A fine, lavishly illustrated example of a mid-nineteenth century logbook. The largest and most important of the four concern Hilliard’s time on HMS Leander, which had been refitted as a steam-powered screw frigate. From 1863-66, she was the flagship of the Pacific Station, based in Valparaiso. She was commanded by Commodore Thomas Harvey until 1866 when Michael de Courcy assumed control.
These logbooks follow the usual form recalling meteorological data and the operational detail of the ship. Visits by notable persons, such as the Peruvian Prefect, are recorded as well as sailors taking leave. HMS Leander was present at the Bombardment of Valparaiso by the Spanish on 31 March, 1866. This was one of the actions of the Chincha Islands War. Although a major port, Valparaiso was undefended and as England remained neutral in this conflict, HMSs Leander and Sutlej simply observed the bombardment, which resulted in the sinking of 33 ships. A naive illustration of the action is tipped in.
Writings are considerably enlivened by the inclusion of coastal profiles, watercolours, charts, and technical drawings. Several hand-drawn maps are contained within the logs including eight folding charts. Of the eight, three are details of Tierra del Fuego, including the Falklands and South Shetland islands. Yet another shows the Leander sailing from Valparaiso to Juan Fernandez Island. Other smaller maps include tracks along the coast of Peru, Chile, and Cape Horn. A very large folding map shows the lengthy outwardbound and homewardbound tracks of the Leander from England to West Africa, Brazil and the west coast of South America and back again.
The many drawings show a keen eye and contain scenic details of cliffsides, birds, clouds, coastal towns, lighthouses, ships, and icebergs that give them a photographic sensibility. A few drawings are signed Edwin Hilliard. One small drawing even shows the peak of Aconcagua, the highest peak outside of Asia. There is also a page devoted to icebergs spotted in late July, 1866. It is comprised of five individual watercolour images bordered in ink and captioned with dates and co-ordinates. However, the finest image of the group is the a loose watercolour painting of HMS Leander which depicts her in July or August 1866 while surrounded by icebergs.
Overall, the illustrations enhance the voyages of the logs and give a unique perspective of the west coast of South America and rounding Cape Horn in the 1860s.
