Log of H.M.S. Ruby Commanded by Capt. R.M. Molyneux kept by J. De C. Hamilton Commencing Jan. 21st 1879 ending Oct. 31st 1879

James de Courcy Hamilton

Published by James de Courcy Hamilton, 1876

About this Item

Royal Navy Midshipman's Manuscript Journal or Log of a 1879 Mission From the Aegean through the Suez Canal to the East Indies.With Finely Executed Watercolor Charts and Technical Drawings.Created by teen-aged Midshipman. Folio. Full vellum, black leather spine label. Approximately 100 pages of neat manuscript entries. Handcolored title page. With 11 charts and drawings (some colored, some folding). Binding a bit rubbed and a bit of dust soil. Internally clean and nice. Armorial bookplate of Rollin Miles Warner, Jr. Royal Navy Midshipman's Manuscript Journal or Log of a 1879 Mission From the Aegean through the Suez Canal to the East Indies.With Finely Executed Watercolor Charts and Technical Drawings.Created by teen-aged Midshipman James de Courcy Hamilton (1860-1936), this neatly illustrated manuscript logbook records nine months aboard the Royal Navy composite corvette HMS Ruby under the command of Captain Robert Henry More Molyneux. The primary log entries span January 21 to October 31, 1879, tracing the vessel's strategic transit from the Eastern Mediterranean, through the newly vital Suez Canal, and onward to the Indian Ocean and the Malay Archipelago. Midshipmen s logs from this transitional era of naval history, when ships utilized both steam propulsion and full sail rigs, stand as vital records of maritime operations and naval education during the height of the British Empire.In the period covered by Midshipman Hamilton, Ruby cruised between Calcutta and Rangoon, touching at Akyab (Sittwe, in Burma) and Madras before reaching Rangoon (Yangon), where she spent the rest of the year. The daily entries cover weather conditions, sail handling and navigation, and events onboard and ashore. The entries record some interesting aspects of life in the Royal Navy. For example, the afternoon of January 30 was spent Making and mending clothes. Rifle instruction and drills were daily occurrences for the first month of Ruby s cruise and weekly thereafter. The cruise occurred in an interval between Ruby s participation in the Macedonian Rebellion of 1878 and the Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882, each day being taken up with rifle, cutlass, pistol, and landing party drills, as well as general training sessions devoted to basic seamanship. There were a few minor disciplinary actions for such offences as failure to obey orders, and on March 19 they crossed paths with Ulysses Grant, on his world cruise. Manuscripts ChartsThree course charts and a recognition view document Ruby s travel from Calcutta to Rangoon. These finely executed, pen & ink charts document the ship's operational theaters, including a detailed rendering of the Gulf of Smyrna and Mitylene in the Aegean, and a broader chart of the Eastern Archipelago detailing the Strait of Malacca, Sumatra, and Singapore. These are accompanied, at the back of the book, by drawings (some hand-colored) illustrating methods of raising a replacement bowsprit and recovering an anchor, and several interesting, detailed drawings of mechanical functions, including an illustration of A plan of lightning conductors from heel of mast for C main. All are executed with skill reflective of the training received by Royal Navy officers.Technical and Engineering DrawingsReflecting the increasing mechanization of the late-Victorian fleet, Hamilton included precise, color-coded engineering schematic diagrams. A standout full-page cross-section of a Haleys Hydraulic Jack demonstrates his mechanical aptitude and draftsmanship. The drawing is accompanied by an index of internal components and mathematical calculations of leverage and power. Such diagrams illustrate the dual nature of naval training in an era bridging traditional sail seamanship and modern steam engineering. The vellum binding bears the bookplate .

Seller Inventory # 123698

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Log of H.M.S. Ruby Commanded by Capt. R.M. Molyneux kept by J. De C. Hamilton Commencing Jan. 21st 1879 ending Oct. 31st 1879
• Publisher: James de Courcy Hamilton
• Publication Date: 1876
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: vg
• Book Type: Book
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