Robert S. Daniels journals

Journals kept by Daniels during two separate voyages from Boston, Massachusetts, to Calcutta, India. He was a passenger on both of these voyages. The first volume records the passage of the ship Soldan, departing October 17, 1850 and returning October 2, 1851. David Plummer was the master. The second volume records the passage of the ship Hamlet, departing June 19, 1854 and returning April 27, 1855. John F. Roundy was the master and Atkinson, Rollins & Co. were the owners. Both volumes include daily entries recording the ship's latitude and longitude, the direction of the wind, and the ship's navigational course. Most entries include a brief note describing the weather and the sails used that day. Daniels occasionally mentions other notable events, such as the passing of other ships, the death of a crew member, passing time in Mauritius with a companion named Eugenie and boarding the wreck of the brig Comet. Daniels used seaman's journals sold by booksellers in Salem, Massachusetts, the first by George Creamer and the second by Henry Whipple. At the front of the second journal are two pages of illustrations drawn in ink. They are primarily small portraits of individuals.