Affichage de 600 résultats

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.

Five documents relate to the Ordinary, 1596 to 1638; all concern payment of the men. A similar number relate to the dockyards, 1669 to 1694; one of these is a petition signed by all the officers of the yards, asking for an advance of salary, 1694. In addition there is a letter from Thomas Wood, a mason, to the Duke of Richmond (1701-1750) petitioning him for employment in Portsmouth Dockyard, 1741. There are three documents relating to victualling, 1625, 1704 and 1755; six concern transports, dating between 1693 and 1899;seventeen relate to the Ordnance; the earliest is a group of inventories and stores for ships in 1595; and the most recent contains orders to the Storekeeper of Ordnance at Portsmouth, 1825, but in the main they are indentures and receipts. A dozen relate to manning and impressment; the earliest in this group, 1626, is an instruction to the constables for impressing mariners, signed by the Duke of Buckingham (1592-1628); the latest is an Admiralty minute relating to the mobilization of the Royal Naval Reserve, 1914. In the main the rest consist of proposals and Protections. Two documents relate to the Sea Fencibles, 1804 and 1812. Finally, seventeen documents concern the administration of naval stores; they date from 1611 to 1827, expenses for ships in the Channel Fleet, 1805.

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.

Navy Board in-letters and orders, consisting of I ,582 volumes of letters and orders to the Navy Board from the Admiralty, 1689 to 1815. 1,559 volumes contain those specifically for the Board's attention and relating to the construction and equipment of ships, dockyard affairs, appointments, the settlement of accounts and naval finance, 1689 to 1692, 1692 to 1695, 1695, 1696 to 1732, 1732 to 1737, 1737 to 1815 (class mark, ADM/A); seventeen volumes and one box contain letters to the Navy Board relating to the hire, employment and management of transports, 1741 to 1742, 1747 to 1748, 1749 to 1750, 1757 to 1759, 1763 to 1773, 1775 to 1776, 1778 to 1781, 1793 to 1797 (ADM/N, ADM/RP); four volumes contain matters relating to the work of the Inspector-General of Naval Works, 1795 to 1808 (ADM/Q); and one volume contains letters to the Office for Stores, 1783 to 1788 (ADM/P). There is one exception; one volume contains orders from the Treasury concerning transports, 1783 to 1789 (ADM/OT).

Ticket Office: in-letters and orders, consisting of 107 volumes of letters to the Ticket Office from the Admiralty Office, 1774 to 1815, relating to seamen's pay (class mark, ADM/J). (These form part of the series at the Public Record Office which holds the remainder, 1815 to 1822.) There are also sixteen volumes of abstracts of, and indexes to, Admiralty orders, 1698 to 1785 (ADM/K). Also included in this section is one volume containing pay-books for the Queen, 1694 to 1697, the Quaker ketch, 1683 to 1696, and Queenborough, 1694 to 1697.

Navy Board, Lieutenants' logs, consisting of 5,205 volumes, 1673 to 1809. In some cases captains' logs have been bound with those of lieutenants, but they are usually duplicates of those at the Public Record Office, which holds the series of captains' and masters' logs for this period and ships' logs from 1799. Some expense accounts for paper and ticket books are also bound in with the logs.

Papers of Francis William Austen, 1774-1865, they cover almost all Austen's active service from his entrance into the Royal Naval Academy, 1786, until the end of his commission as Commander-in-Chief in the West Indies, 1848, and include official log books, 1795 to 1814; letter books, 1801 to 1814, 1845 to 1848; order books, 1807 to 1813, 1829 to 1848, and loose papers, which are mainly general remarks and notes.

Diaries of Charles John Austen: a complete series of sixty-three diaries kept between 1 January 1815 and 31 December 1852.

Papers of Admiral Robert Bax, Henry Bonham Bax and Captain Bonham Ward Bax.

Papers of Henry Bonham Bax, comprising an illustrated list of buoys and light vessels owned by Bax as an Elder Brother of Trinity House.

Papers of Admiral Robert Bax, comprising a rough notebook kept in the training ship CRUISER and an annotated notebook of examination questions of the Training Squadron, 1894.

Papers of the Baynes and Nias Families:

Papers of Henry Compton Anderson Baynes inclusing official service documents, 1866 to 1901; an article on 'Armament of Battleships', undated; a letter, 1888, concerning Whitehead torpedoes; a few letters about Baynes's fishery protection work in the North Sea in the 1890s and three night order books, 1893, 1895 and 1901.

Papers of Sir Robert Lambert comprising official service documents, details of ships on the Pacific Station 1854 to 1860, an autobiographical outline of his career, 1810 to 1857, invitations to social events, and other personal papers.

Papers of Sir Joseph Nias, comprising letters and orders received, 1815 to 1867, and service papers, and eighteen letters from Sir William Parker to Nias while he was Senior Officer at Hong Kong, 1841 to 1842.

Papers of Sir Frederick George Denham Bedford including logs, 1852 to 1858; diaries, 1875 to 1879, and letters concerning the Huascar incident. There are no papers for Bedford's later career. In the Department of Pictures are six albums containing watercolours and photographs. Two of them cover his service in the SHAH, 1876 to 1878, and the third his career in the TRIUMPH, 1879.

Papers of Robert Dudley Oliver. There are three standing order books, one for Plymouth and Spithead, 1798 to 1799, probably when Oliver was Captain of the NEMESIS, and two for the MARS, 1804, 1805 to 1806. There are also two letters written by Nelson to Oliver's father-in-law, Sir Charles Saxton.

Papers of the British India Steam Navigation Company Ltd, comprising minute books: Calcutta and Burmah Steam Navigation Company Limited, 1856 to 1862; British India Steam Navigation Company Limited, 1863 to 1961. The annual reports cover the years 1865 to 1970. Accounts: ships' accounts, 1927 to 1958; general journals and ledgers, 1935 to 1959; specialized accounts for supplies, repairs and stevedoring, pay and pensions, 1938 to 1969; Calcutta office's general accounts with London, 1935 to 1955; Passage Books, 1951 to 1969, summarizing passenger carryings on the various services. British India owned a great deal of property (godowns, wharves, repair yards, office and staff accommodation) in India and elsewhere, which are documented in a register of properties, 1889 to 1965, with supporting files. Information about ships' voyages, portage accounts, etc exists only for the period 1960 to 1970. British India operated a fleet of landing craft for the Ministry of Transport and there are files and log books for these, 1966 to1970. Correspondence: letters to and from the Secretary, 1865 to 1900; files relating to mail contracts, trooping, relief expeditions, 1863 to 1962. Some confidential correspondence is included in the collection; three of Lord Inchcape's letterbooks, 1912 to 1932, and two confidential letter files, 1885 to 1893. Staff Records: records of commanders, officers, engineers, cadets and stewards, 1868 to 1957, are contained in forty volumes and there are extensive pension fund registers. Technical Records: technical files, 1958 to 1967 relate to major maintenance and repair work and new buildings. British India issued a yearly handbook containing detailed information about the fleet, the various liner services, rates of freight and passenger fares and the company 5 agents; there is a bound set, 1866 to 1939 and 1949 to 1969. Parallel with these, although more recent, are copies of the British India house magazines and news letters. There is also a file of press cuttings on the occasion of the Company's centenary in 1956.

Papers of William Hans Blake. Apart from official service documents, they refer chiefly to the latter part of his career, there being letterbooks, 1863 to 1867; diaries, 1867, 1873 to 1874 and official letters and orders from the Admiralty and senior officers. There is also a letter, 1865, of appreciation from the British residents in Valparaiso and sixty-two certificates, letters and also a journal relating to Capt Blake's career 1846-74.

Papers of David Beatty, an extensive collection covering his naval career as well as his private life.

Papers of Capt Alfred Burton, comprising letters, 1811 to 1812, 1831 to 1834, including a series of twenty-nine to his mother for the latter period.

Papers of Cuthbert Ward Burton, comprising two series of letters. The first is of eighty-four letters written by Burton to his mother during his service on the China Station, 1853 to 1858, and the second is to his family, 1859 to 1860, 1862 to 1865 and 1871 to 1873.

Papers of Capt Alfred Burton, comprising letters, 1811 to 1812, 1831 to 1834, including a series of twenty-nine to his mother for the latter period.

Papers of Cuthbert Ward Burton, comprising two series of letters. The first is of eighty-four letters written by Burton to his mother during his service on the China Station, 1853 to 1858, and the second is to his family, 1859 to 1860, 1862 to 1865 and 1871 to 1873.

Papers of Sir Willam Abdy, comprising logs, 1750 to 1753, and two combined letter and order books, 1761 to 1766. There are also copies, made by Abdy in his retirement, of despatches describing actions, 1778 to 1782 and 1793 to 1797, and of the Agamemnon's log, 1782 to 1783.

Papers of Capt Henry Caldwell, including one letter to Mary Caldwell, Henry's sister, written in 1865. Other than the papers include watch bills 1848 to 1851, 1856; a night order book, 1859 to 1862; printed papers; exercise books for the period at the Royal Naval College and remark books and notes relating to his various ships.

Papers of Sir Benjamin Caldwell comprising two collections. In the first collection consist of logs, 1768 to 1771, 1775 to 1777, 1780 to 1782, 1794 to 1795; letterbooks, 1776 to 1782, 1788, 1793 to 1795, and order books 1775 to 1783, 1788, 1794 to 1795. There is an account of the battle of the Saints. The second collection includes in-letters, 1775 to 1779, 1794 to 1795; a prize hook, 1777 to 1795; documents relating to the Agamemnon; Lord Howe? 5 signals, 1790; letters relating to the disagreements after the battle of First of June, and a personal signed copy of Rodney's defence of his conduct at St. Eustatius, 1781.

Papers of Henry Osborn comprising five logs, 1730 to 1742, and an order book, 1747 to 1757.

Papers of Philip Carteret, including logs of the Guernsey and Endymion; a letterbook, 1779 to 1780, and a large number of loose papers including letters from Byron and others and various notes on his ships and voyages. The Endymion is the only ship for which there is much material, there being but few notes about his voyages of circumnavigation. His private journals for the years 1779 to 1789 cover the period in considerable detail and there are many letters relating to the movement for the increase in half-pay. The collection includes letters from Carteret's son, Samuel, to his mother, 1794 to 1796, some written from the Expedition at Plymouth, and the remainder from the Mediterranean and the West Indies. There are also letters from his other son, Philip (later Silvester, q.v.), relating to his voyage in the Lion with Lord Macartney's Embassy to China, 1794 to 1796.

Papers of Sir Philip Carteret Silvester, comprising logs, 1792 to 1798, 1801 and 1815 to 1817, letterbooks, 1806 to 1807 and 1811 to 1814, and correspondence, 1792 to 1815, including a series from Sir Erasmus Gower (q.v.), 1792 to 1814. Finally there are papers relating to the family and records of several tours made during his retirement.

Papers of Sir Philip Carteret Silvester, comprising logs, 1792 to 1798, 1801 and 1815 to 1817, letterbooks, 1806 to 1807 and 1811 to 1814, and correspondence, 1792 to 1815, including a series from Sir Erasmus Gower, 1792 to 1814. Finally there are papers relating to the family and records of several tours made during his retirement.

The papers relating to Sir Hugh Cloberry Christian all date from 1798 when he was second in command of the Cape of Good Hope station. They include official correspondence relating mainly to the day to day running of the station but particulaly to the mutiny and subsequent Court Martial concerning the East Indiaman, PRINCESS CHARLOTTE. The papers relating to Sir Hugh's son, Hood Hanway Christian, are more extensive. Apart from an order book from 1812, when Christain was the governor of the Spanish fort at Castro, they are mostly official correspondence from the period 1824-1828. These relate to the supression of the slave trade and various disciplinary proceedings together with correspondence from the Navy Board. There is a small amount of personal correspondence including letters from Sir Richard Keats and Sir Edward Pellew.

Papers of Sir Hugh Cloberry Christian relating to his period as Commander-in Chief of the Cape of Good Hope station. They include correspondence regarding the general running of the station with the Governer of the Cape of Good Hope, George, 1st Earl Macartney, as well as letters with news on the war at home from Admiral Sir Richard Strachan, and the Controller of the Navy, Sir Andrew Snape Hamond. There is also an interesting section of letters relating to the mutiny on board the East Indiaman PRINCESS CHARLOTTE.

Records of Chine Shipping Co Ltd, containing records of all the five companies, which, at one time or another, made up the Anglo-Danubian group, although the majority relate to the Chine Shipping Company. Much of the Companies' history can be traced through agreements between them, and with the Ministry of War Transport, 1941 to 1944. The only statutory company record to survive is the Director's minute book of the Rodney Steamship Company Ltd, 1915 to 1935. Financial ledgers and accounts include: Anglo-Danubian Transport Company Ltd, 1944 to 1962; Chine Shipping Company Ltd, 1944 to 1968; the Gryfevale Steamship Company, 1929 to 1950; the Rodney Steamship Company Ltd, 1948 to 1961; the Anglo-Continental Inland Waterways Ltd, 1947 to 1951. There is a full series of general correspondence for Chine Shipping, 1961 to 1968. In addition there is a long series of records relating to Chine's ships in the 1960s. These include: accounts relating to the CHARLES DICKENS, 1961 to 1962; correspondence and accounts, MACAULAY, TENNYSON and THACKERAY, 1963 to 1968; chief officer's and chief engineer's logs for MACAULAY, 1963 to 1968, for TENNYSON, 1964 to 1968, and THACKERAY, 1964 to 1968; repair accounts for MACAULAY, 1960 to 1968, for TENNYSON, 1957 to 1968, and THACKERAY, 1958 to 1968. There are insurance records, 1958 to 1968, and general files dealing with the usual minutiae of a shipping office.

Papers of Sir Edward Codrington including logs, 1786 to 1791, 1794 to 1797, 1808 to 1813 and 1827 to 1828; an admiral's journal, 1831; official letter and order books, 1809 to 1815 and 1828 to 1848; private letterbooks, 1828 to 1848; muster books, 1808 to 1813; despatches and reports, 1801 to 1815, 1827 to 1828, and loose papers. Among these are letters to Codrington from the Duke of Clarence (later King William IV), Sir Pulteney Malcolm (q.v.), ministers, consuls, Greek government officials and various captains of the ships under Codrington's command, 1827 to 1828, and from Sir James Graham (1792-1861), in 1831. A small collection of additional material relating to Nelson and Codrington was deposited on loan by the family in 1974.

Papers of Sir Henry John Codrington including logs, 1825 to 1831, 1834 to 1835, 1839 to 1841, 1846 to 1850 and 1854 to 1856; letter and order books, 1834 to 1850, 1853 to 1856, 1858 to 1872, and loose papers, among which are personal letters from Codrington to his family, 1831 to 1855.

Papers of Sir Edward Codrington including logs, 1786 to 1791, 1794 to 1797, 1808 to 1813 and 1827 to 1828; an admiral's journal, 1831; official letter and order books, 1809 to 1815 and 1828 to 1848; private letterbooks, 1828 to 1848; muster books, 1808 to 1813; despatches and reports, 1801 to 1815, 1827 to 1828, and loose papers. Among these are letters to Codrington from the Duke of Clarence (later King William IV), Sir Pulteney Malcolm (q.v.), ministers, consuls, Greek government officials and various captains of the ships under Codrington's command, 1827 to 1828, and from Sir James Graham (1792-1861), in 1831. A small collection of additional material relating to Nelson and Codrington was deposited on loan by the family in 1974.

Papers of Sir Henry John Codrington including logs, 1825 to 1831, 1834 to 1835, 1839 to 1841, 1846 to 1850 and 1854 to 1856; letter and order books, 1834 to 1850, 1853 to 1856, 1858 to 1872, and loose papers, among which are personal letters from Codrington to his family, 1831 to 1855.

Papers of Cuthbert Collingwood, including two letterbooks containing private letters received between 1793 and 1809, the rest of the collection is composed of official letterbooks. There is one for the PRINCE and one for the EXCELLENT; ten others form part of the records for the Mediterranean command. Several, however, are clearly missing. There is an admiral's journal, 1801 to 1804, and another for the latter part of the Mediterranean command.

Papers of Sir Walter Henry Cowan containsing two logs, 1893 to 1897, an order book, 1914, and charts and photographs. There are also many semi-official letters received, 1896 to 1947, in particular from Admirals of the Fleet Viscount Cunningham (q.v.) and Sir Roger Keyes (1872-1945). There are also Cowan's letters to Admiral Sir Rudolph Bentinck (1869-1947), which were returned to Cowan; they are of a private rather than of an official nature. There are, however, some official papers relating to the Baltic campaign and a draft autobiography.

Records of the Canadian Pacific Railway Co, comprising Official Logs, 1901 to 1913, originally part of the records of the Registrar-General of Shipping and Seamen, who gave them to the company in 1970. The collection includes log books of three of the 'Empress' line, the Empress of India, the Empress of Japan and the Empress of China as well as of other company ships of the pre-First World War period. The papers are a number of printed pamphlets, time tables and short histories. (Section 3: CPR/: 3ft: 91cm)

Papers of Cairn Line Of Steamships Limited including minutes and related records of the Cairn Line and associated companies from 1891; annual reports and balance sheets, 1893-1971, copies of annual returns, 1909-1972; registers of shareholders, 1892-1964; records of ships' movements, 1908-51; officers' records of service, c 1939-69; and papers relating to the offer made in 1967 by Furness Withy and Co Ltd for Cairn Line stock. There are also some papers of the "K" Steamship Co Ltd, including balance sheets and profit and loss accounts, 1920-75.

Papers of Captain Hubert Edward Dannreuther including papers relating to gunnery matters as well as order books, photos, letters and diaries.

Papers of Devitt and Moore. Those relating to vessels owned, chartered and loaded by the company include: copies of registers of vessels, 1859 to 1897; voyage books, 1883-1917; lists of sailing ships and steamers loaded by Devitt and Moore, 1836 to 1926 and F Green and Co, 1839 to 1918; a log book of the Port Jackson, 1908 to 1909; the log books of the Medway, 1912 to 1913, 1915 to 1916 and one log book of the St George, 1920 to 1921. The business records include: ledgers, 1903 to 1907, 1914 to 1921; cash books and journals, 1910 to 1914 and letterbooks, 1911, 1916 to 1920. the records relating to officers and cadets include lists of ship's officers and cadets, 1864 to 1916; registers of apprentices 1868 to 1899, 1902 to 1903, 1906 to 1917; and registers of midshipmen, 1897 to 1917. In addition there are three volumes of newspaper clippings, 1904 to 1918, note books, miscellaneous correspondence and papers relating to the history of the company, plans of vessels, photographs and sailing schedules.

Papers of Revd John De Vitre consisting of letters and drafts of letters concerning his service but most of the collection is concerned with his family, which originated in Canada with Mathew Theodosius, Marquis de Vitre (d.1771) and his son John Denys de Vitre, who entered the Royal Navy in 1771. There is a mathematical work book belonging to the latter.

Papers of Sir James Whitley Deans Dundas, consisting of bound volumes of official and private correspondence for Dundas's Mediterranean command, 1851 to 1854. There are also letters, reports and memoranda of diplomatic importance in this period.

Papers of Joseph Stafford Dare, consisting of fifty-five certificates of discharge, 1883 to 1901, showing a complete record of his service. There are also testimonials and indentures, diaries, 1885 to 1888, 1898 to 1901, and a notebook of cargoes, loaded and unloaded, in the Athenian, 1900. Collections of pictures and printed books were presented at the same time.

Papers relating to HMS Dryad consisting mainly of manuscripts relating to the education of naval officers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It includes a 'Plan of Learning' executed by a student at the Royal Academy, Portsmouth, in 1754; the order book of the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth containing Admiralty and internal orders, 1839 to 1855; the regulations of the College, 1869, also with officers' signatures; and papers including a report on the sanitary conditions in the College, 1889 to 1890. There are also five notebooks, 1763, c 1770, 1812 and c 1850, kept by naval officers under training, containing navigational notes and calculations; and a small volume containing in question-and-answer form the information required for the Master's examination for the Channel, 1780. Other volumes and documents include: the illustrated log of the BOMBAY, 1864 to 1865, NARCISSUS, 1865 to 1868, BEACON, 1868 to 1869, and GREYHOUND, 1869, kept by Midshipman G E Morrison (fl 1864-76); the record of the BOMBAY includes an account of the loss of the ship by fire. The journal of the SYLVIA, 1876 to 1878, was kept by Sub-Lieutenant Edward Helby (fl 1869-1899) while the ship was surveying in the Korean archipelago and includes descriptions of the area. In addition there are some letters of Lord Kelvin (1824-1907) with reports on a device for taking soundings through a ship's hull, 1905 to 1908; and towing time tables for the sections of Mulberry harbours, 1944.

Papers of Eastern and Australian Steamship Co Ltd, containing a copy of the 1873 mail contract with the Government of Queensland: the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the third company (1894) and some early account books, 1894 to 1898. Later accounting records include company returns, 1920 to 1969, and there are minutes of Board meetings, 1906 to 1969. Included in the tonnage data, 1948 to 1969, are the contract and hull specification for the ARAFURA, 1952 to 1953.

Papers of Sir Gilbert Elliot; content is mainly official and consists of account rolls of the Treasurer of the Chambers, 1762 to 1770, and an account made as Treasurer of the Navy, 1776 to 1777. There are some miscellaneous papers and a few letters, some personal and some official, relating to the settlement of Elliot's naval accounts.

Papers of Sir William Wordsworth Fisher. This small collection of memoranda and letters, 1912 to 1936, consists of Fisher's ideas and opinions on policy rather than of material closely related to his career. The subjects covered include First World War operations, antisubmarine warfare, the Disarmament Conference, 1929 to 1930, comments on Invergordon, 1931, and papers concerning relations with Egypt and the Fleet in the Eastern Mediterranean, 1919 to 1922, and in 1936.

Papers of Rev George Fisher. The earliest items are two books of mathematical theorems, 1811 and 1813. There are volumes of notes and observations for both Fisher's Arctic voyages and for his period in the Mediterranean, accounts of later scientific work and abstracts of observations made by other scientists. This is the material which formed the basis of the scientific papers which he published in the Philosophical Transactions and elsewhere. There are letterbooks for Greenwich Hospital School from 1836 to 1863 (excepting the years 1858, 1859 and 1860) and other reports and papers relating to the School There are a number of items collected by Fisher The most important are Peter Puget's journal for March to May 1793 in the Chatham, storeship for Vancouver's expedition; a meteorological log also giving details of ship arrivals and departures at Madras, 1815 to 1816; Franklin's (q.v.) lunar observations on board the Trent in 1818 and Parry's (1790-1855) meteorological journal on his first two voyages in search of the North-West Passage in 1819 to 1820 and 1821 to 1823.

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 John Fraser, consisting of letters about his paintings and family matters, 1893 to 1927.

Papers of Sir Eric John Arthur Fullerton. They are mostly personal letters written between 1901 and 1955 to both Sir Eric and Lady Fullerton; the correspondents include Admirals Lord Fisher, Sir William Wordsworth Fisher, Sir William Goodenough, Lord Jellicoe (1859-1935), Earl Beatty (1871-1936), Sir John de Robeck (1862-1928), the Rt Hon W C Bridgeman and Captain Godfrey-Faussett, the King's Equerry (1896-1970). In addition, there are some letters received by Lord Fisher, including those from Lord Balfour (1848-1930) and Lord Charles Beresford (1848-1930).

Records of Furness Withy and Co Ltd. For the parent company the records in the Museum include: ship files from the Naval Architect's Department, 1941 to 1961; building and service files from the Superintendent's Department, 1947 to 1964; movement books, 1946 to 1966; Charter Parties arranged by the Charter Department, 1917 to 1965; financial records, including wages and salaries, 1911 to 1958; one volume of commission accounts (mainly North American berths and the Danube), 1896 to 1952. There are papers for the three companies concerned in the South American trade: the Argentine Cargo Line Limited, minutes, 1908 to 1918; freight agreements, mainly 1908 to 1910 and printed reports, 1909 to 1917; the British and Argentine Steam Navigation Co Ltd, minutes, 1911 to 1934; meat contracts, 1914 to 1915; Furness-Houlder Argentine Lines, freight agreements (including Brazilian fruit and meat), 1914 to 1921; balance sheets and profit and loss accounts, 1940 to 1946. For the Prince Line (including the Rio Cape Line) there are reports of meetings, 1921 to 1949; files on oil prices and contracts, 1953 to 1958; and some notes on the Far East-U.S.A. Conference, 1919 to 1968. There are also the following records for other subsidiary companies: River Syndicate Ltd, minutes and accounts, 1920 to 1968; Compagnie Furness (France), accounts, 1923 to 1939; Furness (Montreal) Ltd, minutes, 1954 to 1964; Watson and Youell, cashbook for London, Bucharest and Galatz, 1919 to 1923. (Section 3: FWS/: 36ft: 1,097cm) Ships' Plans: the plans were presented in 1970. They consist mostly of prints of details of a few ships of the late 1940s and early 1950s. There are also two data books.

The manuscripts in the collection consist of fifty-two letters written by thirty-seven scientists. They are arranged alphabetically by writer and date between 1677 and 1873. Among those which discuss scientific projects and topics is a letter, written in 1772, from Edward Bancroft (1744-1821) to Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820) about preserving ships' timbers from the ravages of 'aquatic worms'. Another, 1823, from Sir John Herschel (q.v.) to Pierre Simon, Marquis de la Place (1749-1827) is concerned with Sir William Herschel's discovery of the distances and position of the double stars and the series of experiments, using binary systems, carried out by Sir John to verify the discovery. Astronomy is again the subject of a letter of 1854 from Sir George Airy (1801-1892) to Urbain Le Verrier (1811-1877) on the arrangement of an apparatus for the galvanic register of observations, simultaneously at Greenwich and Paris, for the determination of longitude. The majority of documents in this collection have, however, been collected for their autograph value. Other than the prominent scientists mentioned above, the letters include those by William Brouncker (1620-1684), 1677 and 1685; John Flamstead (1646-1719), 1695 and 1703; Nevile Maskelyne (1732-1811), 1784; Joseph Priestly (1733-1804), 1772; William Scoresby (1789-1857), 1827 and Michael Faraday (1791-1867), 1857.

Papers of Sir Francis Geary, consisting of letter and order books, 1757 to 1762, and 1769 to 1771.

Papers of Sir William Graham Greene. They form a substantial collection of notes, letters, reports, and government papers concerning Greene's work and interests. Those relating to his own career range between 1913 and 1936, of which the large section of letters and memoranda written during the First World War include drafts to Lloyd George and Churchill. There are letters and articles on Lord Alfred Douglas' (1870-1945) libel suit against the Morning Post, 1923, and on the sinking of the Lusitania 1915. On post-war technical subjects there are letters from Sir James Thursfield and Sir Eustace Tennyson D'Eyncourt and on historial topics from Sir Oswyn Murray (1873-1936) and Lord William Cecil (1854-1943). Among the extracts, notes and printed papers on naval administration are lists of naval officials, dating back to the ninth century, notes on the battle of Trafalgar and on the Seven Years War.