Transport and Communication

The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were a period of great exploration and expansion, facilitated by improvements in both transportation and communication.

Shipping had for centuries been the main mode of covering long distances, and continued to be the most efficient option for overseas trade and the carrying of passengers and cargo. China, America and the Pacific contains a number of ship’s logs chronicling voyages all over the globe, including many round-the-world trips. Highlights include The Voyage Round the World on Board the Ship Columbia Rediviva and Sloop Lady Washington, 1787-1789 and the Log of the Eliza. Journals written by passengers provide an insight into how ocean journeys were made and the difficulties they entailed, both in terms of logistics and comfort. The John I Stickney Diary and Certificate: 1836-1850 (bulk 1849-1850) relates a voyage from the east coast of America to San Francisco, round the perilous Cape Horn. Another example is the Andrew Smith Halide Diary, Jan-May 1852, which covers a route from Liverpool to San Francisco via the Caribbean.

Title	Date	Document Type	Author / Creator

Title	Date	Document Type	Author / Creator
Account of the Russian Discoveries Between Asia and America: to Which Are Added, the Conquest of Siberia, and the History of the Transactions and Commerce Between Russia and China	1787	Printed Book	Coxe, William
Account of the Wreck of the Clipper Ship Viking	1902-1968	Journal, Correspondence
Andrew Smith Halide Diary, Jan-May 1852	Jan - May 1852	Journal, Manuscript	Halide, Andrew Smith
Appeal Against the Railway Being Carried Across the Selkirk Range	1885	Pamphlet, Printed Book	Veritas, Philo
Bowles's New Pocket Map…	1780	Map	Imperatorskaia akademiia nauk
British Columbia: Farms, Fisheries, Forests, Mines	1890	Pamphlet
Canadian Pacific Orient	c. 1925	Print, Painting	Maurice
Canadian Pacific Railway and its Assailants	1882	Pamphlet	Mohawk
Canadian Pacific Railway Ticket Holder	c. 1900	Ephemera	Canadian Pacific Railway Company
Canadian Pacific Steamships Agent's Stubs	1928	Ephemera
The Canadian Pacific: the New Highway to the East Across the Mountains, Prairies and Rivers of Canada	1887	Pamphlet, Printed Book
A Chart of the Discoveries of Captains Ross, Parry and Franklin…	1828	Map	Hewitt, N R
Chart of the North West Coast of American and the North East Coast of Asia	1784-1808	Map	Roberts, Henry
A Chart of the China Sea and Philippine Islands…	1794	Map	Carr, Robert
China in 15 Days	1914	Pamphlet
China, 1758	1758	Map	Jeffreys, Thomas
The Chinese Commercial Guide, containing Treaties, Tariffs, Regulations, Tables, etc., Useful in the Trade to China and Eastern Asia; with an Appendix of Sailing Directions for those Seas and Coasts	1863	Printed Book	Williams, S Wells
Chinese Immigrants or 'Coolies' Arriving in San Francisco to Work on the Transcontinental Railroad	c. 1860	Painting
Clipper Ships and the China Trade	c.1860	Manuscript	Cary, Thomas G
Clippings from the California Press in regard to Steam Across the Pacific, from March to November 1860	Mar 1860-Oct 1860	Printed Book, Clipping
A Correct Chart of the China Seas…	1777	Map	Herbert, William
Correspondence and Account Documents from The Alaska Commercial Company, 1897. Folder I	1897	Manuscript, Correspondence
Correspondence and Account Documents from The Alaska Commercial Company, 1897. Folder II	1897	Manuscript, Correspondence
Correspondence and Legal Papers	1728-1781	Correspondence, Manuscript, Business Records, Shipping Papers
Correspondence between Robert Bennet Forbes and A T Perkins and other documents	1847-1878	Correspondence, Manuscript, Business Records
Dashing Wave Clipper Ship off Boston Light	1855	Painting	Bradford, William
Deack Passengers' on a Ship	May 1884	Illustration
Dominion of Canada and the Canadian Pacific Railway	1874	Pamphlet, Printed Book	Wilson, William
Empress of Asia Ephemera	1916-1926	Ephemera, Correspondence	Canadian Pacific Railway Company
Envelopes Accompanying Dorr Family Correspondence	1885-1886	Ephemera
The Frigate USS Essex	c. 1800	Painting	Howard, Joseph
General Map of the North Pacific States and Territories...	1865	Map	Mullan, John
Great Land-Slides on the Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia	1898	Pamphlet	Stanton, Robert B
Group Portrait of People at a Train Station	1916	Photograph	Jue, Frank
A Holiday Trip: Montreal to Victoria and Return via the Canadian Pacific Railway	1888	Pamphlet, Printed Book
John I Stickney Diary and Certificate: 1836-1850 (bulk 1849-1850)	1836-1850	Journal, Manuscript	Stickney, John I
Journal of Charlotte (Coffin) Wyer	16 Mar 1853 - 13 Jun 1853	Journal, Correspondence
Journal of James Bancker on Return Voyage From China	30 Jan 1849	Manuscript, Journal
Letter from James Bancker at Sea to His Father Charles Nicoll Bancker	2 Mar 1849	Manuscript, Correspondence
Letter from James Bancker in China to His Father Charles Nicoll Bancker	26 Oct 1848	Manuscript, Correspondence
Letter of Benjamin Cartwright to Charles W Pitman	8 Jun 1848 - 1 Nov 1876	Journal, Correspondence
Letters and Documents to Robert Bennet Forbes and Others on the Subject of a New Lifeboat	1876	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters from Admiral David Porter to Robert Bennet Forbes	1871-1878	Correspondence, Manuscript	Porter, Admiral, David
Letters from Captain Louis M Goldsborough to Robert Bennet Forbes	1851-1879	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters from Commander Charles S Morris to Robert Bennet Forbes	1845-1855	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters from Commander Daniel Ammen to Robert Bennet Forbes	1857-1880	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters from D N Ingraham, Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance, to Robert Bennet Forbes	1856-1859	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters from Daniel Davis to Harriet Davis, 1849-1853	1793-1941	Correspondence, Manuscript	Davis, Daniel
Letters from John Ericsson to Robert Bennet Forbes	1875-1876	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters from Lieutenant John A Dahlgren, US Navy, later Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance, to Robert Bennet Forbes	1855-1862	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters from Lieutenant Matthew F Maury to Robert Bennet Forbes	1848-1857	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Boston to Paul Siemen Forbes	1858	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Boston to Paul Siemen Forbes	1861	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Boston to Paul Siemen Forbes	1857	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Boston to Paul Siemen Forbes	1859	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Boston to Paul Siemen Forbes	1855	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to Various Business Associates and Ship Captains	1862-1863	Correspondence, Journal, Manuscript
Letters from Various Naval Officers to Robert Bennet Forbes	1836-1884	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters of Samuel Francis Du Pont	1859	Manuscript
Letters of Samuel Francis Du Pont	Jan - Jun 1858	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters of Samuel Francis Du Pont	1859	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters of Samuel Francis Du Pont	1 Jul 1857 - 30 Dec 1857	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters of Samuel Francis Du Pont	Jul - Dec 1858	Manuscript
Letters related to the U.S.S. Guerriere	1870-1871	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters to Robert Bennet Forbes	1843-1880	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters to Robert Bennet Forbes	1864-1881	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters to Robert Bennet Forbes about Safety at Sea	1870-1880	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters to Robert Bennet Forbes about Safety at Sea	1845-1880	Correspondence, Manuscript
Letters to Robert Bennet Forbes from Samuel H Pook and Naval Officers	1851-1881	Correspondence, Manuscript
A List of Persons from Nantucket Now in California, or on Their Way Thither…	1850	Printed Book
Log Kept by James Chever	1816-1817	Logbook	Chever, James
Log of the Bark Lydia	10 Mar 1801 - 06 Mar 1802	Logbook, Manuscript	Haswell, William
Log of the Belisarius	Sep 1798 - Jan 1799	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the Bengal	Aug 1827 - Dec 1827	Logbook, Manuscript	Kinsman, Nathaniel
Log of the Bengal	Mar 1832 - Feb 1835	Logbook, Manuscript	Silver, William
Log of the Bengal	Dec 1827 - Nov 1828	Logbook, Manuscript	Kinsman, Nathaniel
Log of the Bengal	Mar 1832 - Feb 1835	Logbook, Manuscript	Russell, George G
Log of the Catharine	1821-1822	Logbook, Manuscript	Endicott, John
Log of the China	Jan 1819 - May 1820	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the Cincinnatus	1803-1804	Logbook
Log of the Cleopatra's Barge	Jun 1820 - Dec 1820	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the Congress	Jul 1819 - May 1820	Logbook, Manuscript	Crowninshield, Jacob
Log of the Derby	Sep 1832 - Nov 1833	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the Eagle	Aug 1820 - Nov 1821	Logbook, Manuscript	Haskell, Nehemiah
Log of the Eagle Wing	Mar 1856 - Apr 1858	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the Eclipse	Jul 1831 - Aug 1832	Logbook, Manuscript	Beckford, Simeon
Log of the Francis	Nov 1820 - Sep 1821	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the Francis	Sep 1821 - Aug 1822	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the Friendship	Nov 1824 - May 1827	Logbook, Manuscript	Haskell, Nehemiah
Log of the George	Jun 1835 - Mar 1836	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the George	Jun 1835 - Apr 1836	Logbook, Manuscript	Allen, William H
Log of the George	Aug 1836 - May 1837	Logbook, Manuscript	Allen, William H
Log of the Imaum	Oct 1850 - Oct 1854	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the John G Coster	08 Dec 1845 - 28 Jun 1848	Logbook, Manuscript	Benjamin, D P
Log of the Judith Farmer	Sep 1826 - Oct 1826	Logbook, Manuscript	Newell, George
Log of the Kathay	Mar 1856 - Nov 1856	Logbook, Manuscript	Stoddard, Carolyn
Log of the Leander	Aug 1827 - Jul 1829	Logbook, Manuscript	Haskell, Nehemiah
Log of the Malta	Oct 1836 - Oct 1844	Logbook, Manuscript	Newell, George
Log of the Mariposa	May 1835 - Aug 1835	Logbook, Manuscript	Waters, William D
Log of the Mary and Susan	Apr 1835 - Mar 1836	Logbook, Manuscript	Briggs, James B
Log of the Massachusetts	Nov 1848 - May 1849	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the Massachusetts	Mar 1790 - Oct 1791	Logbook, Manuscript	Bartlett, John
Log of the Mentor	Dec 1824 - Jan 1825	Logbook, Manuscript	Newell, George
Log of the Mexican	Oct 1824 - Jul 1825	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the Nile	Jun 1825 - Aug 1826	Logbook, Manuscript	Newell, George
Log of the Parachute	Feb 1831 - Dec 1831	Logbook, Manuscript	Kinsman, Nathaniel
Log of the Paragon	Dec 1821 - Nov 1822	Logbook, Manuscript	Haskell, Nehemiah
Log of the Pearl	Nov 1830 - Aug 1832	Logbook, Manuscript	Newell, George
Log of the Perseverance	Aug 1822 - Jul 1823	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the Phoenix	Apr 1823 - Oct 1824	Logbook, Manuscript	Haskell, Nehemiah
Log of the Pleiades	Oct 1826 - Nov 1826	Logbook, Manuscript	Newell, George
Log of the Rimac	Aug 1826 - Sep 1826	Logbook, Manuscript	Newell, George
Log of the Ringleader	Oct 1855 - Oct 1856	Logbook, Manuscript	Sargent, Edward P
Log of the Rotund	Dec 1819 - Jul 1820	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the Samuel Russell	Sep 1847 - Apr 1848	Logbook, Manuscript	Blake, Joshua
Log of the Sapphire	Jun 1834 - Nov 1835	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the Snow Elizabeth	18 May 1802 - 19 Jun 1802	Logbook, Manuscript	Haswell, William
Log of the Solon	May 1835 - Mar 1836	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the Sumatra	May 1830 - Oct 1831	Logbook, Manuscript	Mugford, George
Log of the Surprise	1850-1860	Logbook, Manuscript	Ranlett, Charles A
Log of the Surprise	25 Mar 1861 - 16 May 1862	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the Talent	Nov 1829 - Jul 1831	Logbook, Manuscript	Haskell, Nehemiah
Log of the Tartar	Aug 1815 - May 1816	Logbook, Manuscript	Bryant, David M
Log of the Terror	Jun 1855 - Sep 1855	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the Thomas W Sears	Feb 1846 - Jul 1846	Logbook, Manuscript
Log of the Tonquin	Mar 1845 - Feb 1846	Logbook, Manuscript	Bridges, Samuel
Log of the Tonquin	30 Mar 1845 - 17 Apr 1846	Logbook, Manuscript	Henshaw, David
Log of the Zenobia	Jun 1839 - May 1840	Logbook, Manuscript	Kinsman, Nathaniel
Map of China from Mr Wyld's Large Map	1840	Map	Wyld, James
A Map of Mackenzie's Track, From Fort Chipewyan to the North Sea	1801	Map	Mackenzie, Sir Alexander
Map of the Canadian Pacific Railway…	1893	Map	Poole Brothers
Map of the United States, Territory of Oregon…	1838	Map	Hood, Washington
Memoir: Geographical, Political, and Commercial, on the Present State, Productive Resources, and Capabilities for Commerce, of Siberia, Manchuria, and the Asiatic Islands of the Northern Pacific Ocean, and on the Importance of Opening Commercial Intercourse with Those Countries	1848	Printed Book	Palmer, Aaron H
Message of the President of the United States, Transmitting a Report of the Secretary of the Navy, In Compliance with a Resolution of the Senate of December 6 1854, calling for Correspondence, &c., Relative to the Naval Expedition of Japan	1855	Printed Book	Perry, Matthew Calbraith
Naval Documents	1881-1882	Correspondence, Manuscript
The New American Practical Navigator; Being an Epitome of Navigation; Containing All the Tables Necessary to Be Used with the Nautical Almanac, in Determining the Latitude; and the Longitude by Lunar Observations; and Keeping a Complete Reckoning at Sea ... Exemplified in a Journal, Kept from Boston to Madeira ... Enriched with a Number of New Tables, with Original Improvements and Additions, and ... New and Important Matter.	1802	Printed Book	Bowditch, Nathaniel
A New and Accurate Map of China…	1752	Map	Bowen, Emanuel
A New Map of North America…	1824	Map	Cary, John
Northern America	c. 1872	Map	J H Colton and Company
Notes on Purchases, Personal correspondence - Minnesota Cruise	1859	Logbook, Shipping Papers, Manuscript
Notes on Purchases, Personal correspondence - Minnesota Cruise	1858-1859	Memoranda, Correspondence, Manuscript
Notice to Mariners. China Sea - Yang-Tse Kiang. Beacon Tower at Kiu T'oan	27 Mar 1857	Advertisement
Nuove Scoperte de' Russi al Nord del Mare des Sud si Nell' Asia…	1785	Map	Zatta, Antonio
Open Economy Code Devised for Russell and Company	01 May 1876	Pamphlet	Forbes, Francis Blackwell
Pacific Mail Steamship Company's Route...	1866	Pamphlet, Map	Draper, John
Pamphlet of 'The Forbes Rig'	1862	Pamphlet	Forbes, Robert Bennet
Pencil Drawing of the Warship Meteor	1876	Illustration
Personal Letters from Family and Friends to Robert Bennet Forbes	1889	Correspondence, Manuscript
Personal Letters from Family and Friends to Robert Bennet Forbes	1889	Correspondence, Manuscript
The Pioneer Steamer California, 1848-1849	1932	Printed Book	Berthold, Victor Maximilian
Port Journal of the Belisarius and Letters from John Crowninshield	Dec 1797 - Feb 1798	Logbook, Manuscript	Crowninshield, John
Private Diary of Robert Dollar on His Recent Visits to China	1912	Printed Book, Journal	Dollar, Robert
Rail Section	1885	Object
Report in Journal Form by Captain Charles Breck, U.S. Navy, of an Expedition to Explore the River Plata in Argentina	1858	Manuscript, Journal
Routes of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company's Steamers…	1908	Map	Canadian Pacific Railway Company
A Sea Witch Clipper	c. 1800	Painting
Ship Alfred of Salem	1806	Painting	Cammillieri, Nicolas
Ship Going Out, Fort Independence, Boston Harbour	1832	Painting	Salmon, Robert
Ship Houqua	1841	Painting	Birch, Thomas
Shipping Logbook and Journal of the Three Sisters, Ann and Astrea	May 1776 - Jun 1790	Logbook, Manuscript, Correspondence	Silsbee, Nathaniel
A Sketch of the Route to California, China and Japan, Via the Isthmus of Panama. A Useful and Amusing Book to Every Traveler	1867	Printed Book
SS Princess Adelaide	1910	Photograph
Steam Communication with China, and the Sandwich Islands, May 4, 1848 / Mr. T. Butler King, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, Made the Following Report	04 May 1848	Printed Book, Business Records	King, Thomas Butler
Thru the Orient: A Pictorial Booklet of the Geo. H Maus Incorporated Organization in the Far East	1935	Catalogue
Tiger's Mouth, Canton, China	c. 1815	Painting
To the Land of Gold…	1897	Pamphlet
Trans-Canada Limited-Fastest Train Across the Continent	1924	Poster	Kauffmann, G Y
Trestle Bridge, Rockies	c. 1900	Photograph
View of Canton	c. 1800	Painting
The Vision Realised	1927	Ephemera	Canadian Pacific Railway Company

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Transport and Communication