A Tour of Duty in the Pacific Northwest aboard the H.M.S Sparrowhawk, 1865-1868. Edited and annotated by Dwight L. Smith.

{[Northwest History] Porcher, E. A.

Published by University of Alaska Press, 2000

About this Item

A Very Goo plus copy with a small water stain to the heel of the binding in a Fine dust jacket. Porcher's journal reveals a man who strived to do his duty by the lights of the British Empire. That duty took Porcher to Esquimalt, Royal Navy headquarters for the Pacific, by way of a seven-month transit from England around South America, to Hawaii, and finally to British Columbia. Fortunately, the dutiful navy officer was also an enthusiastic tourist; we have not only his words to recount what he saw, but also a remarkable array of sensitive and skillfully rendered watercolors. His paintings captured people and places, totems and tombs, scenes and ships. The posting of his sail/steam vessel Sparrowhawk in Esquimalt was full of adventures for captain and crew typical of the time and place; she carried mail to San Francisco, bore the governor north for the ceremonial transfer of Alaska from Russia to the U.S., rescued crews of wrecked vessels, and went on the alert to thwart a Fenian threat. Seller Inventory # 26178

Bibliographic Details

Title: A Tour of Duty in the Pacific Northwest ...

Publisher: University of Alaska Press

Publication Date: 2000

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Dust Jacket Condition: Fine

Edition: 1st Edition