ICE TRADE VOYAGE BOSTON - BUENOS AIRES Donati's Comet Manuscript Journal 1858

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[ICE TRADE VOYAGE FROM BOSTON TO BUENOS AIRES]. [Donati's Comet] [Manuscript Journal of the Bark Augusta Mayhew's (Captain Thorpe) Voyage from Boston to Buenos Aires in 1858]. [Primarily at sea]: September - December, 1858. Large Quarto. Ink on laid paper, legible writing. 32 pp. and over 100 blank leaves, ruled. Contemporary black half sheep with marbled boards and gilt tooled spine. Rubbed at extremities, minor scattered foxing, otherwise a very good journal. Important account of one of the first ice trade voyages from New England to Argentina; the journal describes a voyage of the Bark Augusta Mayhew from Boston to Buenos Aires (September 5th - December 1st, 1858). As we get to know from the text, the ship was deeply loaded "with ice and tan" (see p. 18 of the journal), and had some passengers including children on board (p. 9 et al). At the beginning of the trip the winds were very weak so the ship moved very slowly crossing the equator only two months after departure; which caused numerous remarks in the journal about the dreary weather and their slow progress (e.g. "Ye gods! Are we destined to spend our days and finally lay our bones, within these latitudes. Oh dear! It is indeed tiresome, tedious to be compeled [sic] to remain in the same place, day after day night after night, with no prospect of ever getting out of it") . Then the author mentions Cape São Roque on the northeastern tip of Brazil, which latitude the bark passed on the 10th of November. On Nov 29th they started going to Rio de la Plata, passed Cape St. Mary, English Point, at night noticed the lighthouse on the Isla de Flores and in the morning a pilot from Montevideo guided them to the port. The entry for the 30th of November gives a vivid description of the Buenos Aires: "As we passed by the city, some 7 miles distant, we could not have so good a view as we wished. However, at this distance it has the appearance of a very clean and healthy place, large number of church spires. The land in general is low, well wooded and the homes are nearly all painted white, which peep out beneath the foliage look quite well. The shipping is small, there are at present some 6 or 7 men o'war at anchor." The journal contains a description and several notes of Donati's Comet which was first observed by Giovanni Battista Donati on June 2, 1858, and "was the most brilliant comet that appeared in the 19th century" (Wikipedia). First notes about the comet are dated September 17 and 23 and mention "a comet with a long tale"; the entry from Oct 3rd says: "The Comet has been is sight all the last week, and each night it appears larger, with its fiery tail increasing, both in length and width, last night it was 20 to 24 degrees long, and about 4 wide at its extreme length." The sailors ascribed to it their misfortune with weak winds and calm weather, noting "I wonder if it has anything to do with our having so much light air and calm sea for the last 10 days; at the rate we are going, or have been going, it will take a year or more to get at our port of destination." The Comet became "quite faint" on the 10th of October. It is interesting, that "Abraham Lincoln, then a candidate for a seat in the U.S. Senate, sat up on the porch of his hotel in Jonesboro, Illinois to see "Donti's Comet" on September 14, 1858, the night before the third of his historic debates with Stephen Douglas" (Wikipedia). The journal also registers several ships encountered on the way: Bark Nimrod from Boston bound to Rio, with quite a number of passengers (Oct 14); Schooner Flirt also bound for Buenos Aires (Oct 25); Bark Atlantic Coleman, from Nantucket on a whaling voyage to Rio de la Plata and then around the Cape (Nov 15); ship Humboldt bound from New York to Singapore (Nov 19). He does record latitude and longitude and the winds, though, at least what winds there are; the numerous sea birds and animals encountered (including a sketch of a sea perch which the author caught, p. 12). The keeper of the journal most likely was a crew member of the bark. Bookseller I... read more

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