A Journal of a Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, in the Schooner Brothers of New York. [Bound with] Journal Continued from Calcutta towards Philadelphia on board the ship Atlas, John Donavan Master. [Bound with] [Log and journal of a voyage from New York to Portsmouth, England aboard the ship Levi Dearbourn.]

17 April 1809–10 March 1812. 4to, original full calf. Schooner Brothers: 202 pp. of manuscript, with folding manuscript chart; Ship Atlas: pp. 203–291; Ship Levi Dearbourn: 30 pp.

Manuscript journals of Connecticut mariner Donald Mackay documenting an early American voyage to the South Seas, Mackay having previously sailed in the early China trade under the renowned Edmund Fanning (1769–1841), “the Pathfinder of the Pacific,” with a hand-drawn chart depicting the vessel's route through the Tonga archipelago and the Fiji Islands.

This volume consists chiefly of Mackay’s account of his voyage from New York aboard the Schooner Brothers as far as Manila, then aboard a Spanish vessel to Calcutta, and continues with a separate account of his voyage from Calcutta to Philadelphia aboard the Ship Atlas. Included at the end is Mackay’s log and journal of a voyage aboard the Levi Dearbourn from New York to Portsmouth, England, where he is nearly imprisoned during the outbreak of the War of 1812. In the course of the main voyage Mackay visits Brazil, Tongataboo, the Fiji Islands, Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, Fanning’s Islands, Palmyra, Marianne Islands, Guam, various islands of the Philippines, and elsewhere, in search of trade goods.

The journal contains a wealth of detail regarding the various places visited and explored, contact with native people and others, the challenges both physical and psychological of life at sea, and additional matters. It traces the departure of the Schooner Brothers from Staten Island in the company of the ship Hope (her consort for the voyage), passage around the Horn, separation from the Hope (a source of considerable anxiety for Mackay), visits to the various islands of the Pacific, horrific weather, navigational struggles, damage to the ship, trouble with the Philippine authorities, and ultimately the sale of the ship at auction in Manila. It is a rare, early, unpublished account of an American voyage to the South Seas.

Donald Mackay’s appearance in the historical record is evidently limited to his own journals and papers, and Fanning’s mention of him in his Voyages Round the World. Like Fanning, Mackay hailed from Stonington, Connecticut. In addition to the present voyages, Mackay sailed as steward aboard the ship Aspasia under Fanning (a seal skin trading voyage, New York to Canton, 1800-1802), and served as 1st Officer aboard the Sea Fox, also under Fanning, on a voyage to the South Seas in 1817 (as witnessed by a manuscript list of the crew members in our possession). He appears to have undertaken other voyages led or organized by Fanning as well. Mackay evidently had an above-average medical knowledge, as reflected in his Schooner Brothers journal and Fanning’s comments in Voyages Round the World. His taste for poetry is expressed in various epigraphs and extracts in his manuscripts (which seem to have given him solace at sea), as well as his own lyrical musings. A good writer, Mackay’s skill in drawing is also evident in a series of manuscript charts of the Falkland Islands that appear in a journal of 1825.

SOME REPRESENTATIVE PASSAGES:

Tonga Islands, 29 Sept. 1809: “The Island of Eua is of moderate height and of the most delightful appearance imaginable—and in the highest state of cultivation—I never saw a more beautiful Island— Tongataboo low land and mostly covered with wood a large proportion of which is cocoa-nut trees. The Island appears to be bounded by a reef over which the sea breaks with great fury.”

Tonga Islands, 4 Oct. 1809: “A young [native] man in one of the boats engaged to accompany us to the Fiji Islands—he made signs that he had been twice there—and gave me his neck-lace of bones, or teeth, touch’d noses in token of his sincerity—at 8 he as well as the other natives left us—not before my new friend attempted to steal a knife—he promised to come off again tomorrow.”

Tonga Islands, 7 Oct. 1809: “Had it not been for those vegetables [yams and potatoes], & I may add lime-juice, & cocoa-nuts, I sincerely believe that the crew would have died with the scurvy long before this—owing to their being so long drenched in salt water, and being so badly provided with clothes—It affords me much satisfaction that I used every means in my power to contribute to their health.”

Tonga Islands, 13 Oct. 1809: “At 4 P.M. bore away for the Fiji Islands—with, I confess a melancholy heart—Cast a ‘a longing, lingering look’ towards the E. pt. of the Island for the Hope, but saw almost despair! I have for my guide, the Hope’s journal, my Quadrant, & Sextant—with these I hope, without a pilot, to find my port—tho’ I feel rather unhappy in not obtaining one.”

Fiji Islands, 9 Nov. 1809: “HV Jones understood by two of the natives who came on board the boat that a ship had been in there five days and had sail’d twenty days ago, and had a skirmage with the natives while there. In the night while the boat was in the bay about fifty canoes of the natives attempted to cut him off—but finding the crew on their guard they retreated…”

Norfolk Island, 3 Dec. 1809: “While on shore I walk’d out on the Island about 3 miles from the village & saw some fields of Indian corn equal to any we see in America—some fine pillars of wheat—potatoes & most of the Tropical fruits will thrive here. At present the place is much on the decline, as the British Government are about evacuating it—they have already withdrawn a number of the settlers.”

At sea, 8 Jan. 1810: “The only plentiful commodities that we are stock’d with (and with which I should be willing to part) are mice, fleas, & bed-bugs—of these we have enough to stock the Navy of Great Briton—and I have no further enmity to that great establishment (provided they do not molest me) than to wish all the above noble animals ship’d therein—for they really aggravate my already unhappy situation, by destroying our sails, and prying without mercy on my wretched carcass!!!…The Bug in my humble opinion is the meanest of all insects, being offensive to two of our senses, and not very agreeable to a third—they are obnoxious to all mankind and womankind more especially—that is to the cleanly part of the sex—but the situation of the Flea I am inclined to envy in one or two instances—was I now metamorphosed into one of these I should be insensible to the present torment of a head wind—and was I on shore in this form, I could take up my abode in the beautiful bosom of some fair She, and feast at my leisure on her delicate limbs—One object would be certain, I should never again tempt the Ocean.”

Fanning’s Island, 14 March 1810: “Discovered some ancient works consisting of a heap of stones about twenty feet, by ten, and three in height—on the outside were large flat stones placed upright in the ground, joining at the edges so as to form a parallelogram, the area of which is fill’d to the above height with stones of a smaller size …This doubtless was perform’d by human labor; but whether by some race who once inhabited the Island, or by a few of the natives of some other land to the eastward who were driven from their native island and by chance landed here, and having among them no females they soon become extinct—I leave to the speculation of the wise the latter is my opinion.”

Brother’s Island, 24 July 1810: “A canoe with 14 of the natives came in her[e] but had little of any thing to dispose of while I was bartering for their fruit, one of them got onto the yawl and broke off the pintal of the rudder hanging and immediate[ly] jumped overboard with it…and I was resolv’d to let them know they were not to rob us with impunity—or at least to convince them that we had arms that would reach them at the distance they had pull’d off from us—accordingly ordered two or three bullet-balls fired over them, one of which I believe struck their mast—they appeared much terrified, and made in shore as fast as possible.”

Manila, 26th Nov. 1810: “The reason of my being so strictly examined was, that a report prevail’d that the Schooner was a Frenchman, and we probably spies—that the Spaniards here as well as in other provinces have orders to examine the Americans very closely from a prevailing opinion that all the spies and emissaries of the French pass thro’ the United States into the Spanish Colonies.”

Manila, 26 Jan. 1811: “In this place I have suffered more mortifications from the insolence of Office & my dependent & forlorn situation, that I ever heretofore experienced. I am however clear of the Schooner, and of the disagreeable & unfortunate voyage, tho’ without much money to support me, or the prospect of a speedy passage to America; but these are trifles to other circumstances that I am now rid of—I bid farewell to the Brothers; as she has borne me safely more than 36,000 miles over the Globe; so may she always bear others with like safety, and more prosperity.”

An important, lengthy, and fascinating account of an early American voyage to the South Seas.

A more detailed description is available upon request.

CONDITION: Good, rubbed, front cover hinge cracked along lower 3.5” of spine, title-leaf detached, old institutional accession number on title-page. Deaccessioned, and accompanied by an institutional statement to that effect.

REFERENCES: Fanning, Edmund. Voyages Round the World : with selected sketches of voyages to the South Seas, North and South Pacific Oceans, China, etc. New York, 1833.