Log of the proceedings of H. M. S. Comus
date: label: Date
content: 1814-1815
name: label: Written by
content: John Taileur, British
notes: label: Caption
content: The 95-page book includes standard ship’s log information (giving locations, weather, etc.) together with some narrative accounts. Under “Remarks & Occurrences” are reports of the actions taken by the ship, including accounts of encounters and armed conflicts with pirate slavers as part of a six month assignment with the West African Squadron. The mission of the ship under John Taileur was to suppress piracy and disrupt the illegal West African slave trade; they captured 10 ships and freed close to 10,000 enslaved.
label: Description
content: A folio-sized single-signature logbook (a) and case (b) interdicting the proceedings of the H.M.S. Comus. Constructed of rag paper, stitch-bound – pamphlet style, with a marbled blue laminated rag paper cover, the 95-page book details standard ship information and anecdotal accounts of the illegal slave trade along the West African coast. Written by Captain John Taileur between 2 October 1814 and 8 June 1815, the logbook offers first person evidence of the H.M.S. Comus’s disruption of the illegal West African slave trade and suppression of piracy. Each page is ruled and neatly written on. A bright square paper with “No. 3” written in the middle, is adhered in the laminated front of the book and there are no markings on the reverse of the log book. The book is housed in a brown fabric covered hard case (b), and the spine has a red and gold label which reads: [LOG / OF THE / H. M / SHIP COMUS / 1814 - / 1815].
label: Transcription Center Status
content: Transcribed by digital volunteers
place: label: Place depicted
content: West Africa, Africa
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Africa
label: Topic
content: Communication
label: Topic
content: Illegal slave trade
label: Topic
content: Military
label: Topic
content: Slavery
label: Topic
content: Trans Atlantic slave trade
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Slavery and Freedom Objects
label: Classification
content: Documents and Manuscripts
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2018.46.11ab
objectType: label: Type
content: records
label: Type
content: manuscripts
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: cloth and ink on wove paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (book): 12 3/16 × 7 7/8 × 2 3/4 in. (31 × 20 × 7 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (case): 13 1/4 × 7 7/8 × 2 3/4 in. (33.6 × 20 × 7 cm)