835-1843.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/702178577

Four holograph volumes documenting aspects of Baker's naval career in the later 1830s and early 1840s. "Remark Book, Re-established on the 19th of May 1836" opens with detailed entries on Mediterranean harbors, illustrated with coastal profiles in pen and wash; a "Description of the H.M.S. Cleopatra," followed by several charts of the ship's voyages around Europe and South America; and several "Remarks on the Falkland Islands," two attributed to the captain of the Cleopatra, also illustrated with coastal profiles. The volume also contains "A List of Books" and a poem, "The light that gleams on Jordan's wave." The "Watch Book" and the logbook date from Baker's service on the Endymion in the early 1840s. The watch book records all Endymion personnel and their various assignments and stations. The logbook covers the Endymion's voyage from Portsmouth to the Yangtse River in China, where the ship took part in the July 1842 assault on the city of Chin Kiang Foo before sailing back to Portsmouth. The remarks for periods when the ship is in port or engaged in China are detailed; in addition, the volume contains lists of invalided, discharged, deserted and deceased sailors, as well as a list of "Ships Sailed In" by Baker. The fourth volume is a notebook containing calculations, technical drawings, and short text entries concerning steam propulsion and steamships.

1.80 linear feet (4 boxes)

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library