Beschreibung
About 170 individual items, mainly a ledger, a letter book, a log book, manuscript letters, original photographs, and a portable writing desk, with some miscellaneous family papers. Various levels of wear to bound volumes, intermittent dampstaining to letters, front cover of portable writing desk detached. Overall good to very good condition. A substantial archive of material from the seafaring life of Captain Benjamin Dyer of Massachusetts, documenting his naval activities over several decades. The letters and log books in this collection record Dyer's actions transporting American troops and supplies to Mexico during the Mexican- American War, voyages that took him to several American ports as well as to Australia and Europe, his observations on slavery and dueling in the American South, yellow fever in New York, and much more. The archive also includes scores of letters to Dyer from his family, giving insight into the life of family members at home, longing for the return of the family patriarch from his many voyages. Benjamin Dyer (1793-1871) was a sea captain from Truro, Massachusetts, near the tip of Cape Cod. This substantial collection of his papers includes his log book kept as master of the ship Eli Whitney in 1846 and 1847 (partly as a contractor in the Mexican- American War); his business letter book, 1841- 48; his business ledger, 1841-53; a file of fifty-eight letters written by him to his family from across the globe, 1818-51 (with a detailed abstract of all letters prepared by a descendant); another file of ninety-four letters sent to Dyer by his family, 1832-60; his portable writing desk; articles of agreement signed by eleven crew members for the ship Olive Branch of Salem, dated Tuesday August 18, [likely 1846]; numerous family photographs; and more. During the 1840s, the best-documented period of this collection, Captain Dyer was the master of the ships Olive Branch and Eli Whitney. His log book, covering 1846 and 1847, is of more than typical interest, having been kept during the Mexican-American War. On July 4, 1846 Dyer observed a group of British battleships headed "probably for the west coast of Ireland. Possibly Paddy may be having a scrimmage, and this ship is going to keep the peace." On July 17, 1846 he wrote, "I am not desirous to speak anyone this passage unless I am very certain he is not a Mexican privateer." While Dyer spent most of his career on merchant vessels, he took on two large cargoes of emigrant passengers from Europe to America, which he seemed to find interesting but exhausting. On July 13, 1846 en route from Havre to New York, he wrote, "The passengers having recovered from sea sickness appear in good health and spirits. This afternoon they tuned some old musical instruments and began to dance betwixt the main & mizzen masts, mostly waltzes around the after hatch, in which about 50 couples were engaged for the span of about four hours.I should think them a good mass of German emigrants, about 1/3 of them are probably Jews. I feel anxious to get them to their destination as soon as possible and have a quiet ship again." Dyer records the death of at least three small children on this voyage. On Christmas Day 1846 en route from London to New Orleans, he writes: "We have music on the guitar and singing by a French young lady, a cabbin passage, but last evening they mustered the instruments among the steerage passengers and had a regular dance among them. They seemed to enter into it with heart and soul and contrived to polka until two bells.Several of the passengers pretty much excited if not drunk." On January 6, he describes the death of one adult passenger, and the disposition of the deceased: "Committed the body of Mr. Gatz to the deep, there to remain until the sea shall give up its dead." Congressional records show that the Eli Whitney contracted in January 1847 to bring troops and supplies to the Gulf of Mexico to aid the country during the Mexican-American War. As part of this. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers WRCAM56336
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