Journal of Commander Pringle Stokes, R.N., H.M.S. Beagle Coast of West Patagonia, 28 March-24 July 1828

Pringle Stokes was captain of HMS Beagle on its first voyage around South America.
This was Stokes' final journal. He committed suicide on the voyage and died on 12 August 1828. During this period the Beagle was charting the Strait of Magellan and the islands to the north on the Pacific coast in appalling weather conditions. Ill health and food shortages added to the hardships. The journal charts Stokes' mental decline. Stokes shot himself on 1st August 1828 (a week after the journal ends) but he lingered until 12th August 1828.

It records daily notes (118 pages) as well as regular information of weather, wind, and location with lengthy descriptions of places visited, Port Henry (Isla Madre de Dios), the Gulf of Penas, and Borja Bay. Included are results of experiments on environmental magnetism using "Professor Haansteen's instrument" at different locations in Brazil tipped in (11 pages, 1827).

Tipped into the volume are three autograph letters by Benjamin Bynoe, the ship's assistant surgeon, to Stokes, relating to the health of the crew, dated 16 June, 24 June and 24 July 1828.

This voyage was under the overall command of the Australian, Phillip Parker King. 
This journal was kept by King as part of his papers and used when he was writing up the official account of the voyage.  It is a partial journal with marginal comments by King. It belongs with another partial journal with a slightly different date span, 18 March-18 May 1828, held in King's papers (Location: MLMSS 1521) in the Mitchell Library. They were clearly kept together as working papers though at this stage it has not been clearly established which draft has priority. Both are written in Stokes' hand with annotations by Phillip Parker King.

Journal of Commander Pringle Stokes, R.N., H.M.S. Beagle Coast of West Patagonia, 28 March-24 July 1...

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