Manuscripts

Nautical charts

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Description: Includes charts of the "Meteor" from Boston to San Francisco, the "John L. Stevens" from San Francisco to Panama, and the "Illinois" from Panama to New York.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Production date: 1852-1854.
Call number: mssHM 41741
Creator: Saunders, A.H(Opens in new tab)
Provenance: Purchased from E. Burgman, February 1961.
Restrictions: Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.
Rights: The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining permission rests with the researcher.

Sea journal of Captain Moses J. Mulliken

Manuscripts

This sea journal records the travels of Captain Moses J. Mulliken in New England, to California, and to Singapore. The journal begins with tracking local voyages to and from Boston, New York, Wilmington (South Carolina), Newburyport (Massachusetts), Bath (Maine), Havana, and Charleston (South Carolina). Most of these records revolve around bookkeeping for costs and tracking of cargo (mainly box shooks and lumber). The majority of the journal itself consists of more detailed accounts of several long voyages, including those from Boston to San Francisco on board the "Mary Wilder" from January to August 1849 (with stops on Quiriquina Island and in Conception, Chile); from Boston to Sacramento City on board the "Rachel Stevens" (out of Pitston, Maine) from March to August 1850; from New York to San Francisco on board the "Mary and Jane" from May to December 1852 (including a stop in Valparasio, Chile); and a journey from San Francisco to Singapore via the North Pacific and from Penang back to New York from February to November 1853, also on board the "Mary and Jane." While many of Mulliken's entries focus on recording the ship's headings and weather conditions, there are also a number of personal passages. Most of these revolve around Mulliken's perceived failings as a ship's captain and reflections on his life's regrets and hopes to do his "duty to God." Also included in the journal is a newspaper clipping with a poem written "upon arriving at the Island of San Fernandes, May 4, 1849;" a copy of shipping instructions from Daniel Deshon to Mulliken, dated November 5, 1847; a description of a rule for finding time by the setting sun; and several sketches of ports, including an annotated sketch of San Francisco towards Humbolt Bay.

mssHM 72342

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The Story of Captain Jonathan Dow

Manuscripts

Memoirs, largely based on the ships' logs, diaries, and family records, which are embedded in the narrative, detail the voyages on the Clytie (1866-1869 (Boston, Philadelphia, Antwerp, Naples, Palermo, Boston, Marseilles, Mobile, Genoa, New Orleans) and the Clarissa B. Carver (1876-1878, Bangor, Liverpool, Calcutta, London, New York, Yokahama, San Francisco), including detailed accounts of the vessels and the family's visits to Naples, Mount Vesuvius, Calcutta, London, New York, Yokohama, and San Francisco.

mssHM 63404

Portolan chart ; Nautical almanac, French : [cartographic material] : [manuscript]

Manuscripts

Part 1. f. 1. [Guillaume Brouscon]. [Portolan chart]. Latin. World chart, which includes America and a large "Terra Java" (Australia?). Chart was originally folded and bound into front of the accompanying volume (here as Part 2 of this description) by an extension which bears a coat of arms. Part 2. ff. 1-20v. [Guillaume Brouscon]. [Nautical almanac]. Latin. ff. 1-4v, Tide tables in circular diagrams; f. 5, Diagram of the Rule of the North Star combined with the Rule to Raise or Lay 1° of Latitude; f. 5v, Chart of coast of northern Spain and western France showing ports linked to compass rose by weaving lines to indicate tides; f. 6, Chart of north coast of France, Flanders, Germany and Denmark with weaving lines as on preceding chart; f. 6v, Chart of England and Scotland with weaving lines as on preceding charts; f. 7, Chart of Ireland with weaving lines as on preceding charts; ff. 7v-8, Calendar of moveable feasts; ff. 8v-11, Vertical calendar of fixed feasts; f. 11v, Compass card; f. 12r-v, Star clock; ff. 13-20v, Solar declination tables for 4 year cycle.

mssHM 46

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Hannah Hough reminiscences

Manuscripts

Typed four-page manuscript by Hannah Hough about her trip from New York to San Francisco. She talks about the troubles she had on her journey, her arrival in California and her family's difficult life there, and their return to Illinois.

mssHM 84376

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"John" letter to "my dear aunt,"

Manuscripts

Typescript of a letter sent from "John" to "my dear Aunt," written while he was at sea heading to San Francisco on board the steamer Tennessee. He writes of leaving New York on the steamer Cherokee, canoing across the Isthmus of Panama, the scenery and native people of the area, and conditions on board the Tennessee. He concludes the letter on April 16 after his arrival in San Francisco, and briefly describes lumber and mining prospects.

mssHM 73059

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Thomas Robinson account of sea voyage from Boston to San Francisco

Manuscripts

Handwritten account of sea voyage from Boston, Massachusetts to San Francisco, California around Cape Horn aboard the bark "Orion" as kept by Thomas Robinson.

mssHM 81397

Nautical charts

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Sea journal of Captain Moses J. Mulliken

The Story of Captain Jonathan Dow

Portolan chart ; Nautical almanac, French : [cartographic material] : [manuscript]

Hannah Hough reminiscences

"John" letter to "my dear aunt,"

Thomas Robinson account of sea voyage from Boston to San Francisco