1856 - 1858 ORIGINAL METICULOUSLY DETAILED JOURNAL AND LOG OF THE NEWLY LAUNCHED MERCHANT SHIP'S MAIDEN 3 YEAR VOYAGE CRISS CROSSING THE GLOBE FROM NEWBURYPORT TO CALCUTTA AND BEYOND

ASEA ABOARD BARQUE OAK HILL. Good. 1856. On offer is a super, original manuscript ship's log kept from 1856 - 1858 handwritten in a lovely, cultured hand by Captain James P. Martin while aboard and in command of the Barque 'Oak Hill' out of Boston. The very large folio book is completely filled with details of the ship and given this appears to be the ship's maiden voyage the captain has provided some 'genealogy': it begins with the ship being built in Scarborough, Maine in 1856. "Her frame is of oak, mostly cut on the spot from which she was named. Crew 14, no passengers." "First part have light breezes and pleasant weather, the atmosphere very clean around the horizon, mare's tails and mackerel sky. Surely if there is anything in signs we shall have a breeze tonight" and otherwise he has done a superb job recording these multiple voyages over the 3 year period. The ship log details voyages carrying lumber to Buenos Ayres, South America, then to Calcutta to pick up a large cargo of 10,000 bags rice plus the constant life aboard a working ship: sightings of sea life, catching a shark with whole squid in stomach, a young whale follows the ship, cat on board catches bird, purple kelp, shooting stars and a meteor, being struck while in India by Brig Grappler which carried away head rails and scarred the bow, returned to Calcutta. Later the damaged mast needed to be replaced. There is so much more for the collector or researcher of ocean going commerce. Softcover well chipped and torn, 11" x 13.75" with about 122 pages filled, about half log records of temps, readings and half daily text of the journey, Sept. 1856-March 1858. Overall G.; Manuscript; Folio - over 12" - 15" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, BARQUE OAK HILL, BOSTON, CALCUTTA, CAPTAIN JAMES P. MARTIN, BUENOS AYRES, BUENOS AIRES, SOUTH AMERICA, NAUTICAL, MARINE, MARINERS, SAILORS, LIFE AT SEA, MERCHANT SHIP, OCEAN GOING COMMERCE, AMERICANA, HANDWRITTEN, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, AUTOGRAPHED, AUTHORS, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, KEEPSAKE, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, WRITERS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL, MEMOIR, MEMORIAL, PERSONAL HISTORY, ARCHIVE, DIARY, DIARIES, JOURNAL, LOG, PRIMARY SOURCE, FIRST HAND ACCOUNT, SOCIAL HISTORY, PERSONAL STORIES, LIVING HISTORY, ANTIQUITÉ, CONTRAT, VÉLIN, DOCUMENT, MANUSCRIT, PAPIER ANTIKE, BRIEF, PERGAMENT, DOKUMENT, MANUSKRIPT, PAPIER OGGETTO D'ANTIQUARIATO, ATTO, VELINA, DOCUMENTO, MANOSCRITTO, CARTA ANTIGÜEDAD, HECHO, VITELA, DOCUMENTO, MANUSCRITO, PAPEL,BIOGRAPHY BIOGRAPHICAL AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY PERSONAL NARRATIVES .