Bøger i Cambridge Library Collection - Maritime Exploration serien

This 1748 publication, edited by naval chaplain Richard Walter (1717-85), documents the extraordinary and lucrative circumnavigation accomplished by the British naval officer George Anson (1697-1762) in 1740-4. Despite the significant loss of crew, the expedition became famous for its capture of Spanish treasure.

Abby Jane Morrell (b. 1809) was the wife of ship captain and explorer Benjamin Morrell (1795-1839). During the nineteenth century it became more common for women to join their husbands on voyages, and Abby insisted on accompanying her husband on his fourth voyage. They left America for the Pacific in 1829 on board the Antarctic, which visited the Auckland Islands and Pacific Islands in search of commercial gain, before returning via the Azores in 1831. First published in 1833, this is Abby's account of their journey. It was ghostwritten by the American author Samuel Knapp (17838) and followed the publication of Benjamin Morrell's own account as part of A Narrative of Four Voyages (also reissued in this series). It includes an account of the violent conflicts with the inhabitants of some of the Pacific Islands, and also contains Abby's comments on the 'amelioration of the condition of American Seamen'.

Richard Biddle (1796-1847), an American politician and lawyer, published this work on the life of the explorer and cartographer, Sebastian Cabot (c.1481-1557), anonymously in 1831. He was responding to widespread criticisms of Cabot - allegedly an unscrupulous character who played the governments of England and Spain to his own ends. The work includes notes on Sebastian's discoveries on the North American continent along with his father, John, and his search for the North-West Passage. As a governor of the Muscovy Company, Cabot initiated the expansion of English trade to Russia and the East. Cabot's own accounts of his journeys have been lost; therefore, Biddle's research is derived from other sources, particularly the writings of Richard Hakylut (c.1552-1616). This study was recognised at the time as the best review of the history of maritime discovery in the period treated, and prompted further research into the Cabot legacies.

Matthew Flinders (1774-1814) joined the Royal Navy at fifteen, later claiming to have been inspired by Robinson Crusoe. He served under William Bligh, and charted the Bass Strait in 1798. In 1801 he was commissioned to chart 'New Holland', and so became the first to circumnavigate the island he referred to as Australia. After being shipwrecked on the Barrier Reef and imprisoned for six years on Mauritius on suspicion of spying, he returned to England in 1810 and began work on A Voyage to Terra Australis. He died the day after his book and maps were published. This biography, published in 1914 to mark the centenary of his death, was the first comprehensive study of this central figure of Australian maritime exploration. The leading Australian historian Ernest Scott (1868-1939) based his account on material held in private collections in France as well as on documents deposited in Australian libraries.

In 1800-2 the naval officer James Grant (1772-1833) sailed to Australia on board the Lady Nelson, a surveying ship that was the first in England to be built on the sliding-keel principle. In this 1803 publication, Grant assesses the merits of the design and documents various teething problems experienced during the voyage from England to Australia. He describes his stay at Cape Town, and his favourable impression of the living standard of the deported convicts at Sydney, which he found better than that of poor people in England. Grant records his experiences on the coast of New South Wales, his encounters with the Aborigines there, and the presence of coal deposits on the Hunter River, and even reports that the cabra grub is 'no bad apology for a better meal'. He also describes his return journey via Cape Horn, during which he was becalmed in the South Atlantic.

John Rickman, second lieutenant on one of the two ships commanded by James Cook on his last expedition, wrote this journal during the voyage. It was first published anonymously in 1781, because the Admiralty embargoed all personal accounts until an official report of the voyage was released. Rickman apparently wanted to anticipate any attempt to blame him (a party under his command had killed a Hawaiian chief) for precipitating Cook's death. This revised edition, 'compared with, and corrected from, the voyage published by authority' was published - again anonymously - in 1785. After an editorial preface and an introductory account of earlier voyages to the South Seas, the journal itself offers a detailed first-hand narrative of the four-year voyage, including the deaths of Cook and of Captain Clerke, who took over command of the expedition but died of tuberculosis while searching for the western entrance to the North-West Passage.

Famed for his exploration of the Pacific and Australasia, James Cook (1728-79) was also an excellent surveyor and a meticulous keeper of records. The journal entries presented here cover Cook's first voyage around the world aboard the Endeavour, during which he mapped New Zealand and claimed the eastern coastline of Australia for George III, having made landfall at Botany Bay. Cook's journal is an invaluable first-hand account containing nautical details of his voyage around the Pacific as well as geographical observations, descriptions of flora and fauna, and notes on the peoples, cultures and languages encountered. Critical of the 1773 Hawkesworth edition (also reissued in this series), the naval officer William James Lloyd Wharton (1843-1905) published this annotated transcription of Cook's journal in 1893. A number of illustrations, maps and facsimiles of some entries are spread throughout the text. The work also contains a sketch of Cook's life.

John Reinhold Forster (1729-98), a scientific writer and translator of German origin, took part in Cook's second Pacific voyage, from 1772 to 1775, and published this study, which records his examinations of 'nature in its greatest extent; the earth, the sea, the air, the organic and animated creation', in 1778. He drew upon the ideas of 'the most ingenious men of the age' in constructing his observations on natural history and navigation. The first half of the book addresses the physical aspects of the world: earth and land, oceans, global changes and flora and fauna. The second half focuses on the anthropological origins of the people of the southern seas. The book was originally written as a popular travel narrative, and it remains an important publication which will appeal to readers interested in historical geography, zoology, ethnology, astronomy and travel writing.

Published in 1891, Henry Roth's translation of Crozet's narrative provided the first English account of the infamous French expedition to the South Pacific. The ship left France in 1771 under the command of Marion De Fresne (1724-1772). After exploring Tasmania (the first Europeans to do so), De Fresne's party set out for New Zealand, arriving shortly after Captain Cook. Crozet (1728-1782), took over command of the expedition when De Fresne and twenty-six crew members were killed and allegedly eaten by local Maori in the Bay of Islands. While much of the book is concerned with the exploration of New Zealand, Roth's translation begins with the origins of the expedition, the journey through the Pacific islands, and Tasmania and the discovery of people there, ending with descriptions of Guam and Manila. The work also includes a preface and discussion of the literature of New Zealand by James R. Boose.

John Elphinstone Erskine (1805-87) was a naval officer who served as a naval commander during the Crimean War, as well as patrolling the West Indies and the Mediterranean. He also wrote several well-received accounts of voyages around the Pacific. As a Liberal MP later in life, he was an outspoken campaigner for the rights of Pacific islanders. This 1853 book is a genial narration of his visits to islands such as Fiji and Samoa. Written in a lyrical and affectionate style, the account covers the culture, religion and health of the native populations. Subjects discussed include local religion, cannibalism, gender relations and tribal wars. Rich with descriptive detail and paying special attention to the welfare of the local people and their varied encounters with white explorers, the text also includes the moving and detailed journal of an Englishman, John Jackson, who was stranded on Fiji for two years.

Founded in 1666, the French Academie des Sciences was a prominent and prestigious organisation behind numerous scientific advances in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In 1817, commissioned by the Academie, Louis de Freycinet (1779-1841) embarked on a three-year expedition with the main purpose of investigating terrestrial magnetism and taking a series of pendulum measurements. In the course of this voyage around the world, the scientists aboard the Uranie also collected an abundance of samples and made significant observations in the fields of geography, ethnology, astronomy, hydrography and meteorology. The progress of this journey was detailed by Jacques Arago (1790-1855), draughtsman on the expedition, in the form of letters to a friend. This illustrated narrative is prefaced by a report to the Academie which summarises the mission's findings. Translated into English and published in 1823, this work is an informative and often witty account, reflecting contemporary ambitions in science and exploration.

On 22 May 1826, HMS Beagle left Plymouth Sound on her maiden voyage, accompanying HMS Adventure to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego to survey the Strait of Magellan. Years later, Royal Naval officer John Macdouall (fl.1820-30) proclaimed himself 'one whose visit to Port Famine, and sometime residence on that inhospitable coast, have left no wish of re-visiting it, really or metaphorically'. Nevertheless, his first-hand account of the first nineteen months of the Beagle's voyage, originally published in 1833, is a highly entertaining read. With an amusing combination of self-deprecation and caustic observation, and in preference to 'the trouble of detailing the monotonous course of a long sea voyage', Macdouall relates anecdotes about life aboard ship and the peoples and places encountered. While unforgiving of 'absurd' Spanish customs and 'national indolence', and Rio de Janeiro's 'bowing hypocritical Portuguese', he offers a generally kinder portrait of Fuegian and Patagonian 'savages'.

Published in English translation in 1793, this was the first study of Madagascar by a European. A member of the Academie des Sciences, Alexis-Marie de Rochon (1741-1817) was a distinguished French physicist, astronomer and traveller. He was involved in scientific voyages of discovery in the 1770s, conducting a hydrographic survey of the Indian Ocean. The present account was intended to show the advantages of French settlement in Madagascar and includes details of geography, anthropology and agriculture. In discussing cocoa and sugar, Rochon outlines the potential advantages of steam engines in sugar factories. He also provides an exploration history of the region and an interesting account of colonial leaders, notably Maurice Benyovszky (1746-86), the explorer-adventurer who was appointed governor of Madagascar by Louis XV. The work also includes a 'Memoir of the Chinese Trade', which details the many products traded between Europe and China in the late eighteenth century.

Joined by seven eminent natural scientists, including Karl von Scherzer (1821-1903), the Austrian naval expedition of 1857-9 was remarkable for its globe-spanning scale. During the course of the voyage, the naturalists collected an abundance of samples which contributed to several scientific discoveries, including the isolation of cocaine in its pure form. Some of the investigations also revolutionised knowledge in such fields as geology, oceanography, hydrography and geomagnetism, and are still being studied by modern-day researchers. Prepared by Scherzer and first published in English in 1861-3, this is a compelling three-volume account of the mission, remaining relevant to scholars interested in naval exploration and the history of science. Volume 3 includes notes on Sydney, Auckland, Tahiti, the coastal cities of South and Central America, and the journey back to Europe, as well as reflections by the author on the achievements of the expedition.

Joined by seven eminent natural scientists, including Karl von Scherzer (1821-1903), the Austrian naval expedition of 1857-9 was remarkable for its globe-spanning scale. During the course of the voyage, the naturalists collected an abundance of samples which contributed to several scientific discoveries, including the isolation of cocaine in its pure form. Some of the investigations also revolutionised knowledge in such fields as geology, oceanography, hydrography and geomagnetism, and are still being studied by modern-day researchers. Prepared by Scherzer and first published in English in 1861-3, this is a compelling three-volume account of the mission, remaining relevant to scholars interested in naval exploration and the history of science. Volume 2 covers the leg from India to Australia, with notes on the Nicobar Islands, Singapore, Java, Manila, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Pacific archipelagos.

Joined by seven eminent natural scientists, including Karl von Scherzer (1821-1903), the Austrian naval expedition of 1857-9 was remarkable for its globe-spanning scale. During the course of the voyage, the naturalists collected an abundance of samples which contributed to several scientific discoveries, including the isolation of cocaine in its pure form. Some of the investigations also revolutionised knowledge in such fields as geology, oceanography, hydrography and geomagnetism, and are still being studied by modern-day researchers. Prepared by Scherzer and first published in English in 1861-3, this is a compelling three-volume account of the mission, remaining relevant to scholars interested in naval exploration and the history of science. Opening with the guidance given by Alexander von Humboldt prior to the expedition, Volume 1 covers the leg between Europe and India. It includes notes on the social structure of the populations encountered, and on the local flora and fauna.

The first reliable maps of the Chilean and Peruvian coasts were drawn by the French explorer Amedee-Francois Frezier (1682-1773). In 1712, he was sent on a spying mission to the Spanish ports and fortifications of South America, travelling along the Pacific coastline as far as Callao, the port of Lima. His maps were later used by two of France's most famous explorers, Bougainville and Laperouse. Frezier also took a keen interest in botany, mineralogy, economics and anthropology. His most celebrated achievement is the introduction to Europe of the Chilean strawberry, which was used to create the hybrid species known today as the garden strawberry. Frezier's observations and illustrations of the people, plants and animals he encountered on his South American travels are given in this popular account, published in Paris in 1716 and subsequently translated into several European languages.

Anna, Lady Brassey (1839-1887) was an English travel writer and philanthropist best known for her vivid accounts of ocean journeys undertaken with her family. Her husband was a Civil Lord of the Admiralty who made many ocean voyages by steam yacht to test this new technology. Anna Brassey's description of these travels led to her becoming a best-selling author. In 1883 the Brasseys travelled to the Caribbean and back in the Sunbeam. Her account of the voyage, with many delightful illustrations, is vividly written in considerable detail. It mixes exotic descriptions with lively accounts of domestic life on board with her young family and dogs. Inconveniences are made light of, and she relishes new experiences and acquaintances, showing none of the condescension towards foreigners often exhibited by Victorian travellers. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=brasan

Anna, Lady Brassey (1839-1887) was an English travel writer and philanthropist best known for her vivid accounts of ocean journeys undertaken with her family. Her husband was a Civil Lord of the Admiralty who made many ocean voyages by steam yacht to test this new technology. Anna Brassey's description of these travels led to her becoming a best-selling author. In 1874 and 1878 the Brasseys sailed around the Mediterranean and as far as Constantinople in the Sunbeam. Her account of the voyages, with many delightful illustrations, is vividly written in considerable detail. It mixes exotic descriptions of people and places with lively accounts of domestic life on board. Inconveniences are made light of, and she relishes new experiences and acquaintances, showing none of the condescension towards foreigners often exhibited by Victorian travellers. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=brasan

This four-volume collection showcasing discoveries by French explorers appeared in Paris in the mid-nineteenth century. The first two volumes contain Dumont d'Urville's lightly fictionalised, illustrated, popular account of his voyages, originally published in 1832. Volume 1 covers d'Urville's travels through Asia to French Polynesia, and reproduces the 1863 printing.

This seven-volume illustrated collection, published in 1821, contains the journals of Captain James Cook (1728-79) from his three voyages to the Pacific, supplemented by material from other members of his expeditions, including the influential botanist Sir Joseph Banks. 'Cook's voyages' were essential reading for later explorers, including Charles Darwin.

This seventeenth-century work (reissued in a 20-volume 1905-7 edition) follows Richard Hakluyt's Principal Navigations in recording voyages of exploration. Volume 1 considers ancient exploration, beginning with the navy of King Solomon, and moving to the classical period, before discussing the world's religions.

Richard Hakluyt (1552?-1616) was an indefatigable editor and translator of geographical accounts. His most famous work was first published in 1589, and expanded in 1598-1600: this reissue is of the twelve-volume edition of 1903-5. Volume 1 contains accounts of voyages to the 'north and northeast quarters'.

Antoine-Joseph Pernety (1716-96) joined Louis-Antoine de Bougainville's expedition in 1763-4 to claim the Falkland Islands for France. Published in 1770, this two-volume work presents his observations on the islands' natural history. Volume 1 describes the journey and the inspiration behind it, and details the fauna and flora discovered.

After poor navigation led to his ship being wrecked in the Indian Ocean in 1786, James Horsburgh (1762-1836) devoted himself to the production of accurate charts of the eastern seas. This two-volume work, first published in 1809-11, became the standard reference for navigators for half a century.

The shipowner and politician William Schaw Lindsay (1816-77) combined a wealth of personal experience and practical knowledge with a meticulous approach to research. Originally published in four illustrated volumes in 1874-6, this is a full and authoritative history of the world of ships and maritime trade.

This 1771 two-volume work, edited and translated into English by Johann Reinhold Forster (1729-98), contains important writings by Swedish natural historians who travelled to Asia in the 1750s as pupils and followers of Carl Linnaeus. These pieces remain of interest to historical geographers as well as naturalists.

Otto von Kotzebue (1787-1846) was a leading navigator of his age, circumnavigating the globe three times. His 1815 expedition set out to find a passage through the Arctic, investigate the coastlines of Kamchatka and Alaska, and explore the Pacific. Published in 1821, this three-volume translated account was in Darwin's library aboard the Beagle.

First published in 1851, this two-volume work was compiled from several hundred sources by English geographer and hydrographer Alexander Findlay (1812-75). Including detailed sailing instructions and descriptions of the coastlines and islands of the Pacific, this comprehensive nautical directory constituted an invaluable resource for nineteenth-century seafarers.

Trader and adventurer Peter Dillon (1788-1847) spent much of his life in the Pacific. When he discovered artefacts from a lost French expedition, his familiarity with Pacific Islander cultures enabled him to establish its fate, and acquire many items from the shipwrecks. This two-volume 1829 publication tells the story.