Instructions
for the completion of East Indiamen’s Journals mid 18th century
Source: BL: IOR: L/MAR/B/549A - Journal of
the ANSON - 21st October 1746 to 3rd September 1747
‘Logg-Book for the Ship
Anson
To
Capt. Charles Foulis .......................................Commander of
the
Ship Anson
.......................................or to the
Commander for the Time
being.
Sir,
THE Honourable Court of
Directors of the United Company of Merchants of
England,
Trading to the Eaft-Indies, have ordered me to fend you this Logg-
Book, in which, purfuant
to the Inftructions given you by the faid Court,
you
are to take care, that a full, true, and exact Account of
the Ship’s Run and
Courfe, with the Winds and Weather, and all Occurencies, Accidents and
Obfervations that fhall happen or be
made during the Voyage, from Time of
the Ship’s firft taking in
Goods till the Time of her being completely unladen
at her Return, be duly entered every Day at Noon, in a
fair and legible Manner:
And that the Officer commanding the Watch
from Eight o’Clock till Noon, do,
before he dines, fign his Name at length to every Day’s Logg
fo entered, and if
any Miftake fhould
happen in copying the Logg into this Book, you are
not to
fuffer fuch Miftake
to be blotted out or erafed, but that it be corrected
by writing
againft it. You are to take care that this Book remain in a
proper Place to be
copied by an Officer, or other Perfon
keeping a Journal on Board the Ship till
Four in the Afternoon. And that it be kept at all times in fuch a Manner, as to be
faved if poffible, in cafe of the
Ship’s Lofs. And you are likewife
to take care,
that this Book be delivered, together with your own and
the Chief Mate’s Original
Journals, to the faid Honourable Court, at your Return to England.
I am,
Eaft-India-Houfe, Sir,
21st October 1746.
Your humble
Servant,
Robt. James --’
Bernard
Forrester, her chief mate, signed the entries each day. The last entry was made
on Tuesday 1st September 1747. In researching this Indiaman I found
this rather disappointing, due to the events of the following day. As detailed
in published works, having discharged her cargo safely in Bombay, she had
ventured back out and unfortunately, had not been warned of two roving French
privateers: Appollon (50 guns) and Anglesea (40 guns). Just outside the
harbour she was set upon. Giving battle, in spite of being greatly outgunned
(the Anson sporting 28 guns), Captain Foulis
had the commercial presence of mind to offload his despatches and ‘treasure’,
before being overwhelmed and captured. For the rescue of the goodies, the
Company subsequently awarded Charles Foulis £400 per
year. Nevertheless, none of the accounts that I have read explains properly the
apparent failures that allowed for her capture.