William Speiden journals, 1852-1855.

Open to research.

Restrictions may apply to unprocessed material.

Journals kept by Speiden, purser's clerk on the USS Mississippi (Side-wheel steamer), a flagship during the U.S. naval expedition to Japan led by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, 1852-1854. Speiden provided a detailed account of the reception given to Perry and his party and of deliberations between Perry and representatives of the emperor of Japan held in Yokohama-shi, Japan. Speiden also described life at sea, calls at ports on the east coast of the U.S., investigation of fishing rights in Canadian waters, and stops made during the expedition to Japan, including Canton, China, the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, Hakodate-shi, Japan, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Macao, the Madeira Islands, Malacca, Mauritius, the Ryukyu (Loo Choo) Islands, Saint Helena, San Francisco, Calif., Shanghai, China, Shimoda-shi, Japan, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), and Valparaíso, Chile. Includes nearly fifty illustrations, some of which are are pith paintings which have been removed from journals and housed separately.

Microfilm edition available, no. 22,423.

Microfilm produced from originals in the Manuscript Division. Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress Photoduplication Service, 2001.

Purser's clerk.

Forms part of: Naval Historical Foundation collection.