Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Book - Reference, navigation, J. W. Norie (author and editor), The Seaman and Merchants Complete Expeditious Measurer, 1853
The book was published at the same address as London’s Navigation Waterhouse and Naval Academy. It is likely to be one of the textbooks used in educating seafarers, both naval and merchant. It is the twenty-fifth edition, showing that it was in great demand in the early to mid-19th century. Sea merchants could have used this as a reference for working out freight costs for their cargo. Customs Officers could have referred to it as well to calculate fees and taxes.
The book’s owner had inscribed in pen and ink "Rose Anna, Schooner, Melbourne, March 25th 1857". At that time, the registered owners were Thomas Lamb & E. Keays, who were freighting cargo between Melbourne and Geelong.
Schooner, ROSE ANNA: -
The schooner Rose Anna was built in 1844 at Fremantle, W.A., by H. Edwards for Capt. William Heard. The 2-masted wooden vessel was carvel-built.
Captain Heard registered Rose Anna at Fremantle in 1845 and in the same year, registered it at Port Adelaide. in 1852, Rose Anna was crushed and sunk at Port Adelaide by the Selma and raised. In 1852, the schooner was lengthened by William Hardy. In 1853, William Burton and W. Roberts registered Rose Anna at Melbourne. In 1855, W. Roberts registered, followed by John Balston & Thomas Ross. In 1856, it was registered by Thomas Lamb & E. Keays, in 1857 by William Howes & Charles Holland, in 1865 by Charles Holland & John Balfour, and in 1866 registered in Melbourne by mariners John Balfour & David Griffiths.
In the 1940s, Rose Anna traded between Hobart, Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Circular Head, Port Fairy, and Port Albert. In the 1950s and 1960s, it traded between Geelong Heads and Hobsons Bay, Melbourne, in lime, wool, general cargo and ballast.
In 1857, when Rose Anna’s registered owners were Thomas Lamb & E. Keays, an advertisement was placed in The Age on March 9th, announcing that the Rose Anna was taking freight from Melbourne to Geelong. Later in the year, in October, the registered owners were William Howes & Charles Holland. They were still trading with Geelong, as on October 7th, The Age announced that Rose Anna arrived in Geelong from Melbourne on October 5th.
On October 6th, 1866, Rose Anna went ashore while loading wheat at Sandridge, Port Phillip Bay, in severe gales and heavy seas and became a total wreck.
The book is significant for its association with reference information to instruct sea merchant traders and naval officers.
The publication is in its twenty-fifth edition, indicating the importance of such an instructional book.
The book of tables and calculations shows the evolution of such reference texts, going from handwritten notes, to printed tables like these, and forward to slide rules, calculators, and to modern time computers. it demonstrates the importance of accuracy in calculating weights and measures at sea and for the purposes of fess, charges and taxes.
The book is important to the history of the schooner Rose Anna, which is listed as a significant vessel on the Victorian Heritage Register, S582, as it has an inscription with the ship's name, date, and destination. Book, tall and narrow, with index tabs on the side edges of the pages.
FULL Title: The Seaman and Merchants Complete Expeditious Measurer: The Seaman and Merchants Complete Expeditious Measure; containing a set of tables which show, at one view, the solid contents of all kinds of packags and casks, according to their several lengths, breadths and depths: also, rules for determining the contents of all sorts of casks in wine and beer measure, according to the Imperial Standard.
Twenty-Fifth (Stereotype) Edition.
Author: Mr J W Norie (John William Norie)
Date: 1853
Publisher: Charles Wilson (late J.W. Norrie & Wilson), Bookseller, Publisher and Stationer,
At the Navigation Waterhouse and Naval Academy, No. 157, Leadenhall Street, where may be had all the publications of Steel & Co. Late at No. 70, Cornhill.
Printer: Bateman and Dennis, 95 Leadenhall Street, London, England, 1853
The book has handwritten, pen and ink inscriptions. It refers to the Schooner, Rose Anna, Melbourne, March 25th 1857.Handwritten in script with pen and ink: "Rose Anna / Schooner / Melbourne, / March 25th 1857"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, the seaman and merchants complete expeditious measurer, book, sea merchants, cargo, calculations, measurements, sea trade, maritime book, sea transportation, cargo rate calculations, naval academy, navy education, navigation, navigation instruction, navigation waterhouse and naval academy, twenty-fifth edition, 19th century, 1853, 1857, customs, freight, ullage, rose anna, schooner, 2-masted, march 25th 1857, melbourne, 25 march 1857, thomas lamb & e. keays, geelong, 1844, h. edwards, fremantle, carvel-built, port adelaide, selma, william hardy, william burton and w. roberts, john balston & thomas ross., charles holland & john balfour, john balfour & david griffiths, hobart, sydney, circular head, port fairy, port albert, hobsons bay, sandridge, port phillip bay
Federation University Historical Collection
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Mt Dandenong & District Historical Society Inc.
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village