| Collection | GB 0231 University of Aberdeen, Special Collections |
| Level | Fonds |
| Ref No | MS 2238 |
| Title | George Kerr, surgeon: diary of whaling expedition |
| Date | February 1791 - August 1791 |
| Extent | 1 volume (0.02 linear metres) |
| Creator Name | Kerr; George (fl. 1786 - 1826); surgeon and author |
| Administrative History | George Kerr was a student in Arts and Medicine at Marischal College, Aberdeen, from 1786 - 1790, and a founder member of the Aberdeen Medical Society (est. 1789, subsequently, Aberdeen Medical Chirurgical Society). In 1791 Kerr joined the crew of the Aberdeen-registered 'Christian' as ship's surgeon during its voyage to the northern whaling fishery. He subsequently continued his medical studies at Edinburgh, before returning to Aberdeen where he practised medicine for the rest of his life.
He published several short medical works, including Observations on the Harveian doctrine of the circulation of the blood (London: 1816); Medical sketches on the following subjects: 1.: On the use of Hellebore ... 2.: Of Colchicum Autumnale 3.: Observations on the sudden death of women in child-bed (London: 1818); and A brief memoir concerning the typhus fever, prevailing in Aberdeen, during the years 1818 and 1819 (Aberdeen: Booth, 1820). In 'Examination of a pamphlet entitled Plan of education in the Marischal College and University of Aberdeen, with the reasons of it, drawn up by order of the Faculty, 1755' (Aberdeen: 1826), he commented upon the radical changes proposed to the curriculum and teaching in Marischal College at this time. His library was sold in 1821 by virtue of a warrant issued by the Magistrates of Aberdeen.
For further details see:
'Fasti Academiae Mariscallanae Aberdonensis: Selections from the Records of the Marischal College and University, 1593 - 1860': Volume 2: Officers, Graduates and Alumni, ed. by Peter John Anderson, (Aberdeen: Spalding Club, 1898), p 365;
Ella Hill Burton Rodger, 'Aberdeen doctors at home and abroad: the narrative of a medical school' (Edinburgh: Blackwood, 1893);
'Studies in the History and Development of the University of Aberdeen: A Quarter centenary Tribute Paid by Certain of Her Professors and Her Devoted Sons', ed. by Peter John Anderson, Aberdeen University Studies: no 19 (Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press, 1906) |
| Custodial History | According to notes on the flyleaf the volume had been obtained by J. Munday, 102 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, from the library of W. S-W. Vaux, then deceased. |
| Source | The manuscript was bought by the University Library in 1956 from E. Hall, bookseller. |
| Description | Diary of George Kerr, compiled when he was acting as ship’s surgeon during a whaling expedition, entitled: 'Journal kept on board the Christian of Aberdeen on a voyage to the northern whale fishery'. Daily entries give prevailing weather conditions, approximate position of the vessel, and other ships sighted, with comment on shipboard activities, living conditions in northern waters, and marine life observed. In a note added at the end he records the loss of this 'boyish journal' for thirteen or fourteen years; he also mentions a log-book which he had kept and which had passed into the possession of Messrs. Brebner & Co., and a separate notebook containing observations he made during this voyage on the effect of cold on the suppuration of wounds. The volume contains 40 folios.
A journal kept by George Kerr on board the Christian of Aberdeen on a voyage to the Northern whale fishery off Greenland, 1791
They leave Aberdeen February 18.
Bad weather blows them south to Arbroath, he is seasick and confined to bed
Cabin windows are dashed to pieces by a heavy sea which leaves a great deal of their sugar and books damaged.
He describes seeing gulls and sheerwaters around the ship
26th February: Sees two fish (whales) c. 60 yards from the ship, they blow repeatedly. Also sees some sea parrots (puffins)
2nd March: has been giving Latin lessons to the Captain's son
4th March: impossible to keep warm in bed and water and beer freeze on the table
5th March: sight their first icebergs. At night, the crew drink a bottle to their sweethearts and wives as is the custom at sea
6th March: Harsh frost. Ink and beer frozen in the casks. Great deal of ice pancakes. Rigging stiff and almost unmanageable
10th March: Sees Berenberg 22 leagues away. The highest land he ever saw, he descibes it. Sees some snow birds which he also describes
11th March: They keep no account of the ship's way, scarcely know where they are. Cook almost has two of his fingers chopped off by a hatch falling on them
13th March: Sees many roaches (little auks) but couldn't 'come at them with a fowling piece'.
14th March: Very high gale, spray 20 ft above ship. Seems that 3 hours of fair weather means there are about 3 days of tempest. They feel it is worse when they bear it alone with no other ship in sight. He begins to believe that they will not see another ship in Greenland all season. The crew in general are beginning to grow uneasy at not seeing some vessels to bear them company among the ice in case of any misfortune
15th March: The watch on deck discovers sail. Believes it to be a British ship at first but it turns out to be Danish.
16th March: Hoar frost flies about in clouds and covers everything finely. Shoots a Loom (species of the Guillemot and the Diver) today but can't get it on board
20th March: Sees three vessels and hails one which was the 'Friendship' of London
25th March: The Watch sees two seals
26th March: 11pm watch are alarmed by a light appearing near the vessel. It proves to be the 'Manchester' of Hull upon which they nearly run afoul
29th March: Divert themselves with fishing for gulls: bait the lines with bits of pork which they seize and are drawn up. They fire at a seal but it has no effect.
30th March: Put out a boat in pursuit of a seal and down him and another. The sailors make a meal of their lungs and livers
31st March: The sailors see what they call a 'Sun Dog' or 'Much Sun'. They see a Danish brig on fire. There are many boats around her and they cannot see the brig for smoke. She sinks in about an hour. While writing, he has to put the pen to the candle every half minute to keep the ink fluid.
4th April: They go after and hit a seal which nevertheless attacks the small boat and eventually he is killed. They also get a small seal and two snow birds who were feeding on a dead seal. They see some whales though not of the proper species. A man from a Danish boat falls in and 'continued some time in the water'. They are kept company by the 'Edward' of London.
5th April: Hear reports of 200 sail. They get a seal. They speak to the 'Liberty' of Kirkwall which is a sloop not exceeding 90 tonnes: 'A curiosity in Greenland'. Hears rumours of a Russian war
6th April: The ship, 'The Lion', reports that the press had begun on the Thames when they left.
7th April: They decide to steer to the North East as the hopes of seal fishing are almost gone. The Captain speaks of getting their lines coiled and boats ready
8th April: They must saw their beef. Everything in the medicine chest is frozen except spirits of wine
11th April: They go after a seal the same time as another boat. Their man harpoons him and is dragged overboard and the seal speeds off with the line in his back once he lets go. In the following two days, they kill 4 more seals. They see a good many whales but of the wrong species
22nd April: See many beautiful ducks around the ships. They have been driven from land by the gale
30th April: The boats, lines and harpoons are ready for the whale fishing. They put up their May garland
1st May: The sun doesn't set at all. Kerr sits up all night watching it
3nd May: He speaks to a Captain who left London in April who says that there is a Russian war, that there is a press ongoing on the Thames and that a convoy might be sent to the fishing grounds to press the British sailors there
5th May: they see two whales and lower the boat but they have gone before they get near
7th May: Boats are put out from the 'Christian' and the 'Eclipse' to hunt whales but with no success. He remarks on their difficulties in estimating longitude
12th May and the 15th of May: He lists and describes the ships that they keep company with
16th May: He remarks that 'the whole fishing trade in Greenland appears to be declining fast and it is not much to be wondered at. If the ships here this season are not agreeably surprised with good luck, scarce one half will come out next season.' He remarks that the 'Young Eagle' has 2 fish
18th May: They kill 5 Looms. Other ships have told them that there is no war with Russia
20th May: they hear that the 'Blessing' of London has been lost in lat. 77. Another ship rescued 9 crewmen
21st May: they send a boat to the ice field to cut holes for ice anchors. The wind blows them away from the anchorage and a Danish boat immediately takes it. In trying to make fast, a Danish boat stoves one of their best boats and two of his own. Eventually they moor safely and are very quickly surrounded by ice
22nd May: He sees a bear on the ice. The Captain of the 'Friendship' of London died on board the ship. The 'Neptune' of Leith is stove in and the crew abandon ship. A Dutch ship breaks loose of its moorings and falls foul of them. They again lose one boat and he loses two. Soon after, the same happens again with the 'Castle' of Hull in which they lose their starboard anchor stock and their cot head, and part of their fore rigging is carried away. He suspects the vessels to be in danger and gets on to the ice. The 'Castle''s stern is hard upon their bows and both vessels are cracking as if they'd go to pieces at any minute. Fortunately the wind changes and they are safe for a while. They help rescue men from the ice who are from the 'Raith' of Leith and who have become separated from their ship. They hear that the 'Blessing' of London got a whale which gave them 40 butts of blubber before the ship sank
23rd May: The men from the 'Neptune' are distributed among the Leith ships. The 'Tay' of Dundee has got a fish. They see one whale, some seals and a 'unicorn' (narwhal).
25th May: They make sail but are soon beset again. The Dutch ship 'T'weede Patriot' gets a fish
26th May: he intends to go aboard the 'Eclipse' to help treat a sailor who has broken his thigh bone but the ice prevents it. By midnight, they are trapped in the ice along with 60 other ships
27th May to the 30th May: While trapped in the ice, the crew of the ships spend their time visiting one another. Two Danish boys from another vessel come on board. The elder is sixteen years old and has been in Greenland seven times. He describes their appearance. He also visits some Dutch ships and describes a burial he sees.
31st May: Draws a tooth from a Danish carpenter
1st June: The ice loosens a little and some ships get underway. They also set sail but he does not think they'll get far. They make almost a mile in 4 hours. He describes the size and shape of the ice floes they are sailing through. For the following few days, they remain able to move. They see two whales but cannot get near to them
6th June: He describes the weather - they are ice-bound once more. He believes they are soon to be as closely beset as ever, for they have hardly got clear since the 21st of May
7th June: The ship that was astern of them (the Dutch 'Land von Beloften') is wrecked. He describes how it is crushed by the ice. He thinks his own ship is safe. The water is already over the casks in the hold but he does not think it will rise any higher. The ship the other side of the crushed one (the 'Bosch Haven') shows two distress signals and is visibly sinking. Another, further away, is also in trouble with its yard arms almost touching the ice
8th June: Their men are salvaging what they can from the Dutch ship. Some of the Dutch sailors strike them. He treats his ship's carpenter who has been wounded in the arm by a lance thrown by a Dutchman. The wound is deep but not dangerous. It was acquired in trying to get a fore topsail. They have got ropes, oars and other items to considerable value. Men from other ships are also trying to salvage what they can.
11th June: They, and the crews of the other ships, spend their time hunting on the ice. They see and kill a seal and use the body to attract some birds. They get three snow birds and a burgomaster. They see some Danes in pursuit of a bear. They also see about 8 unicorns (Narwhal) which he describes as 'very pretty…having spotted skins and each a fine twisted horn.'
13th June: he states that no one entertains any hopes of fishing now, they are only anxious of obtaining an opening in the sea
16th June: The ice sets very hard on them and squeezes them. All provisions are on deck and they prepare for the worst. All have their bedding and possessions ready to remove. The ice eases a little towards the evening but is still very close. He remarks that they have no expectation of the vessels getting safely out of the ice. Every person is anxious.
18th June: At about noon, the ship's starboard quarter is stove in and she begins to require one pump constantly going to clear the water. They send word to the 'Eclipse' who send the bulk of their crew over and with their help, they manage to ease the pressure by moving the ice away with the spare fore top mast. The leak eases by degrees
22nd June: Nothing changes. He remarks that they have no 'view but of lodging in Greenland for the winter and for ever'. The cracking of the vessel does not allow them to sleep
25th June: their ship is squeezed terribly and stoved out of the water about 18 inches. He remarks that he is becoming hardened to such scenes
27th June: He goes on board the 'Eclipse' to help treat a man with gangrene in his feet. He finds the man ill-treated, delirious and within a few days of death.
28th June: They are pressed worse than ever and are obliged to send a signal to the 'Eclipse' that they are in danger. The ship is stove in, in a different place from before, before the crew of the 'Eclipse' arrive. The pumps are needed to keep it afloat and it is leaking faster than they can pump. Three Danish crews are also helping. They also have to keep off the Dutchmen who wished to plunder her. The work quickly becomes futile as the ship keeps going down. Their possessions and provisions are tossed on to the ice and some of the sails are cut down. No one has the least hope for safety but an unexpected breeze blows the ice away and their carpenters are able to repair the breach. Within an hour, there are only 7 inches of water in the ship and it is free of ice
29th June to the 2nd of July: The ice recedes rapidly - by 10 pm on the 29th, they cannot see it. The following day, they set sail. They make 5 miles before they are stopped by ice and make fast, other ships keeping them company. On the first of July, the 'Eclipse' returns to their former berth while they decide to make for the South and East to find their way out.
3rd July: He describes catching and killing 2 bears in the water. He dissects the abdomen and thorax of one and keeps a bone as a curiosity
4th July to the 8th of July: They tow the ship through the ice
10th July: They are close beset again. Kerr describes the sailors as dejected
11th July: They make great headway
13th July: They make little process. No sooner does the ice slacken than the wind turns southerly and stops them. Their provisions begin to wear out and there is talk of putting the men on to still shorter allowances
21st July: Making headway and they flatter themselves that clear water is only 3 miles away. By 4pm they are in open water. The crew rations are advanced to their usual rate. The master intends to steer along the course of the ice to try and leave from Berenberg. Kerr describes it as a 'foolish course'
27th July: They give up on finding Berenberg and take their departure from Greenland. Kerr gives the differing views on their position as no one is sure of the exact latitude and longitude
3rd August - 13th of August: They reach what they think is the coast of Norway and there is some concern in case England is at war with Denmark as they do not want to fall into enemy hands. They then make for Buchanness and on the 12th of August, they see the steeple of Peterhead. The following day, they finally land home in Aberdeen
There is a note at the end of the journal stating that there were two facts absent from the journal that stuck in his mind 14 years later - That the spirit cask froze and that men had to carry shovels of coal to thaw it (c. 8th April) and the fact that they travelled as far north as the 81st Latitude. |
| Appraisal | This material has been appraised in line with normal procedures. |
| Accruals | None expected. |
| Access Status | Open |
| Access Conditions | The records are available subject to the signed acceptance of the Department's access conditions. |
| Copyright | Subject to the condition of the original, copies may be supplied for private research use only on receipt of a signed undertaking to comply with current copyright legislation. Permission to make any published use of material from the collection must be sought in advance from the University Archivist and, where appropriate, from the copyright owner. Where possible, assistance will be given in identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material. |
| Language | English |
| Physical Description | Folio 3 is loose. The volume, 16.5 x 20.8 cm., contains 40 folios and has been re-bound in half-calf. |
| Related Material | MS 673 - Diary of a Whaling Voyage, 1831. |
| Publication Note | Journal of George Kerr on a voyage to northern whale fishery, 1791. Northern Scotland, Volume 1, No. 1 (1972), pp.122-3.
For publication of much of the text see 'George Kerr, An arctic whaling journal of 1791', edited by Ann Savours, (Cambridge: Polar Record, 1959), Polar record 9.
For a short description of GB 231 MS 2238, in the context of other diaries and journals deposited in the University, see Colin McLaren, 'Reports and surveys of archives in northern Scotland', Northern Scotland 1 (1) (1972). |