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Fog horn |
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Foghorns became obligatory for ships when maritime regulations tightened up in the last half of the 19th century. This example, used in poor visibility (hence the name), would have been carried by a small vessel.
Rules relating to sounding fog signals as warnings at sea began life separately in the USA and Britain in 1858. In 1863 Britain and France devised new and more comprehensive rules and these gained international acceptance in 1864. Following the important Washington Conference of 1884, when a host of matters relating to the safe operation of ships at sea were codified and agreed, the first International Regulations for the Prevention of Collision at Sea were adopted. They have been successively modified since the latest significant change being in 1989.
A small motor boat would have had sound one long toot of this horn at least every 2 minutes. It would be easy to get very tired! |
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An East India Company flintlock musket with a socket bayonet and scabbard by Joseph Heylin, 48 Cornhill, London |
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The type was known as the ．Brown Bess・ and was in use in the British Army from 1722-1838 - probably the longest serving long arm in the history of warfare. The HKMM example is of the East India Company short land pattern with a 39；(1m) barrel, adopted by the British Army as the India Pattern musket in 1790. The furniture of the musket is made from brass, the butt and stock from walnut and the barrel and lock of steel. The lock shows the Company merchant mark across the lock tail and there is another company mark on the butt. The socket bayonet was a great improvement on the earlier plug bayonet (which blocked the barrel) because it allowed the musketeer defend himself and fire simultaneously. Joseph Heylin was an East India Company contractor from 1775 to 1777, he was made free of the Gunmakers・ Company in 1757, made Master in 1777 and died in 1801. |
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Pocket globe |
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In an era when atlases were huge and library and desk globes big and heavy, globes like this were devised as a portable substitute that could fit in a pocket. This Lane・s Improved Globe, made in London in the early 19th century, is 3； (76mm) in diameter and made of papier-maché. Nathaniel Lane worked in London around 1776-1829 and produced the ．Lane・s Pocket Globe・ and ．Lane・s Improved Globe・. The designs he used are primarily based on, or are the actual designs of Dudley Adams (1762-1830) the last of the Adams globe makers, who flourished from 1704-1830. Support for this view is that on this globe the gores carry the name of James Mynde (a London engraver, fl.1720-1770), who did the gore engravings for several late 18th century globe makers including the Adams family, Nicholas Lane (fl.1775-1783 but seemingly no relation) and James Ferguson.
The globe rotates on its metal axes in its fish skin (shagreen) covered carrying case. Ingeniously the inside of the carrying case is a ．star・ globe showing the disposition of the major celestial constellations. The globe shows the tracks of well known British voyages of the 18th century: the notorious voyage of Captain George Anson 1740-44, which called in Macau and Guangzhou, and the outward and return passages of Captain Cook・s last expedition 1776-1780, noting the place in Hawaii where Captain Cook was killed on Feb 20th, 1779. |
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