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North Atlantic and Indian Ocean, 1859–1863. Folio, 13.75” x 8.5”, three quarters black leather and marbled paper over boards, with “Seamens Journal” in gilt at spine and ads for “John Kehew, Importer and Manufacturer, at his Navigation Store” in New Bedford at front and rear pastedowns. 282 unnumbered pp. manuscript in ink, 60 whale and fluke stamps. [With] Howland, William. Autograph letter, signed, to Clothier Peirce Jr. 10 pp. manuscript in ink, 9.75” x 7.75”. In blue cloth chemise and slipcover, gilt spine. CONDITION: Journal very good, leather cracked at spine and partially perished at lower 2.5”, binding tight, covers rubbed, contents very good, occasional light spotting and soiling, two small excisions, the larger .5” x 2”, with loss to a few words.

A log from the golden age of American whaling, kept—unusually—by the ship’s captain, the notorious “Crazy Peirce,” the “Prince of the Pessimists,” including sixty whale and fluke stamps and offered, even more unusually, with a long, minutely detailed letter of instruction from the ship’s owner regarding the voyage.

The logbook and letter offered here reveal the intended course and actual progress of the second voyage of the Marion, a 328-ton ship. She departed New Bedford—where she was built in 1855—on June 7th, 1859, fishing the North Atlantic until October before putting into the Azores for supplies and heading south around the Cape of Good Hope and into the Indian Ocean. She fished in the vicinity of Australia and New Zealand for the rest of the voyage before returning home in May of 1863. The last entries, dated May 13th and 14th, record the Marion’s passing Block Island and hailing a pilot boat to lead them into harbor. Unlike most logbooks, which were kept by the mate, this book was kept by the captain himself, Clothier Peirce, Jr. (1824–1880), known as “Crazy Peirce” and the “Prince of the Pessimists.” His journal entries make it clear how he earned these sobriquets.

The laid-in letter from the Marion’s Quaker owner, William Penn Howland (1812–1872), is dated from May (“5 mo”), 1859, and directs Peirce’s approach to the voyage for nearly its first year. It begins:

It is too often the case, that our captains go from here with some locality in view that requires several months to reach, and, when reached, is found barren of whales, and we next hear from them, a year out, with little or no oil! Or, in other words, they occupy about a year in getting ready! But occasionally a man, like Captain [Samuel M.] Prentice in the Camilla, goes out and begins immediately, and keeps at work, understandingly, all the way along, and by the time some men get ready to begin, he has already got a serving[?] voyage aboard!

I have confidence in thy ability to look up the whales and catch them, and after the season is fully accomplished in the North Atlantic Ocean, I propose then to entrust the further direction of the voyage to thee. I am aware that it is no easy thing, for a man of an active mind, to confine himself, for several months, to a locality where he has never been before. But, from observations and actual knowledge, extending thro a period of fifteen years, I am fully persuaded, that the best locality for Sperm whaling in the Atlantic Ocean, for the Summer months, is from the Eastern edge of the Newfoundland bank eastward to the parallel of the Western Islands in lat’ from 43° to 46°N. And, acting upon my observation and advice, when well clear of the land, Steer first far enough south of East to avoid Nantucket and the South Shoal, and then hove up East until by thermometer you touch the Northern edge of the Gulf Stream.

Then follow the Northern edge of the stream‚ touching it occasionally to find where it is—until you find soundings on the tail, or Southern edge of the Newfoundland bank. If the weather is favorable, coast along the Eastern edge of the bank to lat 46°N long about 51° to 53°W, and if you do not see any Sperm Whales there, then proceed directly towards a point in lat 43°30’ long 33°W, where I would have you be by the 20th of 6th month (June 20th) if not prevented by whales on the way…Pay close attention to my directions, and keep the “Marion” all the 7th & 8th months as near as possible to lat 43°30’ long 33°…

Among other points, Howland’s letter touts the success of Capt. Prentiss, who followed his instructions to great success; underscores how long Peirce is to remain in the North Atlantic; gives directions as to barrels, storage, and the keeping of the log book; provides data from several named ships on the dates and locations of whale sightings during their voyages between 1850 and 1859; and includes an “Abstract from letter to Capt Richmond in Ship Franklin relative to Chatham Islands.”

The log itself opens on Tuesday, June 7th, 1859, and ensuing entries note the wind, weather, location, the choosing of boat crews, and other preliminaries, and Peirce’s dreary outlook is soon in evidence, as on June 28th—just twenty-one days in—he laments “Oh could we be so fortunate to get One Whale here in this place but it looks anything but encouraging here Nothing to indicate any Whales”; and a few days later, “Nothing that looks lik[e] Whales here (No signs of them),” and the day after that “as usual No Whales here.” Success is evidently powerless against the “Prince of Pessimism,” who, even after killing six sperm whales within the first three months, moans on August 30th, 1859, “Employed in chasing whales (But all in vain).” On November 5th, he sights “No whales here for the Poor Old Marion”; on January 22nd, 1860, he acknowledges that “Everything appears to go against us now”; on February 5th, 1860, he all but admits defeat—“Their [sic] appears to be no chance for us”; and by November 16th, 1860, he had taken the matter up with God: “Why it is the poor Marion cannot get A Whale I do not know, May the Lord Grant in Mercy to us altho unworthy that through his goodness we may be favored again is my Earnest Prayer.” Soon afterwards, the situation becomes personal, and on December 28th, he writes: “The Lord will not prosper us. I am so wicked...How sad that is for us.” 

Regular entries note the wind and weather, and occasional matters of health, food, and repairs: on September 28th, 1859, “got off some Potatoes & Onions etc”; on the 29th, “A Gale of Wind parted the Gibb Penant & split the Gibb some took it in for repair”; on the 30th, “at work repairing the Gibb & Makeing New Gibb Penants”; on October 1st, “Picking over Potatoes”; and on the 6th, “the Mate Sick…stearing for Fayal for Medical advice for the Mate & Steward.” Early in 1862, they gam with another New Bedford ship (“Poor Old Addison,” in Peirce’s words), aboard which Peirce’s brother John is sailing. After a night aboard the Addison, Peirce is sure that John is suffering a terrible but unspecified crisis (“his Lot of Dispare or grief”) and generously enfolds the Addison amongst his other woes, referring to it as “the Unfortunate Addison,” and writing on March 26th, 1862 that “I fear I know the very hand of Providence is against the Addison.” Towards the end of the voyage, Peirce identifies a new cause for concern in the Civil War, recording on May 3rd, 1863 his fear that “some Privateer will burn up the Marion.”

On January 17th, 1863, the “Poor Old Marion” caught her last whale. On this occasion Peirce states, “I earnestly hope I shall never try whaleing again…the sea contains nothing for me.” This discouraged resolve would be understandable had the long voyage be unproductive, but the Marion ultimately brought in over 1600 barrels of sperm oil, about average for voyages in this period, and by no means a failure. Peirce evidently overcame his pessimism sufficiently to embark on another whaling voyage in 1868, this time as master of the whale ship Minnesota, aboard which the final page of this volume was written. Six entries, dated between July 31st, 1868 and June 27th, 1869, perfect new forms of complaint, with repeated lamentations that “the Hand of Providence is against the Minnesota and all concerned. The LORDS Power is against the Peirces[,] this Poor Old Bark will Never be suffered to get One Whale. My damnation is fixed my ruin is certain; Gods everlasting vengeance is upon me for my Sins & transgressions I am ruined for ever.” The second-to-last entry reads simply: “The unfortunate Minnesota will not get another whale this season. The Hand of Providence is against the PEIRCE family.” The final pages of the volume also include two pages of tables with dated records of whale oil stowed during the Marion’s voyage, and records of the ship’s credits and expenses. Captain Peirce swallowed the anchor after his stint aboard the Minnesota, but never married. Perhaps that was for the best.

SOME REPRESENTATIVE PASSAGES

27 January 1861: “Light Breeze from S.W. & Good Weather Cruising in sight of the Pyramid. Nothing here for the Marion. A.M. Good Weather Saw Sperm Whales at 5 A.M. about 9 A.M. Labourd Boat got A Whale[.] Four Ships in sight all Whaling.”

28 January 1861: “Calm. Whist[?] Boat Struck & got Badly Stove but succeed in saving the Whale with the Stabourd Boat. Got the Waist  Boats Whale to the ship at 9 P.M. A.M. Fogy employed in Cutting got one Whales Body in at 11 A.M.”

1 June 1861: “Light Airs from E. Heading to the South———LOOKS DULL HERE Nothing sturing [sic] on this Water. A.M. Light Breeze from E Heading to the South Two Sails in sight.”

2 June 1861: “Spoke the Bark Aladdin of Hobartown A.M. Very light airs from S to S.W. in sight the Aladdin. Thomas Nichols, Master, Bark Aladdin. Mary Andrews, Howes Island.”

22 June 1861: “Fresh Breeze from S to S.W. Saw Humpbacks & A few Blackfish (Chased the Humpback without success). At 9 P.M. Spoke Ship Cornelius Howland 26 mos out 1400 Spm: A.M. Light Breeze from South…Saw Sperm Whales.”

23 June 1861: “Fine & Pleasant Weather at Noon Lowered three Boats & Chased untill Nearly Sunset but could not get fast Stabourd Boat came on Board & Hoisted up about Sunset the Labourd Boat fortunately Struck A Whale, took the Whale alongside at 7 P.M. & got ready for cutting the Head.”

24 June 1861: “Begins Calm Employed in Clearing away the Case at 3 P.M. commenced to Boil…”

7 January 1862: “Calm & Foggy. We are now 31 Months from Home & I see no prospect of getting any more Oil this voyage. I have been going to Mast-Head the last 12 Months & looking for Whales without seeing A Whale Myself & I Never expect to raise another Whale such is my Fate. Non are suffered to come near the Marion. I some-times think my destiny is fixed[,] ruin inevitable. Our vessel is now so Dull she will not Sail & we stand but very little Chance among Ships that are good sailors if A Whale comes on the ground they are shure to Catch it. A.M. Good Weather. Saw Sperm Whales are about 20 Miles S.S.W. from Pyramid all the Ships got Whales but the Unfortunate Marion.”

9 January 1862: “8 or ten Ships in sight all Cutting or Boiling the Minvervia got 2 large Whales yesterday (Seven Ships Cutting in sight of [?] to Day (It makes my Heart Acke) to think we cannot get A Whale. I never Expect the Marion will Cut another Whale. A.M. Good Weather all the Ships Boiling.”

24 January 1862: “Comes in with light breeze from N.W. One Sail insight: A.M. Good Weather Saw Sperm Whales at 10 Oclock Stabourd Boat Struck A Whale BENT new FLY-GIB.”

25 January 1862: “Fresh Breeze from N.W. the Whale ran had took the Whale alongside at 1 P.M. Finished Cutting the Body at 10 P.M. let the Head lay alongside.”

26 January 1862: “Commenced to Boil. Saw the Emily Downing Boiling. A.M. Pleasant 4 Sails in sight.”

A woe-filled whaling log of the Bark Marion out of New Bedford, written by its captain, the “Prince of Pessimists” and accompanied by a remarkably detailed letter containing instructions for the first year of the voyage from the ship’s owner.

REFERENCES: “Howland, William P. (William Penn), 1812–1872)” at Circumpolar Navigator online; “Marion: 1859-1963” at Whaling History online.

Item #10132

Price: $12,500.00