Dragon : Journal, William Finch and John Hearne, Factors, Vol. 5

Content

Journal of the East India Company ship, Red Dragon (Captain William Keeling), kept by John Hearne and William Finche. The journal covers the ship's voyage from England to Sierra Leona [Sierra Leone], Madagascar, and Zokatora [Socotra]. The ship's passage from Zokatora to Bantam [Banten] is not covered by the journal. Dates of landing are as follows: 15 April 1607, Plymouth; 6 August 1607, Sierra Leona; 18 December 1607, Saldania [Saldanha]; 19 February 1608, St Augustine Bay, Madagascar; 21 April 1608, Zokatora.

The journal consists of almost daily entries with information such as course, winds, weather, navigational data, land sightings, and other general remarks. When the ship is at anchor the entries tend to be longer, with details of geography, people encountered, trade, and other miscellaneous information. The margin contains names of the deceased and, written in a different hand and probably made a later date, notes on the main text. Throughout the volume there are small pen sketches of islands and coastlines observed on the voyage (folios 6, 8, 16, 19, 23, 24, 25).

Extent and format

1 volume (45 folios)

Arrangement

The journal entries are recorded in chronological order from the front to the rear.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 47; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. The volume includes a sequence of blank pages, ff 34-46, which have not been digitised.

Written in

English in Latin script

Type

Archival file

Access & Reference

Original held at

British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity.

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

IOR/L/MAR/A/V

Former external reference(s)

Vol. 5

History of this record

Date(s)

8 Mar 1607-19 Jun 1608 (CE, Gregorian)

Exhibition history

Hearn and Finch's journal from the voyage of the Red Dragon. Exhibited: Shakespeare in Ten Acts, British Library, London, 15 April 2016 - 6 September 2016.

Related material

Select Bibliography

A full transcription of the journal can be found in: Richmond Barbour, The Third Voyage Journals: Writing and Performance in the London East India Company, 1607-10 (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009), pp 155-233.

Subjects

Ships logsTrade (practice)WeatherMarine navigation

Places

Sierra LeonaSt Augustine BayZokatora

People & organisations

Dragon

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Dragon : Journal, William Finch and John Hearne, Factors, Vol. 5, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MAR/A/V, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/node/9465> [accessed 5 November 2024]

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