Journal of a [whaling] Voyage to the Pacific Ocean [under Captain] Henry P Collier aboard the Elizabeth Starbuck of Nantucket Mass.

At sea, 1846-1848. 4to (13.5” x 8.5”), half calf over marbled boards. 100 pp. of ship's log in 2 languages (English and German), a further 30 pp. recording 'Whales Raised', tobacco and clothing rations, solar and lunar observations and other shipboard matters. Three whale stamps appear with the entry for Sept. 9, 1846 and one stamp appears with the entry for Sept. 30, 1846. 20th century provenance given by a pencil inscription to the lower pastedown: 'This book presented by Mr A. Grove Day, of Stanford University, to Fred J.Buenzle, of Snug Harbour, Palo Alto, Cal. on Aug 15, 1938' (Fred J Buenzle (1872–1946) was Chief Yeoman of the United States Navy; Arthur Grove Day (1904-1994) was a writer and founding editor in chief of Pacific Science: A Quarterly). CONDITION: Exterior rubbed, seventeen leaves excised from E. Parker’s portion of the log; occasional other leaves or portions thereof, some presumed blank, also excised.

An attractive 1840s Atlantic & Pacific Ocean whaling journal for a voyage aboard the Elizabeth Starbuck out of Nantucket, with four whale stamps and records of many more whales killed.

The manuscript has been written from both ends of the volume, the earlier period 1846-1848 in English by the ship's Master, E. Parker, consisting of over fifty-two pages amounting to 250 daily entries running from January 20, 1846 to December 19, 1846; then November 11, 1847 to April 28, 1848, alternate leaves removed from these entries and several other leaves excised. From the other end of the manuscript, Hermann Friedrich Wulff has written 50 pages of log entries in German for a Pacific voyage from April 29 to November 11, 1849, preceded by a summary of “Whales Raised.” Parker's log begins with a manuscript title page on the flyleaf: “Journal of a Voyage to the Pacific Ocean [Captain] Henry P. Collier: Ship Elizabeth Starbuck of Nantucket Mass” with three Latin prayers below the title—this is an educated writer. Later adopting the running title “Remarks on board ship Elizabeth Starbuck, E. Parker, Master,” follows the ship's route in conventional format 1846/47 from near the Brazilian Martin Vaz Islands (South Atlantic) around Cape Horn, and up the east coast of South America to within nine degrees of the Equator before heading west past Samoa and Tonga, then north, sailing south of Howland and Baker Islands where three whales are raised on September 9: “…at 6 AM raised Sperm Whales going to the north lanced and gave chase at 11 got whales alongside.” The next day: “... all hands occupied in cutting commenced boiling,” continuing westwards into the eastern hemisphere just south of the Equator, before turning south (territory of the Solomon Islands), the log finishing approximately in the waters of Wallis and Futuna. The log for 1847/48 continues from north of the Phoenix Islands (Kiribati), Christmas Day off Rotumah (Fiji), then south-west to Sydney, Australia by the end of January 1848 and east from Sydney along parallel 32 south, recrossing 180 degrees longitude April 20, 1848 where the log entries end on the International Date Line east of Kermadec Island.

Parker's log concludes with three pages bearing signs of botanical specimens having been pressed there. Two further pages of log entries for, July 1850, record the early stages en route from Hobart to San Francisco; followed by about twenty pages of records of fascinating tobacco allowances and 'duck pants' receipts for named crew members, including one 'Levi Starbuck' as well as various notes and entries by officers including Henry W. Collier of Hartford, Connecticut and Hermann F[riederich] Wulff of Bremen recording their presence aboard. To the rear of the book, are seven pages of notes listing whales raised (confirming the four Whale stamps on those dates above); a log of other vessels encountered; and solar and lunar observations taken to ascertain correct times, the ship's chronometer being a few minutes adrift. A further fifty pages of German log entries for the same vessel are written from the end of the book by Hermann Wulff, April 29 - November 11, 1849. Additionally Wulff has pasted in a print of Shakespeare's Cliff, Dover during June. At September 19-24, penciled notes on yellow notepaper inserted (annotated as being handwriting of Fred Buenzle) possibly translating the German log: “Saw nothing. So ends the day. Saw whales in moonlight,” “Found 2 natives of isl[and] in a wrecked outrigger—very hungry and exhausted, one a man the other a girl.” We have not made a systematic investigation of Wulff's text but his entries are generally longer than Parker's and seem to be potentially very interesting. A typed translation of the entry for March 27th 1848 is laid in and begins: “Heading for Strong's Island... live in hopes to find fish... Once I happened along the strand of the Danau, and found a sleeping virgin, lightest habilments... stretched out in the shade, her hands and feet half exposed.” At all events, his log begins in the Tasman Sea and traces a course heading east, cruising close by Norfolk Island, heading north on June 19, 1849, to linger near the Equator/Date Line intersection, drifting very slowly west before, in mid-September, setting south along 162 degrees east, reaching 42 S, 150 E on October 20, off Hobart, Tasmania—though the log continues, this is the final position given. At the end are pages prepared with headings for log-keeping but without entries; and torn and cut pages with transactions signed by 'Captain' Parker, H. Wulff (at Hobart) and a Captain Schebling.