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Papers of Louis Antoine De Bougainville including a personal memoir on navigation between Europe and Canada by an unknown seaman, a draft by Bougainville concerning the Duc de Choiseul and the proposed voyage to the North Pole and a collection of notes made during Bougainville's completion of his 'Essai historique sur les navigations anciennes et modernes dans les hautes latitudes septentrionales', Memoires de l'Lnstitut National des Sciences et Arts: Sciences morales at politiques, Tome 3, An 9.

Papers of Dr Edward H Cree, including volumes one to twenty-one, 1937-1961, and comprises Cree's personal journals whilst serving at sea. The text is supplemented by circa seventeen hundred watercolours and sketches. The journals account details of his sea voyages, experience whilst in foreign lands, his impressions of people and places, his recollections amongst family and friends and writings concerning his life at home and with his wife. In addition to the illustrated journals are his 'rough journals' 1841, 1847, 1849, 1851-2 and 1854, his medical journal kept 1841-1847, journal notes (1837), sketchbook (1839), newspaper cuttings, service records and certificates and invitations. An index to the journals provides useful information on the vessels served on, the places visited and the illustrations within.

Papers of Capt Matthew Flinders, consisting of three main groups: the first, the papers of Flinders himself, are charts and original journals, 1791, 1793 to 1794 and 1796, and copies, 1798, 1801 to 1803; narratives of his voyages; service papers, 1797 to 1810, and technical notes on subjects in which he was particularly interested, such as terrestrial magnetism; there is a wide range of original correspondence including letters from Sir Joseph Banks and Sir John Franklin (q.v.). Mrs Flinders' papers make up the second group: these consist mainly of letters, 1799 to 1812, including those from Flinders written during the INVESTIGATOR'S voyage, 1801 to 1803, and correspondence with French residents in Mauritius about her husband's captivity. The final group is Professor Flinders Petrie's collection of biographical material, notes, memoirs, newscuttings, etc, on his grandfather's career and correspondence with J F Shillinglaw about a biography of Flinders, which work Shillinglaw failed to complete.

Papers of Sir John Franklin. They consist of a volume of bound letters written by Sir John Franklin between 1820 and 1845 to his niece Mary Anne Kay and to Lieutenant Edward Kendall, R.N., whom she later married. Several letters refer to Franklin's second overland expedition. His last letter was written in 1845 at the Whale Fish Islands. There are other letters relating to exploration and some Arctic material including prints and manuscript copies of the New Georgia Gazette of 1819.

Papers of Lady Invernairn, consisting of letters from Shackleton to Lady Invernairn and other papers about the NIMROD and ENDURANCE expeditions.

Papers of Margaret Ismay, consisting of twenty-seven diaries kept by Mrs Ismay, 1881 to 1907. There are also a number of items deposited on loan in 1965 by Mrs Ismay's daughter-in-law, Mrs Julia Ismay. They consist of four diaries kept on a voyage to South America in 1856 by T.H. Ismay and also diaries kept by his son, Joseph Bruce Ismay (1862-1937), on a journey round the world, 1887 to 1888.

This class consists of 152 volumes of personal records, both naval and mercantile. It does not include logs, which are primarily a record in tabular form of weather, navigation and shiphandling. The term 'diary' has been used to describe day-to-day entries which form a continuous personal record. The word 'journal' is more applicable as an individual's description of wider events, particularly those of the nineteenth century, are illustrated with sketches of scenes and coastlines. Of the six seventeenth-century volumes, the earliest is by Sir John Pennington ([1568]-1646), commanding a squadron 'for the gard of the Narrow Seas', 1632 to 1636. There is also the journal of Edward Barlow (b 1642), kept btween 1659 and 1703, published in abbreviated form, Basil Lubbock, ed., Barlow's Journal (London, 1934, 2 vols); the journal of the Reverend Henry Teonge ([1621]-1690), kept on two voyages to the Mediterranean, 1675 to 1679, published in full, G E Manwaring, ed., The Diary of Henry Teonge (London, 1927); the journal of Sir John Narbrough (1640-1688), kept during 1672 and including an account of the battle of Solebay and also the dimensions of his ship, the PRINCE. Seventeenth-century trade is represented by a journal kept on board the STREIGHTS MERCHANT, 1684 to 1686, on a voyage to the Persian Gulf. The earliest of the eigteen eighteenth-century journals is a copy of that of Admiral Sir Geirge Rooke (1650-1709), kept while in command of the English and Dutch fleets, 1700 to 1704, during the period of the battles of Vigo Bay, 1702 and Malaga, 1704. (See O Browning, ed., Journal of Sir George Rooke (Navy Records Society, 1897).) A journal of the same period is that of Vice-Admiral John Baker (1660-1716) kept in the Mediterranean from 1709 to 1711. Later eighteenth-century volumes include a detailed journal of the second siege of Quebec, 1775, by an anonymous author; 'A journal of the war in America' by Admiral Sir George Collier (1738-1795), a personal account in Collier's own hand of the operations off New England and Nova Scotia in 1776, and an illustrated lowerdeck journal by Daniel Woodhouse (fl. 1780-1812), kept on board the AMERICA, 1781 to 1783, including an account of the battle of the Chesapeake. An unusual item is a book of menus for 1781 compiled by John Guliver, steward to Admiral Robert Digby (1732-1815) on the PRINCE GEORGE. The eighteenth-century voyages of circumnavigation are represented by an account of Anson's voyage, 1740 to 1744, by Laurence Millechamp. (This is reproduced in full in Glyndwr Williams, ed., Documents relating to Anson's voyage round the World (Navy Records Society, 1967).) There is also a contemporary copy of the journal of Captain (later Vice-Admmiral) John Byron (1723-1786) kept during his voyage of circumnavigation in the DOLPHIN, 1764 to 1766. (This has been published in full in Robert E Gallagher, ed., Byron's Journal of his circumnavigation, 1764-1766 (Hakluyt Society, 1946).) The first voyage of Captain James Cook (1728-1779) in the ENDEAVOUR, 1768-71, is covered by an unsigned copy of his own journal written in a variety of hands. His second voyage, in the RESOLUTION, 1772-5, is covered by two journals; the first is a copy signed and amended by Cook and the other is a narrative for the years 1772-3 by Richard Pickersgill (1749-1779), the Third Lieutenant. Although this was written retrospectively it includes many details not mentioned by Cook. (These volumes were used by J C Beaglehole, ed., The voyage of the Endeavour, 1768-1771 (Hakluyt Society, 1955) and The voyage of the Resolution and the Adventure, 1772-1775 (Hakluyt Society, 1961), although the main text was taken from the journals in Cook's own hand in the National Library of Australia and in the British Library.) Among the sixteen items for the Revoluntionary and Napoleonic Wars are notes and sketches made in the PEGASUS at the Glorious First of June, 1794, by the marine artist, Nicholas Pocock ([1741]-1821), bound.

Papers of Joseph Newsam Knowles, including papers relating to Knowle's command of the cutter SPEEDY, 7 Mar-4 Nov 1833 and n.d.; private correspondence received by Knowles and his father, 1 Dec 1827-17 May 1834 and n.d. mainly relating to attempts to further his career; misc. papers, 1932, 14 Jul 1834 and n.d. including a letter regarding Knowles' papers and an untitled poem; Goldsmith's Almanck, 1798, with notes on the Knowles family etc; accounts of the wreck of and the rescue of survivors from the FRANCIS AND MARY, sailing from St John's, New Brunswick to Liverpool, discovered by HMS BLONDE, taken from the Morning Herald, 28 Mar 1826 with a manuscript copy and a statement taken by Knowles from the survivors; certificate of membership of the United Grande Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of England, 28 Mar 1831 and letters advising him of meetings, 6 Jan-7 Apr 1831; Vellum cover marked '1. 15th June 1816 J.K. Checque on Bankers Book', containing a notice of recognizance for the Cornwall Quater Sessions, 30 Oct 1833 and a note, n.d.; private correspondence mainly from Mr Elliot Carrett, solicitor, regarding the sale of real estate at Dewsbury, 21 Apr-14 Jul 1834; notebook containing a list of the Royal Navy and tables relating to ordnance, sails, masts and yards etc, ca.1825, marked 'Lieutenant Edward Goodlad - Royal Navy'; Two track charts of HMS FORTE, Rio de Janeiro to cape Horn, Jul 1828.

The fifty-four letterbooks which have been acquired individually are predominantly naval, dating from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. The Napoleonic war period and the nineteenth century are most fully represented. Unless stated otherwise, it can be assumed that the items are copy letterbooks and not bound volumes of original letters. Of the six seventeenth-century letterboooks the largest is that of official correspondence of Samuel Pepys (1633-1703), 1662 to 1679, which also contains some shorthand in his own hand. (Some of these letters are reproduced in Helen Truesdell Heath, ed., The letters of Samuel Pepys and his family circle (Oxford), 1955)) There is a bound volume of 15 original letters and legal documents written by Sir Anthony Deane ([1638]-1721), shipbuilder and member of the Navy Board; the letters, dated from 1662 to 1679, are to a merchant, Sir Robert Clayton (1651-1704). For the same period there is a letterbook of George Monck, Duke of Albemarle (1608-1670), with some shorthand, written between 1665 and 1666 while he was joint Commander-in-Chief. Additionally, a small volume containing two letters by Monck, 1652 and 1663, includes some contemporary pamphlets and prints. A slim letterbook of Sir John Narbrough (1640-1688), when in command of the FORESIGHT, 1687 to 1688, consists of letters and reports written by him when recovering treasure from a Spanish wreck off Hispaniola. There is also an early eighteenth-century volume of copies of over a hundred letters written by James II to George Legge, Lord Dartmouth (q.v.) between 1679 and 1688. The earliest letterbook of the eighteenth century is that of Vice-Admiral John Baker (1660-1716), aboard the STIRLING CASTLE commanding in home waters and the Mediterranean, 1708 to 1709. A private letterbook of an officer who cannot be positively identified, kept between 1727 and 1731, includes a list of men killed and wounded at the siege of Gibraltar, 1727. It gives detailed dimensions of the ROSE at the same period, a description of travels in Italy, 1731, and of St John's, Newfoundland, 1732. Six letterbooks (some of which also contain orders) of Admiral Sir Piercy Brett (1709-1781) all relate to the Channel when Brett was in the LION, 1745 to 1746, the NORFOLK, 1757 to 1758, DEPTFORD, 1760, ST GEORGE, 1760 and the NEWARK, 1761. There is a small volume of in- and out-letters and orders to and from Prince William Henry (1765-1837). These date between 1786 and 1788 when the Prince was in command of the PEGASUS in home waters, 1786, in the West Indies from 1786 to 1787, and in Canada in 1787. Finally for this period is a letterbook of John Pearse, commander of H.E.I.C.S. EDGECOTE, 1747 to 1750. Thirty-one volumes relate to the Napoleonic Wars, the first of which is a bound volume of eighteen original letters, 1793 to 1804, from Admiral Collingwood (q.v.) to Sir Edward Blackett (d.1804). There follows a book of seven private original letters from Lord Mulgrave (1755-1831) to Collingwood , 1807 to 1809; a letterbook of Admiral George Berkeley (1753-1818) when in command on the coast of Portugal, 1809 to 1810; original letters from Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren (1753-1852) to Lord Melville (1771-1851), First Lord of the Admiralty, written mainly between 1812 and 1814 from Halifax, Nova Scotia, when he was Commander-in-Chief, North America ; a letterbook of John Jervis, Lord St Vincent for 1806 and 1807, when Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Fleet, and a letterbook of Admiral Sir Charles Penrose (1759-1830), 1813 to 1814, when commanding the PORCUPINE. At this time the ship was off the coast of France, collaborating with the army under the Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), to whom a large number of the letters are addressed. Examples of volumes belonging to officers of lesser rank include that of Lieutenant (later Captain) Robert Ramsay (fl 1779-1815), in the EURYDICE, home waters and North America, 1807 to 1808, and in the MISTLETOE.

Papers of Sir William Henry May, comprising logs, 1864 to 1873 and, for the Nares Expedition, there is a detailed weather log, a personal journal, a sledging journal and some bills of plays performed in the ALERT during the Arctic winter. There are also reports on torpedoes, 1884; the international situation, 1908 to 1909 and 1914; naval manoeuvres, 1912 to 1913; the Dardanelles Commission, 1916 to 1917 and on Reconstruction and other post-war problems, 1919.

Papers of Sir Francis Leopold Mcclintock, covering most of his service career and in particular the Arctic voyages. There are official service documents; logs, 1831 to 1848, 1857 to 1859; diaries, 1848 to 1854, 1860 to 1862, 1879 to 1882, and a letterbook, 1865. The papers relating to the Franklin search expeditions include orders issued by Austin, 1850 to 1851; a letterbook of Kellett's, 1853; papers on the expedition led by Lieutenant F Schwatka, United States Army, 1878 to 1880, and several notebooks, including those kept during the courses McClintock took between 1841 and 1842. Finally there is private correspondence which includes letters from Lady Jane Franklin (1792-1875), from many other people involved in arctic and maritime exploration and from McClintock to members of his family.

Papers of Sir Robert John Le Mesurier Mcclure, mostly commemorative of the voyage of the INVESTIGATOR, although there are a few papers relating to the Chinese War, two letters from the King of Siam and a record of service.

Papers of George Mckinley, comprising official papers for the Dutch expedition of 1799 and for the period of the Peninsular War; minutes and other documents relating to the Royal Naval Asylum, 1821 to 1830; a log of the GANGES, 1803; a draft account of the wreck of the LIVELY and many personal letters, 1789 to 1841.

Papers of Archibald Cochrane consisting of two midshipman's logs, 1890 to 1894.

Papers of Sir Edward William Campbell Rich Owen. They consist of an account, drawn up in 1825, of the mutiny at Spithead in 1797 and of documents and narrative towards a history of the Walcheren expedition of 1809. There is also a letter of Privy Seal appointing Owen Clerk of the Ordnance, 1834.

Papers of William Fitzwilliam Owen. They include a narrative of Owen's naval service, an account of the proceedings in the Cornelia and papers relating to the Africa survey and his work at Fernando Po. There are also papers concerning the settlement founded by Commander Owen, Admiral Owen's father, in Nova Scotia.

The papers for Commander Murray Thomas Parks include official service documents 1843 to 1870, but are made up mainly of papers relating to the ENTERPRISE and the Arctic expedition of 1851.

The papers for Lieutenant Abraham Parks consist of photographs; copy of a poem 'The Mate's Lament'; details of his service by his daughter-in-law and a copy of the 'Navy List' for 1859 with annotations.

The papers for Captain Murray Thomas Parks includes official service papers 1876 to 1878; letters sent home 1878 to 1890; and a midshipman's log for the INVINCIBLE and CRUISER 1881 to 1882.

Papers of Admiral Alfred Arthur Chase Parr. They include: three logbooks (HMS VICTORIA; HMS MINOTAUR and PYLADES; HMS ZEALOUS, REVENGE AND HERCULES) 1864-1872; and documents from Parr's service in the 1875-1876 Arctic Expedition, including observation records, two expedition journals recording his personal experiences, official proceedings of the Expedition and a printed chart of the Northern shores of Greenland.

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.

Papers of William Stokes Rees, including logs, 1868 to 1870 and 1872 to 1873, two workbooks, 1897, out-letterbooks, 1898 to 1901, and loose papers which relate to the expeditions in Africa, 1895 to 1897. There is also a typescript, 'Yarns from an Admiral's Reminiscences', as retold to Commander Stokes-Rees.

The fifty-nine volumes in this class are mainly official and relate to the central administration of the Navy, 1558 to 1850. They consist principally of instructions, accounts, reports, legal opinions and treatises. There are nine volumes of instructions, 1660 to 1718. Two volumes describe the duties of the Lord High Admiral, 1673; eight contain copies of the instructions to the Navy Board, 1662; six, those to the Victualling Board, 1701 and 1715 to 1718; and two, those to the Sick and Hurt Board, 1684 to 1699 and 1703. A manuscript index of official Admiralty papers compiled ca.1694 contains references to instructions and to other Admiralty correspondence. Among the financial accounts are an early Treasury account book, 1572 to 1573; a report on naval estimates, 1654; and estimate of the charge of the Navy, 1684; and estimates of the naval debt, 1712 to 1720, which details the Treasurers who held money and the amounts invested in South Sea stock. A volume of notes on the office of Treasurer of the Navy, 1650 to 1698, includes an account of permitted perquisites. Accounts relating to the Ordnance Board consist of a 'computation of the ordinary annual charge within the office of his Majesty's Ordnance', 1679; six volumes giving stores issued, received and surveyed, 1576, 1595, 1599, 1635 to 1637, 1644 to 1649 and 1650 to 1651. In addition there is a volume of papers relating to fortifications in the Thames area, 1667 to 1703; and the minutes of the Ordnance Board, 1679 to 1680. Other accounts, dealing with stores, are contained in 'The Boke of Victuellinge', 1558, which details victualling stores issued to ships at sea and in harbour, listed under their ports in a chronological order. There is a contract for victualling the navy 1677 to 1678, and statistics relating to victualling, c 1684. The reports, or volumes related to reports, have a parliamentary origin. They include one of the papers referred to in the investigation into merchant shipping losses by the Lord High Admiral to the House of Lords in 1707; the proceedings of the committee of the House of Commons, 1744, which examined naval officers on the 'miscarriage' of the Mediterranean fleet at Toulon; ten volumes contain the reports produced between 1785 and 1788 by the Commissioners 'appointed to inquire into Fees, Gratuities, Perquisites and Emoluments which are, or have been lately, received in the several public offices'. In addition, there is the appendix to the fifteenth report of the Commissioners for Revising and Digesting the Civil Affairs of the Navy on the proposal for a new eastern dockyard, 1807, which was never printed. The legal opinions consist of judges' 'arguments', 1637 to 1639, relating to the 'ship money' case. Also of a legal nature is an account of the charges against Edward Cecil, Lord Wimbledon (1572-1638), on the Cadiz expedition, 1625. The treatises include a copy, c 1630, of Captain Sir Henry Mainwaring's (1587-1653) 'Discourse' on his piratical activities and a copy, c 1615, of Soveraignty of the Seas of England' by Sir John Borough, Keeper of the Records in the Tower of London (d 1643)

Papers of Philip Ruffle Sharpe, comprising diaries, 1857-1859, and letterbooks, 1867-1870 and 1875-1877, together with official service documents and a few letters and photographs, Sharpe's own copy of The Voyage of the Rattlesnake, by John MacGillivray (London, 1852, 2 vols), and typescript extracts from an autobiography up to 1849. The letters include one from Sharpe's brother-in-law, William R Hobson, a lieutenant in the FOX, under Captain F L McClintock, describing the finding of relics of the expedition led by Sir John Franklin. There are service papers, three logs and a notebook kept by Commander Philip William Carwithen Sharpe (1884-1957), Sharpe's son, as a midshipman in the MAJESTIC, Channel, 1900 to 1901, DIANA, Mediterranean, 1901 to 1902, and ARIADNE, West Indies, 1902 to 1903. There are also a few service papers of Second Officer Mary Gertrude Sharpe, WRNS (Mrs M G Corran).

Papers of Sir Henry Frederick Stephenson. There are letterbooks for 1868 and 1880 to 1883, and a printed account of the court martial following the loss of the RATTLER. Most of the collection relates to the Arctic expedition, 1875 to 1876. It includes Stephenson's diary in three volumes, a letter-book, a book of general proceedings of the DISCOVERY, a rough survey book and a scrapbook, with letters and orders from Nares and some other loose papers. There are also printed volumes of the official reports of the expedition and of earlier arctic expeditions.

Papers of Adml John Lort Stokes. They include logs, 1837 to 1843, 1848 to 1849, 1851 and 1859 to 1863, letter-books, 1841 to 1843, 1848 to 1851 and 1860 to 1862, and correspondence, 1844 to 1858. There are no papers for the first voyage of the BEAGLE. For the second and more famous voyage, 1831 to 1836, on which Charles Darwin sailed, there are some official service documents of Stokes, some orders, notes on surveying, rough notes on navigation in South American waters and a few rough sketches. For the third voyage, 1837 to 1843, there are survey notebooks, some letters and orders, a night order book, a game book, a list of the crew, some accounts, an album of sketches and some loose sketches. The bulk of the collection relates to the voyage of the ACHERON. There is a draft narrative of the first part of the voyage, together with survey notebooks, an abstract of the ship's positions, miscellaneous letters and papers and views, sketches and rough charts. This last group comprises about 150 single items, mostly coastal views. Some of the more finished sketches can be identified as the work of William Swainson (1789-1855), Frederick John Owen Evans (1815-1885), later Hydrographer to the Admiralty, and W.J.W. Hamilton, an artist who accompanied the expedition. His sketchbook is also in the collection. Finally there are survey notebooks and a calculations book for the English Channel survey.

Papers of Thomas Henry Tizard, comprising logs, 1854 to 1867, and diaries, 1880 to 1890. A second acquisition of papers was presented by Professor Sir Peter Tizard FRCP in 1986. This consists mostly of large and small volumes, a few diaries, and official and private letters, including some correspondence re the National Antarctic Expedition and Captain R F Scott. A third acquisition of two logbooks from HMS CHALLENGER was presented by Mr R H Tizard and Professor Sir Peter Tizard in 1989.

Papers of William Wallace Walker including a letter initialled R.C.G.C., 30 Aug 1859; press cutting, n.d. about a proposed Ecuador expedition.

Papers collected by Henry Wellcome, comprising fifty volumes and loose papers. The largest group of items is of ships' logs. Those for the Navy include logs for the PRINCESS OF WALES, 1735 to 1737, and ROYAL GEORGE, 1744 to 1759; those for other merchant vessels include the log of the BENSON, on a voyage from Liverpool to Jamaica, 1782, and of the ESTHER, plying between Whitehaven, Hamburg and Virginia, 1794 to 1795. Of a less official nature is an account of the survival of three members of the crew of the EARL TEMPLE, East India Company ship, wrecked on the Cochin China coast, 1766; also the diary of Richard Joyce who served on board the gun brig RICHMOND, was captured, released and served as a midshipman with the East India Company, 1810 to 1816. Shore-based activities are represented by a 'common place book' kept by John Rolt, a chief clerk in the Navy Office, 1806 to 1809, and by the diaries kept by a member of the St Andrews Waterside Mission, Gravesend, working among the crews of merchant ships, 1887 to 1905. Related to education within the Navy are a handwritten copy of the rules and regulations to be observed by the students of the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth, 1816; lecture notes on practical navigation, c 1855; and a notebook on gunnery as taught on the EXCELLENT, 1858 to 1859. The reports include the copy of one in Spanish on an expedition against England by Spain, ca.1588; a report on the slave trade, c 1730; and another on the settlements and slave trade on the Gold Coast, c 1824. There is also a copy of landing instructions for the troops in Egypt, 1801.