Memorials of the Sea

Published in 1835 and 1850, and reissued here together, these two works highlight the perils of seafaring and Arctic exploration.

William Scoresby (1789–1857) was variously a whaler, scientist and clergyman. Published in 1835 and 1850, the two works reissued here highlight the perils of seafaring and Arctic exploration. The first is coloured by Scoresby's religious beliefs, while the second draws on his own Arctic experience and knowledge.Son of an Arctic whaler, William Scoresby (1789–1857) made the first of many voyages to northern latitudes when he was just ten years old. Later a scientist and clergyman, he wrote on a wide range of topics, and his observations on the Arctic prompted further exploration of the region. The two works reissued here together draw on his experience of seafaring in difficult conditions. First published in 1835, Memorials of the Sea is coloured by Scoresby's belief in divine providence. He discusses the observance of the Sabbath at sea, and considers the Mary Russell murders of 1828, where a ship's captain killed his crew. Scoresby interviewed the perpetrator himself and draws his own conclusions as to the meaning of the incident. The second work included in this reissue is The Franklin Expedition (1850), drawing together considerations relating to the fate and whereabouts of the missing explorers.