WHALING VOYAGES ROUND THE WORLD IN THE BRITANNIA AND SPEEDY (Capt. Thomas Melvill) 1791-1796 [hardcover]

303pp., b/w & colour illus., maps, hardback, Reach Publishers, Wandsbeck, 2025

ISBN: 9781997461586

The journal of David Brown, surgeon aboard the British whaling ships Britannia and Speedy between 1791 and 1796 under Captain Thomas Melvill.

Preserved in handwritten manuscript form in the State Library of New South Wales, Brown describes the flora and fauna of newly encountered landscapes and interactions with diverse cultures, from the fledgling settlement at Sydney Cove, to Rio de Janeiro and Lima, to the uninhabited Galápagos Islands, around Cape Horn and into the Bay of Saints.

These voyages took place against the backdrop of the French Revolutionary Wars, and Brown's account captures the risks of sailing the high seas  in a time of maritime conflict. It also offers insights into South American mining, labour, and metallurgy in the decades preceding the region's major political and economic transformations.

Also available in paperback.

John Melville, a descendant of Captain Melvill, is an insurance company director and actuary in Cape Town. He has transcribed and edited the journal, and provides a substantial introduction, extensive footnotes, and supplementary indexes that provide additional information on Brown's sources and references.