[Logbook of the yacht "France"] 1922-1928

Abstract

The "France" was a schooner purchased in 1922 and used as the vessel for much of the Whitney South Sea Expedition. The logbooks contain entries which provide date, location of travel or mooring, weather conditions and vessel maintenance and repairs. Activities of both the collectors and the ship's crew are recorded, and the logs have periodic inspection stamps. The front flyleaf has a handwritten note in French, dated July 22, 1922, from a represenative of the President of the Commercial Court in Papeete, stating that this is the official logbook of the France. The ship was sold around 1932 and the money received directly supported the continuation of the expedition activities. The Whitney South Sea Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History remains a monumental undertaking of focused natural history specimen collecting. Active research spanned from 1920 to 1941. The many participants of the expedition were tasked with systematically exploring Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia for previously undiscovered or little-known bird specimens.