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These two bound volumes chronicle the sailing voyages and agricultural exploits of Albert Henry Kingman of Keene, New Hampshire. Sailing from Boston to New Orleans and back in 1856, Kingman described shipboard life and provided observations of antebellum New Orleans. Following his return to New Hampshire, the diaries follow his life as a farmer.

These two bound volumes (marked "volume 3" and "volume 4") chronicle the sailing voyages and agricultural exploits of Albert Henry Kingman of Keene, New Hampshire. Sailing from Boston to New Orleans and back in 1856, Kingman described shipboard life and provided observations of antebellum New Orleans. Following his return to New Hampshire, the diaries follow his life as a farmer.

The first volume begins mid-November 1856 and concludes mid-November 1857. He described his efforts to secure work on a sea-going vessel. While in Boston, he attended services at Trinity Church and Tremont Temple. He eventually secured passage, with the assistance of his uncle, as a cook's mate onboard the Milton from Boston, Massachusetts, to New Orleans, Louisiana, by way of Cuba. While at sea, Kingman detailed life aboard ship including the weather, especially the chronic lack of wind, which affected the Milton a sailing vessel. He also commented on marine life, ocean geography, and sightings of other vessels. Notable events included the addition of a hammock ("dream bag") to his cabin, hunting of dolphins, and sighting St. Elmo's fire. He also recorded the date of the inauguration of James Buchanan as President of the United States.

Arriving in March 1856, Kingman discussed homes and sugar plantations along the Mississippi River, and the tugboats towing the Milton to New Orleans. During his sojourn ashore, Kingman noted the architecture of Jackson Square and focused several entries on slavery in the city, including comments on fugitive slave advertisements and witnessing a slave auction. Kingman also discussed local news, such as fires, crime, and prices of goods. After a month in New Orleans, Kingman returned with the Milton to Boston. Kingman returned home to Keene, New Hampshire, to work on the family farm.

The second volume reveals Kingman's life as a farmer from late November 1857 to early June 1859. Most entries include details regarding livestock and tending to crops; however, he also included family news and mentions of social gatherings. He sang in the Congregational Church choir and attended Sunday School. He participated in a debate society for a time, was smitten with several different young women, and discovered a talent for marksmanship. Other topics include local politics, a hot air balloon ascension, and the completion of the transatlantic telegraph cable. Throughout both diaries, Kingman provided notes on various books he read.

This collection contains a letter, journal, and sketchbook belonging to Midshipman Edwin Osgood Carnes, who sailed along the South American coast and to Japan with the United States Navy in the early 1850s. The letter, from a friend in San Francisco, California, describes the author's financial situation and recent employment history.

This collection contains a letter, a journal, and a sketchbook belonging to Midshipman Edwin Osgood Carnes, pertaining to his service in the United States Navy in the early 1850s.

The letter, signed "Bill H." and dated April 6, 1853, is three pages long and describes the author's financial situation and "real California life" in San Francisco. Bill mentioned his recent employment at a quartz mine and brickyard, and went into detail about his finances, offering Carnes the use of his bank account after the sailor's return to California.

The journal (71 pages), kept by Edwin Osgood Carnes between 1850 and 1851, chronicles his service on the USS Falmouth (January 4, 1850-May 24, 1850, pp.1-24) and on the United States Store Ship Fredonia (May 25, 1850-January 18, 1851, pp. 31-68); he also intended to keep a journal of his time on board the USS Porpoise, beginning in June 1853, but wrote no entries following the emph page (pp. 69-71). Carnes kept a daily chart of wind type, speed, and direction; weather conditions; and barometric readings, applying a personal set of abbreviations to the wind and weather. Entries from his time on the Fredonia also track the ship's daily latitude and longitude. The Falmouth, commanded by Thomas Petigree, left San Francisco on January 4, 1850, and traveled along the western coasts of the United States and Mexico, stopping at several islands along the way. Occasional notes record encounters with other ships, most frequently English or American vessels, and on one occasion the ship "Saluted the Mexican flag with 21 guns. It was returned" (March 4, 1850). Carnes was reassigned to the Fredonia on May 24, 1850; the ship sailed around Cape Horn to the Atlantic Ocean and north to Sandy Hook, New Jersey. During this journey, Carnes mentioned observing the national salutes celebrating the Chilean Independence Day (September 18, 1850) and lowering the Fredonia's flags to half-mast to honor deceased President Zachary Taylor (September 25, 1850). He included several illustrations of scenery, naval personnel, and the logo of the Porpoise for its 1853 surveying and exploring expedition.

The sketchbook contains 8 drawings, primarily in pencil, portraying several islands near Japan, a naval officer, and "a patent 'quick working,' 'time saving' steam sextant." For lists of illustrations in the journal and sketchbook, see "Additional Descriptive Data" below.

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 T. C. Connor journal contains daily entries about Connor's activities in New York and in Newark, New Jersey; political commentary; and an account of Connor's voyage to Cartagena, Colombia, from November 1825-July 1826. While at sea, he composed poetry about homesickness and natural phenomena.

The T. C. Connor journal (8" x 12.5") contains daily entries about Connor's activities in New York and in Newark, New Jersey; political commentary; and an account of Connor's voyage to Cartagena, Colombia, from October 1825-July 1826.

The cover reads "Connor's Journal," and a newspaper clipping about "Flags of the South American States" is attached to the volume's inside front cover. Connor began writing in the book on January 1, 1825, while in New York City. He reported the weather conditions, wind direction and, occasionally, his activities, which included frequent visits to friends and to the Colombian consul in the United States. He mentioned his work drawing up bills of lading for the schooner Tobacco Plant and joined the ship's crew for ceremonies celebrating its maiden voyage (January 5, 1825). Throughout early 1825, Connor traveled regularly between New York and "New Ark," and some of his entries from the period have lengthy writings about political and religious topics, such as Christian Universalism (January 23, 1825); St. Patrick's Day, Irish nationalism, and other contemporary independence movements (March 17, 1825); South American politics (June 2, 1825); relationships between European countries and the Americas (June 2, 1825); and the Greek War of Independence (June 5, 1825). Other topics include the 1825 presidential vote in the House of Representatives (February 15, 1825) and George Washington (July 4, 1825). Some references to Connor's acquaintances are made in a pictographic code.

Though Connor lost the journal during a visit to New York in October 1825, he later recovered the book, in which he described his voyage to Cartagena, Colombia, on the Tampico between November 21, 1825, and July 8, 1826. After leaving New York, he made daily notes about the weather conditions and waves and recorded the ship's position. While traveling, he composed 26 poems, usually pertaining to being away from home or marine life. The Tampico arrived at Cartagena on December 7, 1825, and Connor temporarily stopped keeping his journal between December 12, 1825, when he described the city, and June 18, 1826, when the Tampico embarked for the United States. His entry of June 27, 1826, has a map of the area around Acklins, in the Bahamas. After arriving at Staten Island on July 8, 1826, Connor wrote far less frequently. He mentioned trips to Cartagena, northern New York, and Niagara falls. The final entry is his announcement of the birth of Catherine Maria Connor on February 12, 1833.

• Colored pencil drawing of a "Colombian officer on the return from Peru 1820"
• Ink drawing of a "Colimbian Soldier from Peru" [sic]
• Ink portrait of "Capt. Wilkinson, of the Venezuela's" [sic]

The Thomas G. Monroe log book (162 pages) contains daily entries about the voyage of the Nile from New York to Canton, China, and back in 1831 and 1832. The log book also contains records regarding the voyage of the Charles Wharton along the Atlantic Coast and from New Orleans to Liverpool, England, and back to Philadelphia in 1832.

The Thomas G. Monroe log book (162 pages) contains daily entries about the voyage of the Nile from New York to Canton, China, and back in 1831 and 1832. The log book also contains records regarding the voyage of the Charles Wharton along the Atlantic Coast and from New Orleans to Liverpool and back to Philadelphia in 1832.

The Nile log (119 pages) contains daily entries from April 13, 1831-August 7, 1831, and November 11, 1831-March 13, 1832, covering the ship's voyage from New York to Canton, China, and back to New York by way of the Cape of Good Hope. Between August 7 and November 11, 1831, the Nile was in port at Canton. Monroe recorded information about winds and weather conditions and the ship's course and position. Most entries contain latitude measurements, and entries made after December 7, 1832, also include reckonings of longitude. Thrice-daily remarks usually pertain to weather conditions and sails. Monroe sometimes noted the names of islands the Nile passed, and on one occasion he briefly mentioned the crew's preparations for possible encounters with "Malay pirates" (July 20, 1831). While in Canton, the Nile's crew repaired the ship, discharged tobacco and dry goods, and took on pepper, beef, and provisions. During the return voyage to New York, Monroe noted the number of days since the ship had sailed from Canton and, later, the Cape of Good Hope. Mathematical calculations of the average distance between observed positions of the sun and moon appear in entries dated February 5, 1832, and February 6, 1832. An account for flour New York merchant J. Thomas received from the ship Ohio is laid into this volume. The Nile log is preceded by a partially colored drawing of a building decorated with Masonic symbols.

The second part of the volume is the log of the Charles Wharton (43 pages), captained by Samuel Yorke, and pertains to the ship's travels along the Atlantic Coast (May 26, 1832-June 7, 1832) and its journey from New Orleans to Liverpool and back to Philadelphia (July 14, 1832-October 11, 1832). Monroe's daily entries cover events while the ship sailed along the Delaware River, and include charts of the ship's course, winds, and location via latitude and longitude. Additional remarks concern weather conditions and the use of sails. The second group of entries, recorded during the Charles Wharton's transatlantic voyage, sometimes concerns the activities of the ship's carpenter and signals exchanged with other ships. The Charles Wharton docked at Liverpool in August and September 1832; Monroe resumed the log for part of the voyage back to the United States.

Poems and other inscriptions are written on the volume's endpapers and on some of its first pages. The book also includes a list of ships and captains. A partial letter written in New Orleans on November 19, 1833, is laid into the volume.