R.J. Whitely diary, (bulk 1849) | Collections | The Huntington

R.J. Whitely diary, (bulk 1849) | Collections | The Huntington

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L. C. Green letter to Amy Carpenter
Manuscripts
A letter from L. C. Green, a New Yorker visiting Brazil, to a cousin named Amy Carpenter. This letter, probably written from Rio de Janeiro, provides considerable commentary about Brazilian scenery, social classes, slavery, and the impact of the substantial numbers of Americans who passed through Brazil on their way to the California Gold Rush.
mssHM 83455
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Daniel C. White diaries
Manuscripts
Three diaries kept by Daniel C. White between 1854 and 1864. The first diary, dated 1854-1858, traces White's overland journey from Indiana to California with his friend William V. Rinehart. It includes descriptions of Pawnee and Sioux Indians, crossing the Platte River, and passing by Chimney Rock, Laramie Peak, Devils Gate, and Salt Lake City. It also records White's time mining in and around Sacramento and Marysville, California, and includes some accounting notes, various poetry or song lyrics, and a description of a "hell of a flogging" that White gave to a "Chinaman" who he caught stealing. The second diary is dated 1858-1859, and records White's travels and mining experiences between Sucker Creek, Oregon, and Crescent City, California, as well as some poems and notes. The final diary, dated August-October, 1864, was kept while White was serving with the Union Army in Georgia during the Civil War. It begins while he was near the Chattahoochee River , and he also spends a great deal of time near Owl Rock Church. The diary describes various military engagements and movements, including those near Atlanta. The diary ends when White had apparently been discharged and was near Louisville.
mssHM 50564-50566
Track of the H.M.S. Asia from Decber. 2 1848 to Febry. 3d 1849 From Valparaiso to Valparaiso [cartographic material] / W. E. Denison
Manuscripts
One of four manuscript maps showing the voyage of the H.M.S. Asia from England to Valparaiso and back, 1848-1851. This map shows the coast of Chile and the route of the H.M.S. Asia as she sailed from Valparaiso south to Concepcion, back to Valparaiso, on to Coquimbo in the North and return to Valparaiso.
mssHM 15468 map 4
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Log book and shipboard journal and watch, quarter and station bill of the USS Franklin
Manuscripts
The log book and shipboard journal, kept by First Lieutenant William M. Hunter on board the USS Franklin, begins on August 15, 1821 while the ship was in New York harbor waiting to set sail and ends August 26, 1824, shortly before the ship's return to New York. The log book includes all the usual information including daily entries listing the course of the ship, the ship's position, weather conditions, water remains, sick reports, and interactions with other ships. Hunter also comments often on the schooner Dolphin and its captain, David Conner, as it was accompanying the Franklin on its journey. It also includes several lengthy entries by Hunter detailing ports of call such as: Arica and Valparaíso, Chile; Callao, Peru; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and the Juan Fernández Islands. In these entries he talks about the activities of the crew, meeting local dignitaries, and even mentions Captain Stewart's wife Delia who was also on the voyage. Hunter also comments upon various aspects of the wars of independence against Spain including ships of the Chilean Navy returning from an engagement with Royalists and an attack on Arica, an "undefended town," by a Peruvian ship. The log book also includes 11 sketches by Hunter of various cities and places in South America and a larger chart of Cumberland Bay, also by Hunter, which is folded up and in the log book. The Watch, Quarter and Station bill for the USS Franklin is dated May 1824.
mssHM 70856-70857
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1849-1850
Manuscripts
The collection contains 62 letters by 26 different authors including Milton B. Stevens, C. K. Dixon and Byron Whitcomb. The letters mention various mining camps throughout Northern California, such as Fosters Bar, Galena Hill, Murderers Bar, Pilot Hill, Salmon Falls, Weber Creek, and the Klamath River Valley Mines, as well as several California cities including Benicia, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, and Stockton. The letters illustrate several aspects of the Gold Rush experience: the journey to California through Panama and Rio de Janeiro; life in California and the gold camps; women in California; gold discoveries or the lack thereof; the techniques and equipment used in mining; loneliness and longing for home. The letters from Milton B. Stevens' mother, from Shushan, tell of the experience of the miners' families back at home in the East. Eighteen of the letters have handwritten or typed transcripts.
mssHM 59471-59532
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Captain's log for the H.M.S. Blonde's voyage to the Sandwich Islands
Manuscripts
The volume is Byron's handwritten daily account of the H.M.S. Blonde's voyage from England to Hawaii and from Hawaii back to Valparaíso, Chile (June 10, 1824 to November 19, 1825). Byron records longitude and latitude, distance traveled, weather conditions, bearings, and barometer/thermometer readings. Along with those details, Byron records the daily activities and repairs on the ship, the punishments of sailors for various grievances, trading of supplies with other ships, and ports visited including Rio de Janeiro, Cape Horn, and Valparáiso. Byron also notes activities after the ship's arrival in Hawaii including the bodies of the Hawaiian royals taken ashore, his visits from King Kamehameha III and Queen Kaahumanu, the completion of the first monument for Captain James Cook, and the discovery of Malden Island.
mssHM 64596