Robert H. Rhind ship log from the EICS Asia : manuscript.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rhind, Robert Hunter, 1795?-1832?, author.

Subjects (All):

East India Company.

Merchant ships.

Genre:

codices (bound manuscripts)

Ships' logs

watercolors (paintings)

Manuscripts, English -- 19th century.

Penn Provenance:

Gift of Sherry Whitter, 2020.

Physical Description:

1 volume (268 pages) ; 39 x 25 cm

Production:

England, 1819-1821.

Summary:

This logbook was kept by Robert Hunter Rhind and documents the fifth voyage of the East India Company merchant ship, EICS Asia, from November 20, 1819 to June 9, 1821.The logbook is bound in leather covers with cloth, possibly sailcloth, handstitched over and marbled paper pastedown and flyleaves. There is a handwritten title on the front cover that reads: “Logbook H. C. Ship Asia’s 5th Voyage.” There are two watercolor paintings of ships (first flyleaf and p. 30).The logbook begins in the ship’s home port of Blackwall, England, then follows its journey to Northfleet Hope (p. 5-8), Donne (p. 9-10), Portsmouth (p. 11-13), Bengal (p. 31-91), New Anchorage (p. 91-102), Sauger (p. 103-104), China (p. 105-114, 116-124), Singapore (p. 115), Whanpoa (p. 125-145), Second Bar (p. 147-150), St. Helena (p. 151-184), and back to England (p. 185-206).The logbook is mostly completed on printed nautical tables by the Navigation Warehouse at No. 157 Leadinhall Street, London (p. 31-268). These pages include columns for Chart, H (hour), Courses, K (knots?), F(?), winds, and notes. In the notes section, entries often include the conditions, tasks and duties of the crew, events onboard, and “strange sails” observed. Often mentioned is the work of specialized crew members such as the carpenter, armorer, sailmaker, and gunner. The events include deaths, men overboard and recoveries, men “confined to irons” for misbehavior, and Divine Services. There are complete lists of personnel and passengers aboard the ship, including officers and seamen (p. 15-17), "chinamen" (p. 17), troops (p. 19-21), women and children (p. 22), and passengers (p. 23). This list includes the individual’s full name and station. There are also notes for some of the individuals, including promotions, births, and deaths during the voyage. There is an additional log laid in to this volume. It documents an unidentified voyage taken in 1830.

Cited as:

Robert H. Rhind Ship Log from the EICS Asia (Oversize Ms. Codex 2364). Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania.