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Papers of Sir Frederick Thomas Michell. They are a collection of commissions, appointments and letters which cover Michell's whole career, although the Crimean papers are the most numerous; these include landing orders, 1854, and orders for the bombardment of Sebastopol.

Papers of Adml Alexander Hook consisting of letters from Bridport to his first and second wives, 1761 to 1799. There are also a number of other letters, including two from Lord Howe, 1787.

Papers of Capt Alexander Hood consisting of a log, January to September 1772, and some signal books for the Barfleur and the Aimable. There are also a number of private letters, 1772 and 1793 to 1794, a muster book for the Audacious, 1794, official correspondence, 1793 to 1797, and three signal books for the Hebe. In addition, there are some official service documents and a small collection of documents relating to the mutinies of 1797.

Papers of Samuel Hood consisting of letter and order books, 1794 to 1795, 1806, 1808 to 1809; signals and instructions, 1790 to 1791; and logs, 1806 to 1814. The large section of papers relating to the East Indian command includes letters from the Admiralty, Victualling and Transport Boards, as well as copies of correspondence with Sir Stamford Raffles (1781-1826). In addition there are extracts from logs of ships on the East Indies Station during Hood's command, including the Modeste, 1810; Hesper, 1810; Cornelia, 1811; Doris, 1811; Phaeton, 1812; Hecate, 1813; Salsette, 1813 to 1814. Finally, there are a number of Hood family papers, 1745 to 1817.

Papers of Sir David Milne. They consist of logs, 1779 to 1780, 1788 to 1790, 1793 to 1796, 1799 to 1802 and 1814. There is a collection of ship's books for La Seine, which includes a surgeon's journal kept by John Martin, 1799 to 1800. There are also letterbooks, 1804 to 1807 and 1808 to 1815. For the period of the North American command there is an out letterbook and order book, 1816 to 1819, and as Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, a standing order book, 1842 to 1843. In addition, there are a large number of letters concerning prizes, 1799, letters received, 1819 to 1842, and drafts of letters to Lord Melville, 1819, and Lord Dalhousie (1770-1838), 1818 to 1819. A number of documents with no immediate connection with Milne are also in the collection. They include the log of the PRINCE GEORGE, Captain Nathaniel Portlock, 1785 to 1787, on a voyage to the North Pacific; the log of the AFRICA, Alexander Purvis, 1793 to 1796, and the log of the United States privateer, HARLEQUIN, 1814.

Papers of Sir Alexander Milne, consisting of logs, 1817 to 1827 and 1837 to 1839, letterbooks, 1827 to 1839, and letters and papers, 1838 to 1847. There are also a number of ship's books relating to the SNAKE and the CROCODILE. For the North American command there are official out-letterbooks, letters received and memoranda to squadrons, 1860 to 1864, as well as private letters from the Duke of Somerset (1804-1885), First Lord of the Admiralty, and to and from Sir Frederick Grey (1805-1878), First Naval Lord, between 1861 and 1862. There are also notebooks and sailing orders for this period. For the Mediterranean Command there are letterbooks, general and squadron memoranda and sailing orders, 1869 to 1870. For his period at the Admiralty there are copies of private and semi-official letters, 1854 to 1855, 1869 and 1873 to 1876, and letters to his brother, David Milne Home, 1820 to 1847. There are a considerable number of official papers relating to the loss of the Megaera and the Captain and the first, second and third Reports of the Royal Commissioners appointed to enquire into the Defence of British Possessions and Commerce Abroad, 1882. Finally there are diaries for 1825, 1833 to 1835, 1837, 1840 to 1841, 1843 to 1845, 1849 and 1870.

Papers of Sir Archibald Berkeley Milne. They consist of logs, 1870 to 1875, 1879 to 1881 and 1889 to 1893, and a notebook of events in Egypt in 1882. A section of papers is devoted to the Zulu War. For Milne's later career there are copies of correspondence with Lord Charles Beresford, 1910, and letters and papers relating to the Mediterranean command, 1913 to 1914. There is a detailed section on the escape of the Goeben and the Breslau, including signal logs, telegrams received from the Admiralty, diaries, official correspondence and press cuttings. There are also a number of uncompleted private diaries, 1870, 1879, 1886, 1913 to 1919, and personal letters, 1879 to 1936.

The principal series include the papers of Sir William Coventry (1628?-1686), 1585 to 1680, in the possession of the Marquess of Bath; the Royal Greenwich Observatory papers, 1674 to 1892, and the Board of Longitude papers, 1714 to 1829, held by the Royal Greenwich Observatory; and papers of Admiral Sir John Duckworth (q.v.) 1793 to 1813, held by Yale University and other repositories in North America. The remaining microfilms are mostly of smaller items, some obtained in fulfilment of conditions to secure an export licence. Examples of these include copies of the journals of Augustus Keppel (q.v.) kept during Anson's circumnavigation, 1739 to 1744; of Captain Cook (1728-1779) in the ENDEAVOUR, 1768 to 1770; and of Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820) kept during the same voyage, 1768 to 1771.

Papers of Sir Evan Nepean. The first two sections consists of letters from Earl St. Vincent, 1793 to 1803. There are also two series from agents, one of fifty-four letters, 1796 to 1801, which include some from Sir Sidney Smith and the second of seventy-one letters from William May, 1797 to 1798. There is also a secret account book kept by Charles Wright, Chief Clerk to the Admiralty, between 1795 and 1804. This was purchased from Maggs Bros. in 1969. (3 vols, 2 boxes) In the Gosse collection of papers relating to piracy there are letters received by Nepean, 1817 to 1819.

Papers of Adml David Thomas Norris. They contain official letters and memoranda for 1915, papers relating to Norris's commands in the Caspian Sea and in Persia, as well as photograph albums, 1892 to 1926.

Papers of James Nourse Limited. They include: minutes, 1903 to 1929; Directors' reports and balance sheets, 1903 to 1946; registers of shareholders, 1955 to 1967; a small number of letters and Bills of Lading, 1867 to 1868; a rough notebook, 1875 to 1893; average adjustments, 1899 to 1964; freight fixtures, 1904 to 1964; movements, 1906 to 1914; copy letterbook, Calcutta to London, 1900 to 1906; personnel records, 1890 to 1963; and a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings, 1920 to 1950. (Section 3: NOU/: 3ft: 91cm) Ships' Plans: arrangement and capacity plans, as well as a number of others, of a dozen steam and motor ships built mainly on the Clyde between 1930 and the 1940s.

Papers of Olive North. They include Olive's account of the sinking of the RMS LUSITANIA and her rescue, correspondence shortly before and after the disaster, press cuttings relating to the RMS LUSITANIA and lists of passengers and crew.

This class contains thirty-two volumes relating to the theory of navigation, mathematics and astronomy, fifteenth to nineteenth centuries. The earliest is Italian, written between 1470 and 1529, entitled 'Ragioni Antique Spettanti all Arte del Mare et Fabriche de Vaselli', which includes entries in many hands on navigational calculations, astronomy, astrology, sailing directions for the Mediterranean and the building and fitting of galleys. Chronologically, the next volume is the 'Regimento de la Declinacion del Sol', a Spanish navigator's manual, c 1500; the next is English, containing mathematical rules for measuring height and length, 1557; then follows 'L'Arte della Navigatione', Italian, with tables and moveable dials, 1567; and the last of the sixteenth century is by a Jesuit, Francisco da Costa (1567-1604). 'Arte de Navegar', written between 1596 and 1598 and illustrated with sketches of the astrolabe and compass. There are three seventeenth-century volumes; a treatise on astronomy by Thomas Willford entitled 'A genuine description and use of the perpetual calendar', 1654, which also contains a description of measures and of 'moveable fairs' around the country; a volume containing navigational exercises, often illustrated, by William Downman, written between 1685 and 1686, with a large amount of other information, including lists of ships, drawings of flags. poems, victualling and measures; and a workbook by Edward Ward, 1698, containing execises in navigation, astronomy and mathematics. The eleven eighteenth-century volumes include a copy of Robert Wright's 'Treatise on finding longitude at sea', 1726; a volume of lecture notes on navigation and astronomy given in Naples, 1755; and a volume in Turkish by Ibrahim Haggi, ca.1800, entitled 'Marifet Nameh' ('Encyclopedia of Knowledge'), on astronomy, architecture and geography. There are twelve nineteenth-century volumes dating between 1804 and 1883, all of which contain navigational and astonomical exercises transcribed by British seamen.

This class contains six bound manuscript copies of ships' newspapers. They are generally of a humerous nature and include short stories, verse, riddles and jokes, and ship's news and gossip; nearly all are illustrated. There are two examples from the Royal Navy; 'The Young Idea', the weekly papers of the CHESAPEAKE, 1857 to 1859; and 'The Rocket', 1868 to 1869, newspaper of the MINOTAUR. The 'Sierra Cordova Magpie' is an example of a ship's paper, with colour illustrations, from the square-rigged sailing ship SIERRA CORDOVA, 1901 to 1902. The remaining three volumes are of papers edited by passengers; 'The Nautical Magazine', the EQUESTRIAN, England to Bombay, 1849; the 'Matilda Athenaeum', paper of the MATILDA WATTENBACH, 1859 to 1860, on a voyage to Calcutta; and the 'Loch Garry Magazine', covering a voyage of the LOCH GARRY from Melbourne to Glasgow, 1877.

Papers of New Zealand Shipping Co Ltd. Apart from one missing volume, 1876 to 1879, there are continuous minute books of Directors' meetings in London from 1874 to 1971; copies of the 'Colony' Board minutes, 1890 to 1904, illustrate the changeover from New Zealand to London management. There is also a volume of minutes of General Meetings of shareholders held in London, 1888 to 1971. The Directors' minute books of the Federal Steam Navigation Company cover the period 1892 to 1964. Routine account books are not part of the collection, although there are isolated cash books, journals and ledgers of the affiliated companies: three early cash books of the company, 1873 to 1892; and a series of private ledgers both for the company, 1900 to 1954 and the Federal Line, 1904 to 1936. Files on contracts and agreements exist for the period 1912 to 1943. The company's interest in the New Zealand passenger trade is well documented in the minutes and correspondence; details of the early homeward voyages date from 1883 to 1887 and there is a long series of 'outward' (i.e. London to New Zealand) passenger books, 1894 to 1955. These contain names only and are unindexed. Passengers apart, there are general steamers' movement books from 1906 to 1971. Two books set out the early victualling scales, 1876 and 1879. A good sample of vessels' voyage files survives, 1966 to 1971. Early correspondence is limited to three private letter and telegram books, 1912 to 1936, of C.J. Cowan (d 1944) who was chairman of the company from 1928 until his death. The bulk of the letter files is concerned with exchanges with London, Wellington and Sydney, and with conference letters and circulars, 1960 to 1971. A series of files, 1940 to 1970, relates to subjects like freight negotiations, research and programming. The launching and operations of the three Federal Line tankers, 1958 to 1960, are also on file. The private files of C.A.W. Dawes (1919- ) chairman of the company from 1966 to 1970, deal with the specialized situations which call for the attention of senior management. On the technical side there are Marine Superintendents'reports, 1901 to 1971, together with vessels'plans and handbooks for use on board ship. Records of the affiliated companies mentioned above are as follows: New Zealand and African Steam Shipping Company Ltd, minute books, 1902 to 1911, register of members, 1902 to 1909, Memorandum and Articles of Association; Montreal Australia New Zealand Line, account books 1956 to 1971; American and Australian Steamship Line, account books, 1956 to 1971; Avenue Shipping, minute book, 1954 to 1962; Crusader Line, correspondence and information, 1965 to 1967; Dolphin Line, correspondence and circulars, 1967 to 1970. (Section 3: NZS/: 275ft: 84m) Ships' Plans: there are also plans for ships of the company in the P&O collection of plans.

This class contains fourteen visitors' books of ships and places and also autograph books. Among the ships; visitors' books are those for the KING GEORGE V, 1913 to 1923, the CAPETOWN, 1934 to 1943 and the MAGPIE, 1950 to 1956. There is a distinguished visitors' book, 1926 to 1936, of the Royal Naval Museum, Greenwich, and a book containing autographs of naval officers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

Papers of Gerald William Vivian, 1904-1921, including memoranda, appointments, sailing orders and Admiralty letters, 1904 to 1918; correspondence, 1913 to 1921; reports on the dockyard at Esquimalt and on the landing party for the protection of British subjects at San Quentin, Mexico, 1911, and reports and papers relating to the Air Department, 1915 to 1918.

Papers of Capt George Alexander Waters, consisting of logs, 1842-1843, and 1852-1861. There are loose letters, 1857-1858, including those from Captain Peel and the officers of the Naval Brigade concerning the Indian Mutiny and a book in Chinese endorsed 'taken from the house three or four miles below Nanking, 26 Aug. 1842', which is a coal-merchant's receipt book.

Papers of Allan Robert Woodriff, consisting of service documents, 1868 to 1874, an undated letter from Woodriff (while a sub-lieutenant) to his mother and letters of condolence after his death.

Papers of Cpt Daniel Woodriff, they include a log, 1790; extracts from Woodriff's journal, 1794; copies and drafts of letters and memorials, 1805 to 1815; Woodriff's will, 1828, and that of his wife Sarah, 1846.

Papers of John Robert Woodriff, consisting of personal and service documents, 1802 to 1867, including a letter of 1842 from John Robert's brother, Commander Daniel Woodriff (1789-1860), whose papers are in the National Library of Australia at Canberra.

Papers of Sir Robert Wigram consisting of two business ledgers, 1810 to 1865, and family legal documents, 1765 to 1826.

Sir William Penn's life after 1650 is well covered but for the earlier period there are only a few orders, instructions and isolated documents. The collection includes a log, 1650 to 1651, accounts of battles, 1652 to 1653, a log of the SWIFTSURE and sailing and fighting instructions, both to and from Penn, for the expedition to the West Indies. The 1665 campaign is covered by an incomplete log of the ROYAL CHARLES, a description of the battle of Lowestoft, several sailing and fighting instructions and orders of battle. There are also administrative papers and personal letters covering Penn's tenure of office at the Navy Board. The Pole papers consist of eight volumes of private letters from a wide variety of correspondents, 1769 to 1822. Two particularly large series are those from Admiral Sir William Young (1751-1821) and Pole's brother, Reginald Pole Carew, while Prince William Henry also wrote a considerable number of letters to Pole. The loose papers are mainly administrative and include accounts, prize papers, orders and memoranda. They also contain papers concerning Pole's representation of Plymouth from 1806 to 1818; printed papers and general letters on naval mutiny, 1795 to 1797, with particular reference to the mutinies of 1797; reports and surveys on the Sea Fencibles, 1804 to 1806, and other general reports on such matters as medical experiments, 1791, and experiments with gunpowder, 1796.

Records of Toyne Carter and Co comprising register of shareholders and Directors' minute books, 1921 to 1958; balance sheets and profit and loss accounts, 1924 to 1975; cash books, ledgers and journals, 1896 to 1968; wages and salaries books, 1944 to 1971, and a broker's commission book, 1951 to 1972. The bulk of the collection relates to the china clay trade, including a volume listing cargoes to the United States, via Liverpool, 1899 to 1903, and direct from Fowey, 1904 to 1952, together with detailed accounts of the same, 1926 to 1935, and 1966 to 1973; cargo manifests, 1931 to 1961; and Bills of Lading, 1958 to 1967.

There are also accounts of shipments to Holland, 1925 to 1972; to Italy and the Mediterranean, 1924 to 1939 and 1948 to 1959, together with details of cargoes lifted by 'general' ships, 1922 to 1970. There is a small amount of correspondence, numerous loose papers, cables, invoices, vouchers and receipts, chartering circulars, 1926 to 1928; chartering records, 1925 to 1934; Charter Parties, 1929 to 1935 and 1947 to 1972; details of ships cleared through customs, 1939 to 1971; a continuous series of disbursement books of ships whilst loading at Fowey, 1909 to 1970; and a large number of cargo plans demonstrating the care which was needed to stow china clay. In 1947 the company took a controlling interest in the Fowey Tug Company, and the collection contains balance sheets and profit and loss accounts, account books, towage rates and tonnage sheets for this undertaking, 1947 to 1960. At different times, members of the company held appointment as Vice-Consul to several European countries, and surviving records of this office include German Seals of Appointment, 1896 to 1926. Tape recordings of conversations with one of the firm's employees and with D R Carter (1901- ), son of one of the founders, who joined the business in 1919, complete the collection.

Papers of Vice Admiral R Don Oliver. They consist mainly of family correspondence, but there are some official service documents; Vice Admiral Robert D Oliver's recollections; files of personal papers from the 1960s and 1970s; papers of both his first wife, Mrs Torfrida L.A. Swann (nee Huddart) and the Huddart family, and those concerning his second wife, Mrs Marion Joyce Glendinning Van de Velde; diaries for 1960-1978; newspaper cuttings and photographs. There are also papers belonging to his father, Colonel William James Oliver, and his uncle, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Francis Oliver: these include Sir Henry Oliver's recollections, 100th birthday letters and letters of condolence to his wife, Dame Beryl Oliver, on his death in 1965.

They consist of eleven log books, the first of which was written by Osborn as a Mate, with the rest by him as Master. Ranging between 1853 to 1875, they span the majority of Osborn's career at sea. As well as containing the standard information one would expect, ( bearings, weather details, journal entries, etc), the logs also contain nearly 100 drawings and sketches in ink, pencil and watercolour of various ships, coastline profiles, sea-birds, etc.

Papers of Sir Augustus Phillimore. They consist almost entirely of Phillimore's private and semi-official correspondence from 1835 until the end of his life. These include many letters from relatives, including Phillimore' s numerous brothers and sisters, and some of his letters to them. The remainder are mostly from naval officers. Admiral Sir George Ommaney Willes (1823-1901) was a regular correspondent from the 1840s onwards. There are official letterbooks, papers relating to Jamaica and some papers for the Channel Squadron, a few letters and official service documents and some biographical notes.

Papers of John Linton Palmer. They consist of a medical and surgical journal from HM Sloop DWARF, 1848-1850. A journal detailing the weather and sailors' health from HMS JACKAL, 1854-1860. A sick mess account book from 1866-1869 on board HMS TOPAZE and from 1870-1872 on board HMS RESISTANCE. A journal of 'Instructions for Medical Officers of The Royal Navy Serving Afloat', 1868-1872. Two sick lists, one from HMS TOPAZE, 1868-1869 and one from HMS RESISTANCE, 1870 onwards. The Royal Geographic Society has a collection of his sketches and paintings.

Papers of Prince Line Ltd. They include Director's Minutes, 1891 1956, and shareholder's Minutes 1884-1967; Annual Reports and accounts, 1885- 1975; registers of shareholders, 1884-1959; records of ship's movement and freight, 1893-1980 and papers relating to the work of the Israel - UK Citrus Conference (Prince Line Ltd as secretaries), 1965-1971. There are also some papers of the Rio Cape Line Ltd., 1917-1956.

In addition to the present collection, papers of the Prince line Ltd and Rio Cape Line Ltd may be found in the main Furness Withy collection (see FWS/A and FWS/B). These include ship files from the Naval Architect's and Superintendent's Departments, charter parties, vessel building agreements and contracts, accounts and records of board and general meetings.

Tyne and Wear Archives, Newcastle, hold a ledger, 1896-97 and correspondence, 1898-99 of Prince Line (1895) Ltd.

Papers of Sir George Pocock. They cover only one period of Pocock's career in detail, that of his time in the East Indies, 1754 to 1760, and include letters from the Admiralty, the East India Company Secret Committee at Madras, Company officials and local officials. The papers relating to the capture of Chandernagore in 1757 include the capitulation, papers signed by General Thomas Lally (1702-1766) and letters from Robert Clive (1725-1774). The private correspondence consists of letters received by Pocock between 1763 and 1789 from the Nabob of the Carnatic, 1766, and other native rulers in India. The collection also contains some papers of Pocock's son, Sir George Pocock (1765-1840), and his grandsons, Robert and Edward; this section is mostly of bills, receipts and accounts for the years 1792 to 1862.

Papers of Portsmouth Dockyard. They consist of 566 volumes of the correspondence between yard officials, the Navy Board and the Admiralty, 1675 to 1899. There are also 147 plans for the yard, 1715 to 1884. The volumes are divided into four groups: those relating to the Resident Commissioner, the Admiral Superintendent, the yard officers and a miscellaneous group. Resident Commissioner's records. These consist of: letters from the Admiralty and Navy Board, 1773 to 1821, 1822 to 1827 (5 vols); abstracts of Admiralty and Navy Board letters and warrants, 1806 to 1823 (7 vols); letters to the Admiralty, 1707 to 1750, 1756 to 1763, 1769 to 1821 (19 vols); reports to the Navy Board, 1705 to 1722, 1732 to 1780, 1782 to 1815, 1817 to 1832 (41 vols); one volume of orders given by the Commissioner as a Flag Officer, 1712 to 1730, 1741; three volumes of letters to other yards and naval officers (including some by the Superintendent), 1809 to 1834. Admiral Superintendent's records. These consist of: 333 volumes of letters from the Admiralty, 1839 to 1840, 1840 to 1843, 1843, 1844 to 1845, 1845 to 1847, 1847 to 1848, 1848 to 1849, 1849 to 1851, 1852, 1855, 1855 to 1856, 1860, 1861, 1863, 1865, 1866, 1867 to 1871, 1871 to 1873, 1874, 1874 to 1875, 1875 to 1878, 1878 to 1879, 1880, 1883, 1895, 1898, 1899; and five volumes of letters to the Admiralty, 1832 to 1838. Dockyard Officers' records.

These consist of: Navy Board warrants, 1695 to 1780 and 1781 to 1822 (70 vols); the Commissioner's and Superintendent's warrants, 1694 to 1715, 1719 to 1780 and 1789 to 1848 (31 vols); an index to the Navy Board's and Commissioner's letters, 1675 to 1679, 1688 to 1690, 1694 to 1737 (3 vols); reports to the Navy Board, 1699 to 1713, 1714 to 1735, 1740 to 1780, 1782 to 1793, 1796 to 1822 (33 vols); Navy Board and Commissioner's correspondence with the Master Attendant, 1690 to 1692 and 1710 to 1713 (2 vols) and with the Ropeyard officers, 1751 to 1795 and 1796 to 1822 (2 vols); the first of these volumes also contains Navy Board orders to the Woolwich Ropeyard officers, 1746 to 1751. Miscellaneous records. These comprise: weekly reports of the progress on works, 1740 to 1744, 1778 to 1781 (2 vols); arrivals and sailings of ships, 1821 to 1848 (1 vol); arrivals and sailings of transports, 1829 to 1894 (1 vol); charts received and issued, 1809 to 1855 (2 vols); books received and issued, 1825 to 1843 (1 vol); one register of workmen entered and discharged, 1793 to 1801; reports of yard employees' trials, 1824 to 1855 (1 vol); one volume of the instructions to the Commissioner and officers, 1805, with manuscript additions, 1821 to 1822; one volume of orders to the yard Surgeon, 1823 to 1849. Plans. These include forty-four general plans of the yard and surrounding area, 1723 to 1884; forty plans connected with docks, wharves and slips, 1725 to 1854; and fifty-nine plans of buildings, 1715 to 1857.

Papers of Sir Henry Daniel Pridham-Wippell, comprising operational orders, signals and letters relating to the Mediterranean, including fleet narratives and reports on operations in the Western Desert, 1940 to 1941; and the Dover Command War Diaries, 1940 to 1944.

Papers of the Royal Indian Navy (1612-1947) Association, including papers of the Association, 1750-1986. The majority of documents relate to individual naval personnel, 1914-1947, from the RIN, RIM, RINR, RINVR and WRINS services.

Papers of Royal Naval Loan Library. They consist of notices and agenda of committee meetings, correspondence and financial statements, 1946 to 1947.

The papers of Edward Montagu, the first Earl, consist of five volumes containing papers relating to his political career 1656-1669. The papers of John Montagu, fourth Earl of Sandwich, consist of five volumes of appointment books, 1771 to 1782, purchased from the Montagu family in 1957 and transcripts. In 1956 and 1960 the Secretary of the Navy Records Society deposited on loan transcripts of Sandwich's papers, 1771 to 1782, not included in the Society's publication. The Heritage Lottery Fund has supported the purchase of additions to this collection.

Papers of the Sailing Boat Association, comprising minutes of the Council, 1888 to 1947; account books, 1888 to 1947; letterbooks, 1925 to 1939; correspondence, 1938 to 1939; rules and sailing regulations, 1932.

Papers of William Dundas Scott, consisting of thirty-five documents; these are mainly letters received by Scott between 1868 and 1870 and there is a letter from Hercules Linton, 1877.

Papers of Reverend Doctor Alexander John Scott, comprising drafts of Nelson's letters in French and intercepted papers and intelligence, 1803 to 1804.

Papers of William Henry Shirreff. There are three letterbooks for the years 1818 to 1820, one for 1830 to 1837 at Gibraltar, another for 1838 to 1841 and a report on dockyards made to the Admiralty in 1846.

Papers relating to seamanship, there are four volumes in this class. The earliest is by Sir Henry Mainwaring (1587-1653), entitled 'An Abstract and Exposition of All Things pertaining to the Practice of Navigation', written in 1623, and consisting of a dictionary of sea terms; it was edited by G E Mainwaring and W G Perrin, The Life and Works of Sir Henry Mainwaring (Navy Records Society, vol.56, 1921). The other volumes contain two drafts of the manuscript of 'The Mariner's Sheet Anchor or Seaman's Practical Expositor' by Darcy Lever, which was published in 1808; and an illustrated dictionary of nautical and seamanship terms, with French, Italian and Spanish translations, c 1870.

The collection, consisting of nineteen volumes, relates to the administration of the Navy, naval policy during the war with France, 1690 to 1698, and questions of Admiralty jurisdiction, and falls into four main groups. The first, of six volumes, contains letters received by William Blathwayt between 1690 and 1703; they concern the conduct of the war and questions of naval administration, including some, 1697 to 1703, from Josiah Burchett, Secretary of the Admiralty (1666?-1746). The second group of four volumes relates mainly to the time of the Dutch Wars when Robert Southwell was a Commissioner for Prizes. It contains drafts, orders and precedents relating to the Commission, 1661 to 1705, as well as a volume devoted to the legal problems of wrecks, 1687 to 1705. There are also some letters from Blathwayt to Robert Southwell for this period. The third group of four volumes contains letters by Lord Nottingham, 1690 and 1692 to 1693, to Blathwayt and Sir Robert Southwell, some with draft replies. Apart from reporting on naval affairs, there are later private letters, 1711, 1716, and Irish affairs, 1703, are also mentioned. The final four volumes are miscellaneous in nature, including a volume relating to the conduct of the war, 1695 to 1697; a working reference book on the proceedings of the Commission of Prizes, 1665 to 1667; and two volumes of miscellaneous papers relating to all the subjects mentioned above, 1674 to 1708.

Papers of the Shipbuilders and Repairers National Association. Including Shipbuilding Employers' Federation: these records include the minute book of the Executive Committee of the Federation of Ship-builders and Engineers, 1889 to 1898; the S.E.F. minute books, 1899 to 1965; a complete run of circulars, 1899 to 1965, and, slightly less complete, 1966 to 1967, the means by which the central body communicated to the local membership. The bulk of the collection, however, is to be found in the very large number of the S.E.F. files which have survived. They start in the 1930s, although many contain papers gathered before this date, for instance, 'Foremen and Under-foremen retaining union membership, 1920 to 1964'. These files touch on every aspect of labour relations, including wages, bonus payments, piecework rates, nightshift working, allowances, demarcation, apprenticeship, training and safety. In the files are correspondence, memoranda, statistical returns, minutes of meetings and agreements. A selection of the titles of the files gives an idea of the range of subjects: 'Temporary relaxation of existing customs and practices -- national agreement with Boilermakers' Society, 1940 to 1943'; 'District claims for payment of confined space allowance to skilled timeworkers, 1941 to 1967'; 'Complaints against foremen or chargehands by workpeople or unions, 1947 to 1952'; 'Painters, redleaders and cementers, claims for working with obnoxious paints, 1932 to 1953'. The S.E.F. also prepared labour statistics on a weekly and monthly basis, and a quarterly return submitted to the Ministry of Labour on numbers employed. These have been retained, 1936 to 1960; and there are strike returns, 1959 to 1967, 1972 to 1976, and accident statistics, 1963 to 1971.

Dry Dock Owners and Repairers Central Council: the records consist of minutes, 1910 to 1959; circulars, 1910 to 1956. As before, the main part of the collection is the great number of files relating to dry docking. Examples include, 'Dry Docks Tax Allowance', 1950 to 1963; dry dock facilities, 1954 to 1967; dry dock projects, 1953 to 1964. There are several on technical matters, such as those on T2 tankers, 1948 to 1952; on the gas freeing of tankers prior to dry docking, 1959 to 1973. There is also a series relating to the wartime Emergency Repairs Agreement, 1940 to 1946. Shipbuilding Conference: Private Meeting minute books, 1928 to 1945; circulars, 1928 to 1969. As the body within shipbuilding bearing responsibility for all commercial matters, the records of the Shipbuilding Conference and the Shipbuilding Board of the S.R.N.A., touch on almost every aspect of the trading and commercial activities of the industry, including relations with government, the Navy, and on every subject from the 'scrap and build scheme' of the British Shipping Act of 1935 to nationalization, 1974 to 1977. There are files on 'price improvement and tendering expenses schemes', 1935 to 1951; the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization, Maritime Safety Committee, 1966 to 1971; Lloyd's Technical Committee, 1956 to 1970; the Shipbuilding Advisory Committee, 1958 to 1960; the Shipbuilding Industry Board, 1965 to 1972; the British Ship Research Association, on whose management committee the shi

London County Council circulars 'Notes on Allowances to Soldiers' Wives' and 'Notes on Allowances to Sailors' Wives', 1914.

Printed list of gross and rateable values of valuation lists for Metropolitan parishes and unions, 1875.

Apprenticeship indenture for John Campbell, resident in the Asylum, apprenticed to George Campbell, shoemaker, 1817.

Records of Wandsworth Common Conservators, 1872-1888, including signed minutes; printed reports of the Chairman and of the Conservators; bye-laws made by the Conservators; financial ledgers; petty cash books; and register of mortgages.

Records of the parish of Saint John, Deptford, including registers of baptisms, marriages and banns; preachers' books; offertory registers; church services registers; Parochial Church Council minutes; financial records; and papers relating to the parish school.

Records of Poplar Poor Law Union, 1813-1940, including minutes of meetings of the Board of Guardians and various Committees; annual reports and statements of account; statutes and bye-laws; reports on Guardian's visits to institutions; papers relating to the enquiry by the Local Government Board into the administration of Poplar Union; orders and correspondence from Government departments; contracts; deeds; settlement examinations; orders for removal to and from the Union; applications for relief; registers of lunatics; lunatic reception orders; registers for Poplar High Street Workhouse; registers for Dunton Farm Colony; registers for Forest Gate Branch Workhouse; registers of children, including those at Poplar Training School, Forest Gate and Langley House Children's Home; plans of Poplar Workhouse; financial accounts and staff records.

Records of Saint George the Martyr Poor Law Parish, 1835-1873; including minutes of the Board of Guardians; orders of removal; admission and discharge registers; and registers of children admitted.

Records of Saint Mary Newington Poor Law Parish, 1867-1874, comprising Board of Guardians minute books and Newington Sick Asylum District manager's minute books.

Records of the Southwark Poor Law Union (formerly the Saint Saviour's Poor Law Union), 1798-1933, including minutes of the Board of Guardians and various Committees; byelaws and regulations; property documents including deeds; correspondence; settlement examinations; removal orders; report books; admission and discharge registers and creed registers; registers of children admitted and boarded out; register of boys sent to the Training Ship Exmouth; registers of children sent to the Hanwell Schools, Central London Schools District; financial accounts; staff records; plans made as part of survey for rating valuation of property in Saint Saviour's Union; and notices of marriage.

Agendas and minutes of the Board and its committees, 1893-1904, including the Scholarship Committee, Secondary Schools Committee, Polytechnics Committee, Teaching of Art and Technology Committee, Building Trades Committee, Commercial Education Committee, Domestic Economy Committee, Finance and General Purposes Committee, Higher Education Committee, Teaching of Chemistry Committee and Technical Instruction for Women Committee.

Also annual reports; issues of the London Technical Education Gazette, the official circular of the Board; pocket books; standing orders; special reports, including some prepared for the London County Council; proposals for new subjects of instruction; papers regarding scholarships and awards; inspection reports; maps of London showing centres of teaching art and science and technology; maps of London showing secondary schools for boys and girls; papers regarding individual polytechnics or schools including annual reports of the Bolt Court Technical School (later the School of Photo Engraving and Lithography); statistics; papers regarding the University of London and financial accounts.

Records of the City of Westminster Poor Law Union, 1889-1936, including minutes of meetings of the Board of Guardians; minutes and papers of Committees including the Buckingham Palace Road Workhouse Committee, Edmonton Workhouse Committee, Hospital Committee, Visiting Committee and Settlement and Revision Committee; correspondence and standing orders; registers for the Belmont Workhouse, Chelsea Workhouse, Edmonton Workhouse and Fulham Road Workhouse; registers of children sent into service; financial accounts and personnel files.

Records of the Saint Margaret and Saint John Poor Law Union, 1864-1870, including minutes of the Board of Guardians; minutes of Committees including the Kensington Workhouse Visiting Committee; correspondence; orders of removal to other Unions and financial accounts.

Records of Saint George's Hanover Square Poor Law Union, 1836-1924, including minutes of the Board of Guardians; minutes of Committees including the Buckingham Palace Road Workhouse Committee, the Fulham Road Workhouse Committee, the Kensington Workhouse Visiting Committee, the Mount Street Workhouse Committee, the Petty France Workhouse Committee, and the Milman Street Receiving Home for Children Committee; orders of removal to and from other Unions; registers of lunatics; registers from the Buckingham Palace Road Workhouse, Fulham Road Workhouse and Mount Street Workhouse; registers of children in care including indentures of apprenticeship, registers of children on the Exmouth Training Ship and registers of children at the Milman Street Receiving Home for Children; financial accounts and staff records.

Records of the Saint Martin in the Fields Poor Law Union, 1824-1870, including minutes of the Board of Guardians; correspondence; relief order books; settlement examinations; registers for the Castle Street Workhouse; registers for the Norwood Schools and financial accounts.

Records of the Strand Poor Law Union, 1802-1928, including minutes of the Board of Guardians; minutes of Committees including the Edmonton Workhouse Committee and the Sheffield Street Workhouse Committee; correspondence; settlement examinations; orders of removal to and from other Unions; registers of the Cleveland Street Workhouse, the Edmonton Workhouse, the Saint Giles Workhouse and the Sheffield Street Workhouse; registers of Edmonton Schools; financial accounts and staff records.

Records of the Westminster Poor Law Union, 1833-1914, including minutes of the Board of Guardians; Committee minutes; correspondence with government departments; settlement examinations; Relieving Officer's reports; orders of removal to and from other Unions; registers of the Westminster Union Workhouse; indentures of apprenticeships; registers of Westminster Union Schools, Tooting; financial accounts and staff records.

Records of the West London School District, 1865-1936, including minutes and agendas of the Board of Management; minutes and reports of various Committees; annual reports; financial accounts; correspondence with and orders of the Poor Law Board, Local Government Board and Ministry of Health; correspondence and other documents regarding property; admission and discharge registers for Ashford School; registers of apprenticeships; returns and statistics of children in care; papers relating to education and teaching including correspondence, reports, timetables and syllabus; dietary tables; reports by the Medical Officer; issues of the Ashford Residential School Magazine; staff records; building plans of Ashford School and Park School; photographs of Ashford School and papers relating to the transfer of institutions to the London County Council in 1930.

Minutes of the Joint Drainage Committee, 1915-1916; minutes of the Wandle Valley Joint Sewerage Board, 1917-1962; minutes of Wandle Valley Main Drainage Authority, 1963-1965; Orders, 1960-1962; Members attendance books, 1928-1965; registers of documents sealed, 1917-1965; register of tenders, 1948-1965.

Records of the East Coast Steamship Company (1875-1971).

The Admiralty Compass Observatory Collection comprises correspondence papers and reports, 1842-1950 transferred from the Public Record Office (The National Archives), Kew in 1983, Papers from the Scientific and Technical Review Section (S&T) 1890- 1970 acquired in 1993 and 1996 also from the Public Record Office, (The National Archives), Kew. Further to these series the collection is divided into twelve sections of material deposited from the National Archives, Kew, in 1983. These are HM Ships Compass Bearings 1842-1918, Swing Books 1904-30, Admiralty Compass Department D Series, N Series 1870-1980, R series 1826-1946, Reports 1956-62, Compass Department Examination of Instruments, Compass Observations and Experiments 1842-1933, Magnetic Elements of HM Ships 1864-1918, further correspondence and papers 1873-1914, handbooks and miscellaneous material 1842-1953, manuscripts removed from the Compass Department Library and catalogues, inventories and indexes.

The Admiralty records at the National Maritime Museum cover the administration of the Navy from 1688-1832 (when the Navy Board was abolished) in considerable detail. There are also a few records from 1832-1883. Together they consist of 7,497 bound volumes and a large mass of loose papers.

The majority of orders and letters are original documents, often minuted, but there are a few volumes of indexes, minute and letterbook copies of correspondence. The collection includes over 5000 Lieutenants' logs forwarded to the Navy Board in connection with the work of passing the Officers' accounts.

The Admiralty records now at the National Maritime Museum, consist of the original orders from the Admiralty to the Navy Board from 1688-1815 (ADM/A&N&RP&Q&P&OT), and the Navy Board replies from 1733-1831 (ADM/B&BP&D&DP&F&FP). Orders to the Navy Board relating to transports during the period when there was no Transport Board were bound up separately as were those relating to the special appointment of General Bentham, as Inspector General of Naval Works, during the Napoleonic War. The Navy Board letters respecting the fitting of ships from 1804-1809 were separated from the general correspondence, and bound with a chronological index at the beginning. In addition to these main series of orders from the Admiralty to the Navy Board, there are some copies of orders for the Ticket Office from 1774-1815, and some loose papers relating to the Marine Office and a few orders for the Office of Stores (ADM/J&K).

The Admiralty orders to the Victualling Commissioners from 1707-1815 (ADM/C) are included in this collection, as well as the abstract of Admiralty orders from 1694-1819 (ADM/G) and the Victualling Board's replies from 1703-1822 (ADM/H). The Admiralty orders to the commissioners for taking care of sick and wounded seamen from 1702-1806 form a complete series, supplemented by the Commissioners replies from 1742-1806 (ADM/E). Orders relating to prisoners of war were bound up separately and cover the years from 1743, some distinction being made for the different nationalities (ADM/M). Both these series of orders were continued when the Transport Boards took over the Commissioners; the former series has been preserved in this collection up to 1815 (ADM/ET), and the latter from 1796-99 (ADM/MT).

The Lieutenant's logs which total 5,205 volumes are bound according to the name of the ship, some Captain's logs being included (ADM/L). There are also bound up with some logs, accounts of expenses of paper and ticket books. The Lieutenant's log was accompanied by a certificate from his captain stating that he had complied with the printed instructions and not been absent from his ship. These journals were deposited first in the Admiralty Office and a certificate was made out, for which the chief clerk received 2s 6d.' though captains usually paid 5s 0d. The chief clerk then abstracted details of the voyage of each ship from her logs "specifying the day of her sailing - of her arrival at each port, her stay there and departure there from". The logs were then passed to the Navy Office where the clerk of the acts made out certificates "to enable the lieutenants and masters to receive their wages". It was also his duty to "arrange and keep the journals and log books of every ship that may be delivered of the proceedings from the time of such journals and log books". The logs in this collection have been preserved from the time of Pepys until 1809, when the procedure for keeping logs was altered, and contained much useful information. The logs were kept according to the nautical calendar, which counted the day as starting at mid-day, until 1805 when the civil practice was adopted.

The only records for the period after 1832, which are included in this collection, are those of the Surveyor's department for the years 1832-39. These letters, addressed to the Board of Admiralty, contain some interesting material on ship-building. There are also a number of volumes of papers relating to the preparation of naval estimates for the years 1849-1883, as far as the Victualling department was concerned.