Narrative of the Voyage of HMS Samarang, during the Years 1843–46
Employed Surveying the Islands of the Eastern Archipelago

Belcher's account, published in 1848, includes vivid descriptions of pirates, princes, fascinating cultures, exotic flora and spectacular fauna.

Edward Belcher (Author), Arthur Adams (Appendix by)

9781108029230, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 30 June 2011

594 pages, 6 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 3.4 cm, 0.75 kg

Sir Edward Belcher (1799–1877) was a British naval officer who served as surveyor on several long voyages in the Atlantic and Pacific. Published in 1848, this two-volume account, interspersed with charts and illustrations, was the second of his journals to appear in print, and appealed to Victorian readers' enthusiasm for books on exploration, natural history, ethnology and adventure. In Volume 2, Belcher recounts dramatic episodes on his return journey to England from Japan via Hong Kong and Mauritius. This volume incorporates an engaging, and sometimes alarming, commentary on flora and fauna provided by the ship's surgeon, Arthur Adams, in which readers are introduced to spectacular species of spiders, fish and snakes, as well as sensational descriptions of shrunken heads. It also includes a 30-page vocabulary chart, introduced by Ernest Adams, listing English words and their equivalents in Spanish and ten Asian languages.

11. Japan and Loo-Choo
12. Hong-Kong and the Philippines
13. Islands of the Mindoro and Sooloo Seas
14. Labuan to Mauritius
15. Mauritius to England
Conclusion
Part I. Notes from a Journal of Research into the Natural History of the Countries Visited during the Voyage of H.M.S. Samarang Arthur Adams: 1. Cape de Verds, Cape of Good Hope, Java
2. Borneo
3. Bashee and Meia-Co-Shimah groups
4. The Philippine Archipelago
5. The Sooloo and Molucca Archipelagos
6. Singapore and Borneo
7. Borneo
8. Loo-Choo, Korea, Japan
9. Borneo
10. Mauritius to England
Concluding remarks
A brief vocabulary of languages Ernest Adams.

Subject Areas: Asian history [HBJF]