1872 - 1873 ORIGINAL DIARY AND LOG BOOK HANDWRITTEN BY THE INCREASINGLY UNHAPPY WIFE OF THE CAPTAIN OF THE BARK 'NEHAMIA GIBSON' AS IT FACED TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS ON THE JOURNEY FROM NEW YORK TO MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA AND BACK

On offer is the ship log of the bark Nehamia Gibson, as it travelled from New York to Melbourne, Australia and then back in 1872 and 1873. Written in meticulous detail by Captain Adam Smalley's wife, it contains both the activities of Mrs. Smalley's day-to-day life aboard ship and on shore with the other captain's wives, as well as detailed nautical information (latitude, longitude, wind direction, barometric pressure, weather changes, etc.) when the ship is travelling. From start to finish, this is a thoroughly fascinating book both for loves of detailed nautical information and for those looking for more social aspects of life on a globetrotting non-steamer ship in the last half of the 19th century. Also included are two pages of nine combined typewritten pages from 1974. The first letter is from a Mrs. Bette Casteel of Alameda, New Mexico to the Marine Historical Association in Mystic, Connecticut. In the letter she writes "I have in my possession a ship board diary written in an 1872 Lett's Diary or Bills Due Book and Almanac by the wife of the Captain of the bark, Nehamia Gibson...I would very much like to learn the names of the Captain and his lady and wonder if you have them in your records?...One sailor was struck by a falling boom - died and was buried at seas after leaving Australia. Would his name be available?" She then includes six pages of typed transcriptions of the diary. The letter in return is stapled to the front. Pamela McNulty of the Marine Historical Association writes "I have check the RECORD OF AMERICAN AND FOREIGN SHIPPING (1871) and the NEW YORK MARITIME REGISTER and found that the NEHAMIA GIBSON was commanded by Captain A.S. Smalley...The NEW YORK MARITIME REGISTER lists the NEHAMIA GIBSON as having arrived in Melbourne on January 23, 1872 and home at Boston on April 1, 1873." McNulty concludes with a suggestion to check with the Massachusetts Historical Society and the Peabody Museum." The log is written by the Captain's wife and deals both with matters outside the ship and with more technical matters of the ship's journey, such as the weather, wind speed, latitude and longitude, and barometric pressure. Her first entry in the log book is March 25th, 1872. "Sailed from New York Sept 29th 1871 had a very pleasant passage. 118 days going from New York to Melbourne, arrived the 23rd of January 1872. We never experienced a hard gale on the Passage. If we could always have such fine weather on our Passages I expect all the old Lady's would like to take a trip to Sea....Melbourne is quite a pretty City of its Age. The climate is very much like San Francisco. Most every afternoon the wind blows a gale. It contains some very handsome Public buildings & the streets are well laid out and kept very clean...Adam & I took a ride to St. Hilda found it a very pleasant drive the roads...There is four American Lady's here in Port there was but one when we arrived...Mrs. Drummond & I have been to the City almost every day for a week. So we go up in the Cars & tak a look around the Town & do a little shopping & get tired & then start for the vessel." This passage is written in the beginning of the book, where January 1st would normally be. There is only one entry until early April, at which point the book is then consistently written in almost every day. "Monday April 9th, 1872. Strong breeze S East. Good weather, passing rain showers light. A high Swell from N.E. to SE S West current about 15 miles. Lat 26.43 South. Long 170.02 East. Bar from 30 to 30.02."; "Saturday April 14th. Come in light airs EN East & baffling. Good weather overhead. Heavy rain clouds around the horizon but looking much better. Middle part miserable. Dark, rainy thick weather. An occasional flash of lightning in the North East. Wind form East to NN East during squalls North from E by N latter part. Dark gloomy weather. Little rain. Wind NNE & N. Muggy, sultry weather - sun obscured. We did not expect this head wind & kind of weather in the heart of the SE Trades but presume it is owing to the high Islands on either side of us. Now, sun out partially. Looking heavy in the North. Lat 15.52, Long 170.25." On June 13, the ship arrives in Hong Kong. "8am Thursday. We arrived all safe the Comet got in about 2 oclock in the afternoon so she did not gain on us so but what we got in a few hours later."; "Friday June 17th. We are all well as usual this morning. Adam has gone on shore it is hot & sultry enough so we have to keep hut up. We thought we were taking the longest Passage of any of them but we did not make so long a Passage as the Gaspee. The Gaspee arrived about 12 oclock last night. She sailed 6 days before we did." The ship is in Hong Kong for about a month. Mrs. Smalley goes on shore often, going shopping and taking trips with the other Captain's wives. "Thursday June 27th. It is quite a pleasant day toady so Mrs. Carleton has called for me to go out with her so we got one of those delightful Chairs & started looked around a little - (?) soon got tired & returned aboard the Nehamiah Gibson. Mrs. Carleton went on board her ship, got back just in time for dinner. Capt. Honon took dinner with us in the Afternoon. Capt Drummond & wife called to see me. So ends this day." The ship leaves Hong Kong in early July and begins the long sail back to Boston. By mid-August, the ship is in the Philippines. "Thursday August 15. 10 am made Busuanga Island. 2 pm Passed the North rocks. Wouth think we had passed more than 30 places to (?) in a gale I should think we was helped with a fair wind all day & it is now 6 pm & we have just got through the Islands of Northumberland. So ends this day. Have been out 35 days. This is rather rough on us with our slow crawl." The journey back home is slow and rough, and Mrs. Smalley comments often on the toll the journey is taking on her: "37 days out today. This is all most enough to make one sun wild. How I long to be at Home. This is enough to make one grow old." The ship docks in Iloilo in the Phillappeans for a few weeks. "Thursday, Sept 5th. It is a pleasant morning & May & I are going to buy our (?) rather of a hard one but think it is all the me I shall ever be the owner of, that is a washing machine. Capt. Rush sailed this Evening. How I longed for our vessel to be loaded & we going out of this contemptable place. There is plenty of smallpox here & I hardly dare go on shore." By October, the ship is back on the sea heading home. "Thursday Oct. 15. Comes in light & variable winds heavy showers of rain. 6 am fair weather. N. W. by N. dis. 17 miles. At noon we are in Lat=10.15 North, Long=122.00 East."; The rest of the book are observations on weather, longitute and latitude, wind speed and direction and other nautical observations. Whether these observations are done by herself or copied down from others is unclear, though considering there are no mathematical formulae or anything to calculate latitude and longitude, she is probably getting the information from a crew member on the ship. The journey back is noted often for its unpredictable weather and many obstacles. "Monday, Dec. 9th, 1872. 55 days out. Comes in light breezes W.S.W. we expected a change of wind on the change of the moon first quarter. But no change...I do think there never was many that have had such hard luck to make a few miles as we have. At noon we were just where we were fifteen days ago."; "Jan 1st, 1873. 78 days out. Happy New Year to all my Dear Friends & all Mankind. Comes in moderate breeze SSE from Trade Winds have made 112 miles this day every little help brings us nearer Home. how pleasing to be at home to see all of the Dear faces once more. It seems a long time to look ahead to three months if we have very good luck & perhaps four but I think we may have good luck in getting long from here. See no vessel today. So ends this day."; The book ends on January 2nd, 1873, but there is a small piece of lined paper, folded in half, which contains entries for January 13th to the 17th. The last entry is January 17th, 1873: "Comes in light and E.N.E. and fine cloudy weather. This is getting along rather slow." The paper also includes the name Mrs. A. S. Smalley and the location of Portland, Massachusetts. The Nehamia Gibson would return to Boston on April 1, 1873. The book itself is in fair condition. The pages are weathered, but not enough to hinder any legibility. Mrs. Smalley's handwriting is clear and very pleasing, in black ink with only the occasional smudge. Each entry can be read clearly. The book is roughly 120 pages in length, of which about 90 have writing in them. The only months that are not consistently written in are January, February, and March. These month, however, do contain a few very beautiful drawings by Mrs. Smalley of plants, in green and purple. As most days aboard ship contain the longitude and latitude of location, the ship's route can be easily followed throughout the book. The book is a "Lett's Diary [Colonial Edition] and contains a number of interesting advertisements in the front and back pages.; Manuscript; Folio - over 12" - 15" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, NEHAMIA GIBSON, NEHAMIAH GIBSON, 19TH CENTURY, BARK SAILING SHIP, BARQUE, BARC, CAPTAIN ADAM SMALLEY, A.S. 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