Hakluyt Society Journal

Editorial Board
Ray Howgego (editor); Professor W.F. Ryan; Dr Nigel Rigby; Dr Margaret Makepeace;
Dr James Kelly; Dr Jack Benson (consultant).

The Journal of the Hakluyt Society is published in electronic form only, with a single hard copy maintained for archival purposes. Its articles are peer reviewed to ensure that they conform to a high standard of scholarship. Appropriate to the charitable status and primary objectives of the Society, the entire text of the Journal is made available here for free download. However, it must be appreciated that copyright exists on all articles and resides with the respective authors. Permissions regarding the use of material in the Journal must be directed to the editor.
Please click on the title (underlined) to see the full text of the article. Some of the files are quite large and contain high resolution images, so please wait patiently while files download.

Editorial pages
The history, purpose and objects of the journal. An invitation for the submission of articles.

Scholarly articles

Journal year 2011

Pierre Schneider
The Discovery of Tropical Mangroves in Graeco-Roman Antiquity: Science and Wonder
Published: February 2011
Abstract: Mangrove forests are seriously endangered and have recently become the focus of considerable attention. While nowadays ecological and biological questions tend to predominate, few scholars have paid attention to the discovery of mangrove in the Graeco-Roman period. In this article the author examines where and when mangroves were observed by the Greeks and the Romans during their early voyages in the Indian Ocean, and he demonstrates the remarkable degree of scientific accuracy achieved in the writings of Theophrastus and in the observations of the associates of Alexander the Great. The author helps us to understand the major features of the mangrove as a landscape from the Graeco-Roman point of view. [PDF: full text. 15 pages 189KB]. Map and illustrations to accompany this article [PDF: 3 pages 1.5MB]

Journal year 2010

Robin M. Rondeau
The wrecks of Franklin’s ships Erebus and Terror; their likely location and the cause of failure of previous search expeditions
Published: March 2010.
Abstract: Since the loss of the Franklin Expedition (1845–8) numerous attempts have been made to ascertain what became of Franklin’s men and their ships Erebus and Terror. Most search efforts, especially those in recent years, have focused on areas south of King William Island in the Canadian Arctic. This paper provides evidence that those looking for Franklin’s ships have been looking in the wrong place, and that both the Erebus and Terror most likely lie in Larsen Sound to the north of King William Island where nobody has searched before. [PDF: full text, map & illustrations. 11 pages. 441KB]

C. Ian Jackson
William Scoresby the Scientist
Published: January 2010
Abstract: Between the years 1811 and 1820, William Scoresby the Younger undertook nine whaling voyages into the far North Atlantic. His journals, recently edited for the Society by Dr Jackson in three volumes, are rich in scientific observation. In this paper, based on the text of the author's talk at the Whitby Museum at the launch of the third volume, Dr Jackson focuses on Scoresby's standing as a scientist and his considerable contribution to the marine science, geography and oceanography of the far north. [PDF: full text & illustration. 9 pages. 335KB]

Journal year 2009

Captain Richard Campbell (R.N.)
The Voyage of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror to the Southern and Antarctic Regions. Captain James Clark Ross, R.N. 1839–1843. The Journal of Sergeant William K. Cunningham, R.M. of HMS Terror.
Published: April 2009
Abstract: This substantial paper presents for the first time the entire journal of Quartermaster Sergeant William Cunningham, who sailed in the Terror on the expedition of James Clark Ross to the Antarctic in 1839-43, its purpose being to locate accurately the position of the South Magnetic Pole. The editor provides a copiously annotated transcript of the journal, illustrated with maps, plates and photographs, together with an abundance of supplementary material in which he discusses the historical background to the voyage, the questions of terrestrial magnetism, and the problems of compass navigation. The journal, written from the perspective of a common seaman, complements Ross's official account of the voyage and provides historians of Antarctica with a wealth of additional information.

The paper is presented here in three parts for ease of download:

Part 1. Introductory chapters. Historical background. The voyage & its objectives. Magnetism & the compass. Glossary of nautical terms. [PDF: full text & illustrations. 37 pages. 625KB]

Part 2. The journal [PDF: full text, maps & illustrations. 114 pages. 2803KB]

Part 3. Appendices & bibliography [PDF: full text. 33 pages. 240KB]

Journal year 2008

Glenn M. Stein & Lydia I. Iarukova
Polar Honours of the Russian Geographical Society 1845–1995
Published: December 2008
Abstract: In this paper the authors present, for the first time in English, an overview of Russian polar exploration and research (almost exclusively Arctic) through a study of medals awarded by the Russian Geographical Society, their recipients and achievements, during the period of 1845–1995. Fully illustrated with photographs of the medals, and annotated with biographical notes on the medals' recipients, the paper brings to light the names of many illustrious Russian scientists and explorers commonly overlooked in Western literature. [PDF: full text & illustrations 38 pages. 655KB]

William Battersby
Identification of the Probable Source of the Lead Poisoning Observed in Members of the Franklin Expedition
Published: September 2008
Abstract: Since 1982, signs of a high exposure to lead have been identified in the human remains of members of John Franklin’s expedition to the Arctic, 1845–8. Tinned food has been suggested as the source of this lead. This paper provides evidence that the primary source of this lead was not tinned food, which was in widespread use in the Royal Navy at the time, but the unique water system fitted to the expedition’s ships. [PDF: full text & illustrations. 10 pages. 353KB]

Journal year 2007

Fred Swart
The Circumnavigation of the Globe by Pieter Esaiasz. de Lint 1598-1603
Published: January 2007
Abstract: Pieter de Lint sailed from Holland in September 1598 as captain of the yacht Eendracht in the fleet of Olivier van Noort. Appointed captain of the Hendrick Frederick in the Strait of Magellan, he subsequently became separated from the fleet and, after calling at various ports along the coast of South America, made his own way across the Pacific to arrive at Ternate early in 1601. De Lint’s voyage and the major role he played in ensuring the financial success of the mission have never, until now, been properly documented. Working from primary sources in both Dutch and Spanish, Mr Swart accurately reconstructs the route and events of De Lint’s little known voyage, and the negotiations that followed its successful arrival in the Spice Islands. [PDF: full text. 21 pages]

Peter de Clercq
The Life and Work of E.G.R. Taylor (1871-1966), author of The Mathematical Practitioners of Tudor and Stuart England and The Mathematical Practitioners of Hanoverian England
Published: February 2007
Abstract: Eva Taylor was professor of geography at Birkbeck College, University of London, from 1930 to 1944, the first woman to hold a chair of geography in the United Kingdom. She joined the Council of the Hakluyt Society in the early 30s, continued her researches well into her 80s, and was responsible for editing four of the Society’s volumes. The article describes the life of this remarkable scholar and provides a thorough assessment of her considerable contribution to the history of geography and navigation. [PDF: full text. 13 pages]

James McCarthy
Selim Aga: New Light on his Life and his Explorations in West Africa
Published: July 2007
Abstract: Selim Aga, a freed Nuba slave who received his education in Scotland and became a proficient writer and lecturer, is better known to many as Richard Burton's manservant in West Africa. James McCarthy, author of the only book-length biography of Selim Aga, presents new findings on Selim's subsequent life and travels in West Africa, his role in the Baikie expedition, his offer to seek out information regarding the fate of Eduard Vogel, and his explorations in Liberia and on the upper Niger. [PDF: full text. 7 pages]
A number of illustrations have been provided by Mr McCarthy to accompany this article and are available by clicking here.

Fred Swart
Lambert Biesman (1573–1601) of the Company of Trader-Adventurers, the Dutch Route to the East Indies, and Olivier van Noort’s Circumnavigation of the Globe.
Published: December 2007
Abstract: In the second of his two articles on early Dutch voyages of discovery, Mr Swart provides an eminent account of the voyage of Cornelis de Houtman to the East Indies (1595-97) and the circumnavigation of Olivier Van Noort (1598-1601). The article draws on archival material and unpublished letters to focus on the life of Lambert Biesman, a young volunteer who played a significant role in both voyages until his capture and execution at Manila in 1601. [PDF: full text. 31 pages]