Arthur Darley commanded the sloop HMS Electra based in the West Indies. He was a captain in the British Royal Navy during the period he was in charge of this sloop. The journal is a personal narrative of his experiences on board and in port, including discussions of his dinner companions and fellow captains of companion HMS ships as well as the flora and fauna of the ports.
Information derived from the collection.
Captain Arthur Darley kept this journal on board the HMS Electra while serving in the British Royal Navy in the West Indies and visiting ports in the Gulf of Mexico. He reported weather, latitude, and longitude, however, the journal is a very personal account of official duties, fishing, life aboard ship, and aspects of ports visited including Bermuda, Jamaica, Honduras, Colombia, Havana, Belize, and Galveston, Texas. The journal also recounts court martial trials, of which Captain Darley was a sitting member, and the punishments meted out.
The journal is one bound volume, circa 120 pages, with entries in ink.