Macgill logbook

The Macgill logbook consists of one, 85-page volume that catalogs the journeys of several ships captained by William Augustine Macgill between 1853-1856. He titles each new voyage with the name of the ship, the departure port, destination, his name, and the date. Within the voyage, he notes the date and the weather, along with notable happenings on board.

The first recorded voyage in the logbook is "Ship Prince Albert from London to N. York. W. A. Macgill, Mast[er], 1853." Beneath this title, the first logged date in May 20th, Friday, where the captain notes the ship is "lying in London docks taking in cargo. Stowing water casks. Mustering passengers...Wind E.S.E. and clear." He writes a passage every day of the voyage until docking in New York on June 25. Many of the entries are similar, simply noting the date and the direction of the wind at various points throughout the day.

Other trips the captain records are "Barque Houston from Galveston to Liverpool, W. A. Macgill, Master, 1854"; "Barque Houston from Liverpool towards New York, W. A. Macgill, 1855"; "Ship Fidelia from New York Bound to Liverpool, W. A. Macgill, 1855"; and "Ship Fidelia from Liverpool Bound to New York, W. A. Macgill, 1855."

Macgill writes more casually at certain points within the logbook. For example, after the last described journey on the Fidelia that ended in July 1855, there is a note that reads, "There is a voyage I have never kept a journal of, I am very sorry for it now - from July 1855 to January 1856 (Fidelia)." Additionally, the last several pages of the volume contain a longer narrative of a journey, although it's not clear what voyage this was as the several preceding pages were torn away. In these pages, Macgill describes his crew, and calls them "an interesting group to look upon..." On a further page titled "Reveries of a Sea Captain," he writes more philosophically of his profession- "Oh, how melancholy it is to be out at sea with the wind dead ahead, a poor crew, and indications of bad weather..."

The book also contains various drawings and doodles, perhaps from Macgill's own children. The name "Mary Elizabeth", Macgill's eldest daughter, appears in a child-like handwriting several times.