Samuel Wallis - Log books and sketchbook kept during his voyage around the world in command of H.M.S. Dolphin, 19 June 1766-10 June 1768

fonds

19 June 1766-10 June 1768

Textual Records, Graphic Materials, Drawings

447063

Digitised

0.03 metres of textual material (2 volumes) - manuscript
Drawings

Wallis was born in 1728 near the Cornish village of Lanteglos by Camelford. He joined the navy as a midshipman, serving during the war between England and France of 1744-1749. In 1766 he was given command of H.M.S. Dolphin on a voyage to the Pacific. He sailed from Plymouth in August in company with the Swallow under the command of Philip Carteret, entering the Pacific through the Straits of Magellan in April 1767. Shortly thereafter the two ships parted, with Wallis sailing northwest through the Tuamotou Archipelago to reach Tahiti which he named King George the Third's Island. After leaving Tahiti he sailed through the main island groups of the western Pacific before reaching the Mariana Islands in August 1767. He continued to Batavia, where many of the crew died from dysentery, then via the Cape of Good Hope to England, arriving in May 1768. He was able to pass on useful information to James Cook who was due to depart on his first Pacific voyage.

The log consists of two volumes with original marbled wrappers inside a vellum cover. It is in Wallis' own hand, and appears to be the first draft of his official log which he handed to the Admiralty (Adm.55/35, PRO Reel 1579).
The first volume covers the period up to 27 July 1767 and describes his voyage from England via Madeira and Cape Verde Island to Patagonia, then through the Straits of Magellan and previously unexplored parts of the Pacific, ending with an account of his stay at Tahiti which he named King George the Third's Island. Stitched in at the end of the volume is the report of John Gore, mate of the Dolphin, on the expedition he led into the interior of Tahiti on 25 July. Also included in the volume are sketches of flying fish and 5 profiles of the Patagonian coast.
The second volume covers the period from his departure from Tahiti to his arrival back in England via Batavia and the Cape of Good Hope. At the end of the volume is a short vocabulary of the Tahitian language. On the inside of the back cover is a watercolour drawing of the ground plan and elevation of the Queen's house at Tahiti, with explanatory caption, and also in the volume is a pencil drawing of the Dolphin at Tahiti.
The sketchbook contains 20 wash drawing of a ship, presumably the Dolphin. One of the drawings is titled "in a swall off Oznaburg Island - June - 1767 - in the South Seas." Each sheet is signed in the lower right hand corner "SW 1766".

Twelve monotone wash drawings by Wallis illustrating the voyage are located at PXD 72.