John Phillip Felt Libri

A firsthand account of a nineteenth-century sealing expedition, this narrative captures the adventurous spirit of its author, Lewis Coolidge (1783-1871), a nephew of Billy Dawes, who famously rode with Paul Revere. In 1806, Coolidge embarked on a five-year voyage aboard the China trader Amethyst, tasked with hunting fur seals to trade for valuable commodities in China while navigating the complexities of international trade. Edited by Evabeth Miller Kienast and Coolidge's descendant John Phillip Felt, his private diary offers insights into the sealing trade and maritime culture of the time, reflecting the experiences of a literate Bostonian on a remarkable journey. The Amethyst departed from Boston in September 1806, heading to Gough Island in the Antarctic for seal hunting. Coolidge led a sealing party off the coast of Spanish-controlled California while the ship returned to Gough. After nearly a year, the Amethyst retrieved Coolidge and his crew from the barren Cerros Islands, where they survived by foraging while hunting seals. Following further sealing off California, the ship traveled to Hawaii and then China to trade the collected skins. The crew also gathered sea cucumbers in the Palau Islands before selling their cargo and the ship itself in China. Coolidge's engaging diary, published here for the first time, is enriched by illustrations and a brief survey of the "Old China trade," providing a vivid portrait of a youn