This volume contains logs for the United States Navy ships Constellation (December 1825-April 1827) and John Adams (July 1827-October 1827), kept by Alexander Hamilton Marbury. Martha Louisa Marbury contributed a list of musical definitions and a lengthy essay on Greek and Roman history and mythology. Most pages bear traces of plants once laid between the leaves.
The bulk of the volume consists of the log of the ship Constellation from December 1, 1825-April 28, 1827, during its service in the Caribbean Sea under the command of Melancthon Taylor Woolsey and, after mid-February 1827, under Commodore Charles G. Ridgely. Alexander Hamilton Marbury wrote daily entries about the ship's movements, the use of sails, encounters with other vessels, and daily occurrences onboard and in port. While at sea, Marbury included hourly charts of wind direction and the ship's course. The Constellation sailed primarily between the ports of Port Comfort, Havana, Pensacola, Matanzas, and Newark. The log of the John Adams, which contains similar entries, pertains to the ship's Caribbean and Atlantic service under Edward R. Shubrick between July 27, 1827, and October 16, 1827. The ship sailed from and returned to Pensacola; the final entries refer to a trip to Virginia.
The final part of the volume is in the handwriting of Martha Louisa Marbury, who lived in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. She copied a list of Italian musical terms and definitions (2 pages) and wrote a lengthy essay about Greek and Roman history and mythology (28 pages). Some parts of the later essay pages have been removed from the volume.
Alexander Hamilton Marbury (1807-1843) and Martha Louisa Marbury (1812-1894) were the children of William Marbury (1762-1835) and Ann Odle Brewer (1770-1847). The Marbury family lived in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Alexander Hamilton Marbury served in the United States Navy in the late 1820s.
The United States frigate Constellation was built in Baltimore, Maryland, and launched on September 7, 1797. The ship participated in battles in the Caribbean Sea during the Quasi-War with France, served in the Mediterranean region under John Rodgers from 1802-1805, and was stationed off of the Virginia coast during the War of 1812. Later, the ship helped protect American interests in Asia during the Opium War. The ship was broken up in 1853.
The United States frigate John Adams was built near Charleston, South Carolina, and launched on June 5, 1799. The ship served in the Caribbean Sea during the Quasi-War with France and then in the Mediterranean region, where it remained until 1805. During the latter part of the War of 1812, the John Adams ferried peace commissioners and dispatches between the United States and Europe. The ship later served in the Caribbean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean before returning to the Mediterranean Sea in 1831. After a trip around the world lasting from 1838-1840, the John Adams lay in port until it was re-commissioned for service during the Mexican-American War. During the Civil war, the John Adams was a training ship in Newport, Rhode Island, and participated in a blockade off of the coast of South Carolina. The United States Navy sold the ship in 1867.