Hydrographic Department, papers and charts

Scope and Content

  • MS 366/18;MSM Tracks and discoveries of Erebus and Terror, 1840-1842 [Ross Sea and off Victoria Land during British Naval Expedition, 1839-1843 to the Antarctic, also giving tracks of Cook, Bellingshausen, Balleny, United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 and Borchgrevink probably prepared for the British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901-1904 (leader Robert Falcon Scott)] 1 leaf
  • MS 666/2/1-2;D Letter to Captain George Strong Nares, 27 May 1875 [Transmits two spectroscopes for the use of the British Arctic Expedition, 1875-1876 (led by Nares)] 3 leaves, autograph
  • MS 397/9;D Notes on the Antarctic, for use by Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition, 1921-1922, undated [History and description of Kemp Land, Enderby Land, South Sandwich, Bouvet and Thompson Islands, Pagoda Rock, Heard and McDonald Islands] 45 leaves, typescript with map
  • MS 616;MSM Chart of Graham Land, December 1929 to February 1962 [Latitude 60°S and 75°S and longitudes 103°W and 40°W, with pack ice limits determined by William Scoresby] 1 sheet
  • MS 356/22;MSM Preliminary chart of Greenland Sea, 6 March 1942 [Water movements, oceanographical chart number 21] 1 sheet
  • MS 356/23;MSM Barents Sea, oceanographical chart number 27, [1943] [Advance proof, un revised] 1 sheet
  • MS 1101;BJ Provisional catalogue, 1974 [Logs, journals, documents, letters, record copies of books and pamphlets published by the Hydrographic Department and held in its archives] 1 volume

Administrative / Biographical History

The material relates to the British Naval Expedition, 1839-1843 (leader James Clark Ross) to Antarctic waters, the British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901-1904 (leader Robert Falcon Scott), the Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition, 1921-1922 (leader Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton) and to the Arctic expedition of George Strong Nares, 1875-1876.

The collection also contains a catalogue of archival material available at the Hydrographic Department up to 1974.

Arrangement

Chronological.

Related Material

See also SPRI collections Great Britain Admiralty, British Naval Expedition, 1839-1843 and British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901-1904, Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition, 1921-1922.