[Laurens (Bark) of Sag Harbor, NY, mastered by Atkins Eldridge, keeper Samuel S. Stafford, on voyage 21 August 1845 - January 1848]

Typed memoir of a whaling voyage to the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Includes descriptions of whales seen or taken, illnesses, accidents, taking on provisions at various ports, interactions with natives, ship maintenance, a rescue, and scrimshaw carving. Also contains poems. Autobiographical memoir written by Stafford who describes in great detail his observations of marine and wildlife (including birds), his whaling experiences, the cutting-in process, his experiences as part of a ship's crew at sea (including during heavy gales), and his extensive experiences at all the different ports of call throughout the voyage. The crew passed a shipwreck during passage from Cape Verde to St. Helena. While near the Cape of Good Hope, Stafford observes three hours of "constant flashes and explosions of meteors" that he speculated were fragments of some comet. While at Tristan da Cunha, the crew rescued some men stranded at sea. Stafford recounts a story told my one of the crew about being swept overboard during a previous voyage of the Gem (Bark) of Sag Harbor. The crew celebrated Christmas Day in 1845 with a special feast. Stafford met with a missionary and his wife while on Tahiti. Other places represented include Karakakoa Bay (Hawaii) and Saint Catharine's Island. Whaling grounds include the Tristan, East Cape, Northwest Coast, New Zealand, False Banks, and On the Line grounds.