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The HM Sloop Penguin collection contains watercolor illustrations, photographs, a crew member's letter, and a journal, all related to the British cruiser that was sunk by the American Navy, just after the end of the War of 1812.

The HM Sloop Penguin collection consists of 4 watercolor illustrations, 2 photographs, 1 letter, and one journal.

The Watercolor illustrations series contains four scenic views, presumably of St. Helena or Tristan da Acunha, tall ships in a small harbor, two distinct land masses, and a small settlement with fortifications.

The letter, dated February 18, 1815, is from a HM Sloop Penguin crew-member, writing to his sister, Mrs. Samuel Trigge, in Chelsea, England. The letter recounts many of the Penguin's movements as they search for an American privateer that had recently captured an English ship. The letter describes the Penguin's upcoming trip, which they did not complete, from the Cape of Good Hope to St. Helena, then on to the Island of Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, and finally back to the Cape of Good Hope. The letter describes the author's employment prospects and the possibility of returning to England, as well as his observations of life at the Cape of Good Hope.

The photographs are reproductions of a silhouette of a military man, presumably James Dickinson, and of a fine pen and ink drawing of a ship in a storm.

The journal has a monogram on the spine reading "S B." The volume's 81 pages (148 blank pages) document the Penguin's voyages from August 17, 1814-March 22, 1815. The author dutifully noted wind and weather conditions and often included important events on the ship and ashore. The journal's daily entries vary from a few lines to an entire page, and ends on March 22, just one day before the Penguin's capture.

The Schooner Dart Journal documents the voyage of an American privateering vessel under the command of Master Thorndike Symonds from July 16, 1812, to August 8, 1812. The schooner departed from Salem, Massachusetts, and stopped at Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia, before ranging along the Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts coasts in search of British prizes. The journal's author notes wind and weather conditions, places passed, and encounters with other ships, which were principally American privateers, merchant vessels, and fishermen.

• Nancy out of Portsmouth, New Hampshire
• Wild Robin out of Boston, Massachusetts
• Regulator out of Salem, Massachusetts

Notes about the various ships' homeports and purposes provide insight into the maritime activity in the region. On July 23, three crewmembers from the Dart were placed aboard the brig George. On July 25, upon encountering the schooner Five Sisters, previously captured by the Maidstone, the Dart took on her prize master and prisoners and sent aboard a new prize master and three crewmembers to take the captured vessel to Salem. The entry for July 25 also notes that the Regulator captured a fishing schooner within sight of the Dart, but the Maidstone had already taken it. News about English cruisers driving ashore American privateers in the region of St. Andrews was recorded on July 30.

The journal's passages also illuminate some of privateers' daily operations, including brief comments on food and drink, examining ships' paperwork, taking stock of water and arms onboard, and hiring pilots to aid navigation.

Thorndike Symonds signed the final page of the journal on August 12, 1812, swearing before Salem's collector William W. Oliver that it was a "full, just and true account of all the transactions on board said privateer during her late Cruise."

A note written on March 22, 1895, by A. F. Hitchings, Deputy Collector, appears on the last page, stating the Dart's tonnage, Thorndike Symonds' command, and the schooner's owners. Hitchings' stamp also appears on the front cover.