Log of HMS SIRIUS 1787 - 1792
Date1787-1792
Object number00055232
NameLog book
MediumLeather, Iron gall ink, paper
Paste, Japanese tissue, fimoplast P tissue, reversable PVA, Mull and handmade paper linings, calf 18th century style (spine), marble slides
DimensionsOverall (Log Closed): 200 × 135 × 60 mm, 865 g
Overall (Slip Box): 210 × 140 × 70 mm, 218 g
ClassificationsBooks and journals
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift of descendants of Vice-Admirals Harry Edmund Edgell CB (1809 - 1876) and Sir John Augustine Edgell KBE, CB, FRS (1880- 1962)
DescriptionWritten in the beautifully neat hand of William Bradley, this Log of HMS SIRIUS is a fair copy. Logbooks were working documents subject to water damage, ink blotches and the varying physical state of the person entering the information (alert, exhausted ...) during the voyage. This log exhibits no such signs of hard use and was undoubtedly copied from the original shipboard log at some point after the events it records.HistoryWilliam Bradley was appointed First Lieutenant of HMS SIRIUS on 25 October 1786, and sailed in her with the First Fleet in May 1787. After arriving at Port Jackson on 26 January 1788, he was immediately deployed to assist Captain John Hunter on a series of surveys of Sydney Harbour. Bradleys Point, now known as Bradleys Head, on the north shore of Sydney Harbour was named for him in 1788.
From October to May 1789 he sailed with Hunter to the Cape of Good Hope, via Cape Horn, to collect provisions for the settlement. Bradley sailed to Norfolk Island in March 1790. The SIRIUS was wrecked on arrival on 19 March, and Bradley was forced to remain on the island for 11 months. He undertook a survey of the island during this period before returning to Port Jackson on the SUPPLY. In March 1791 Bradley returned to England on board the chartered Dutch ship WAAKSAAMHEID, sailing via the Philippines. In England he was one of several officers, including Hunter, court martialled over the loss of the SIRIUS. All were honourably acquitted.
Following Governor Phillip's request, Bradley was promoted to the rank of Master and Commander, in July 1792. Special reference was made of his survey work on Norfolk Island. He rose to the rank of Rear Admiral of the Blue and was superannuated in September 1812.
Comparison of Bradley’s log of HMS SIRIUS with the William Bradley’s journal entitled ‘A Voyage to New South Wales, December 1786 – May 1792’, held in the State Library of New South Wales has confirmed that the hand of the two manuscripts is the same. Given that one leaf in the Bradley’s Journal bears an 1802 watermark, it shows that it was compiled sometime after that date - indicating that it is a fair copy of the original. It contains 29 watercolours, 22 charts and 14 maps, and very important observations of the native inhabitants and the natural history of the Sydney area. Like Bradley’s Log, Bradley’s Journal is also a fair copy, and it is reasonable to speculate they were executed at a similar date, some time after Bradley had returned to England.
SignificanceThe log provides a direct link to the life of William Bradley and is a precise record of HMS SIRIUS from the time it departed Portsmouth with the First Fleet in 1787 until its wrecking at Norfolk Island in March 1790. It is written in Bradley's hand and contains nine charts (including Botany Bay and Port Jackson) as well as several previously unknown coastal profiles. The log complements William Bradley's narrative journal held in the State Library of New South Wales and represents an acquisition of national importance.
