Macedonian logbooks

1853-1855

These three logbooks were kept on board the U.S.S. Macedonian during a trip from New York to Japan between February 1853 and May 1855. Two were kept by John R. C. Lewis and the third was kept by Lawrence F. Lewis. The Macedonian was one of the ships which joined Commodore Matthew Perry's expedition and accompanied him on his second visit to Japan. John R. C. Lewis' volumes include journal entries which describe numerous places passed on the voyage including the Azores, Canary Islands, Island of St. Helena, Hong Kong, Canton, Formosa, Bonin Islands, Japan, Samoda, Whampoa, and Manila. Lewis also provides an account of Commodore Perry's landing in Japan and of the Japanese Head Commissioner's visit to Perry, as well as a fight between the Rebel party and Mandarin party of China in Whampoa Reach. His logbooks also include a few sketches of some of the ships in the expedition and some of the harbors, as well as a sketch of Perry's landing Lawrence F. Lewis' logbook was kept on board the same ship, during the same voyage