Source notes for Duke of York

Duke of York journal 1836-38

Author: Captain Robert Morgan

This journal was kept by Captain Robert Clark Morgan. The first existing page of the journal records his joining the Duke of York at Gravesend on 25 February 1836, and the journal has daily entries for the journey to Kangaroo Island and the vessel’s subsequent whaling venture in the Pacific. Morgan’s entries record the weather, life on board the ship, and, in some detail, his religious practice and his relationship with God.

The pages of Morgan’s original journal have been inserted into supporting pages and bound into a leather-bound volume as a conservation measure. The first page of the journal is worn or torn at the edges, and missing sections of this and other pages are indicated in the transcript by ellipses (…). Any notes by the transcriber are in square brackets [], and a question mark in square brackets indicates uncertainty about the accuracy of the transcription. The transcription used is as accurate as possible, reproducing rather than correcting the non-standard spelling or idiosyncratic expression of the writer.

The original journal is held in the State Library of New South Wales (MS A270), and microfilm copies are held in that library and the State Library of South Australia. The transcription used on this website is by Dorothy Heinrich, Bob Sexton and Mandy Paul. The copyright holder of this work has not been identified. If you believe the publication of the journal infringes your copyright please contact us.

History SA would like to thank Dorothy Heinrich for permission to use her work and the State Libraries of New South Wales and South Australia for assistance with accessing and reproducing the journal.