Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
(1669-1671) and then to the Arctic in search of a north-west passage to China and the East In-
dies in 1676, when his ship was wrecked but the crew were rescued. He was then sent on sur-
vey work in the Mediterranean from late in 1676 to 1679, as master of a succession of Royal
Navy frigates (the
Charles
,
James
,
Newcastle
,
Plymouth
and
Lark
). Collins' handwritten log
provides a lively account of these ships' travels, recording the dates they visited places, detail
of weather, encounters with pirates, and instructions on how best to navigate into ports.
Collins' log includes sea charts and coastal views that show how places looked from on-
board ship. He drew Falmouth, Alicante, Gibraltar, Malaga, Majorca, Tangier and the Bay of
Naples, shown here, where the
Newcastle
arrived on 16 March 1678. As is typical of a chart,
only the sea and major places along the shores of the bay are shown, including the island of
Capri to the right. Useful information for sailors is given, such as the location of rocks and
places of safe anchorage, and the numbers in the water are soundings, giving the water depth.
A compass rose radiates rhumb lines for navigation, and the feathers point to north, slightly
to the left. The scale is presented on a ribbon.
The chart shows Vesuvius billowing smoke, at the centre of the Bay of Naples. Dormant
since the 13th century, it had last erupted in 1660, and was still active at the time of Collins'
visit. He drew Vesuvius in plan to illustrate the written account of his intrepid ascent of the
volcano, first by mule until it got too steep, then he climbed up on foot to the lip of the crater.
Collins's hydrographic skills are evident from the charts in his log, and when he returned
to England in late 1679 he was commissioned to survey home shores, which he did for the
rest of his life.
Great Britain's Coasting Pilot
, published in 1693, was the work for which he
is best known, a beacon in the history of navigation in British coastal waters, and its level of
detail doubtless helped to save many ships and sailors from wreck.
What happened to Grenvill Collins' log? A note on the front cover reveals that it is quite
by chance that this rare survival of an early captain's log ended up in the Admiralty records. It
reads 'This topic bought off a stall in Moorfields the year 1774 for 6 shillings, and presented
to Rear Admiral Man. Left by him to Captain Robert Man', who gave it to the Admiralty in
1788. Whatever tales the log might tell of its travels in the hundred years after it was written,
it gives a fascinating insight into the man and his view of the world from on board a Royal
Navy ship.
