Original Handwrittren Ship Log of the Historic British Vessel H.M.S. Victory (November 21st, 1856--January 15th, 1857)

Portsmouth Harbour, England, 1857. Pictorial wrappers. Very Good +. The 1857 original ship's log of the British vessel H.M.S. Victory, which was moored at Portsmouth Harbour in Hampshire, England during the 2 month stretch covered by the log book. An historic ship in British naval history, the H.M.S. Victory can claim 247 years of service as of this writing, making it the world's oldest naval vessel still in commission. The wooden ship, with its "104 guns", saw service in 1758 during the Seven Years' War, initially in March 1778 during the American Revolution (at the First Battle of Ushant) and also during the French Revolution. Perhaps most notably though, it was Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson's flagship during the Battle of Trafalgar. (The proud vessel was placed in dry dock at Portsmouth Harbour in 1922 and has been a "museum ship" ever since). The 1857 logbook has held up very nicely. Bright and VG in its hand-illustrated white wrappers, with very light soiling along the edges (especially the fore-edge). Internally clean and very impressive in a beautiful, eminently legible flowing script. Each day of the Nov. 1856 -- Jan. 1857 commitment is meticulously accounted for (both AM and PM) and brief notes are made in carefully-assigned spaces for comment. The logbook consists of 8 pgs. of text and measures 14 1/2" tall x 9 1/2" wide. A very nice piece of 19th century British naval history.