The Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle for 1856

The Nautical Magazine first appeared in 1832, and was published monthly well into the twenty-first century. It covers a wide range of subjects, including navigation, meteorology, technology and safety. An important resource for maritime historians, it also includes reports on military and scientific expeditions and on current affairs. The 1856 volume is still overshadowed by the aftermath of the disastrous Franklin expedition to navigate the North-West Passage; ironically, the Suez Canal proposed by de Lesseps, and the possibility of a Panama canal, also feature prominently. Another report discusses a projected telegraph to the Middle East and India, while an account of a voyage to the Crimea comments that 'Gallipoli … has little to recommend it'. Other topics covered include the sailing times of Atlantic packets and steamers, the Pacific and Indian oceans, Sydney docks, Aboriginal culture and awards received by the editor in recognition of his invention of an 'artificial horizon'.