George Batty Diary

Collection

Identifier: MS-0405

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

In 1854, George Batty wrote this journal as a long anecdotal letter to his friends, describing his sea voyage from Liverpool to Montreal on the ships "Cleopatra" and "New Era." Battyʼs vivid daily account spans more than two weeks in August and September, with accompanying observations about city living in Montreal added in December at the end of the diary. Batty describes conditions of the ship and the weather, his fellow passengers, various events aboard the ship (such as a fire, drunken stowaways, iceberg encounters, and porpoise interactions), and also relates his impressions of Quebec and Montreal during his stay. Observations of the upper Canadian coast, the St. Lawrence River, the Victoria Bridge, Eskimo and Iroquois tribes, the timber trade, and severe winter conditions are present in the manuscript. No biographical information has been located for George Batty.

Dates

Creation: 1854-1854

Creator

Batty, George (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The copyright interests in some or all of these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with the creator(s) of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of archival collections is such that multiple creators are often applicable and copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. In any case, the user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, obtaining publication rights and copyright infringement. When requesting images from Special Collections & University Archives for publication, we require a signed agreement waiving San Diego State University of any liability in the event of a copyright violation.