Add MS 89674/1

One journal containing details of two voyages taken by Sir Stafford Northcote.

This small book with a pale blue cover and red marbled end pages is titled on the cover and inside the front cover with handwritten labels. The volume contains details of a voyage to Egypt on the Deerhound in 1869 and across the Mediterranean on the Pandora in 1882.

Northcote was invited by Sir George Stucley to travel with him to Egypt on his yacht the Deerhound in 1869 to attend the official opening of the Suez Canal. They set sail from Plymouth on 22 Oct, sailing down to the Bay of Biscay and into the Mediterranean. They stopped at Gibraltar on 28 Oct and went ashore, where they met General Bisset, Arthur Chichester, Nicholas Kendall and Admiral James Prevost. They sailed on several days later, after delays due to bad weather, arriving in Valetta, Malta, on 9 Nov. There they met Sir Patrick Grant and visited the palace and cathedral. Further bad weather slowed their voyage to Egypt, arriving at Port Said on 16 Nov.

There Northcote witnessed the benediction ceremony of the new Suez Canal, seeing many important guests attending, including Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, Empress Eugenie de Montijo, the Queen of Holland, Sir Edward Stanton, Sir Alexander Milne, Lord Hayton, and Dr Russell. On 17 Nov, the Deerhound joined the inaugural voyage down the new canal in 18th place, passing several grounded vessels along the way, and briefly running aground itself a couple of times. The complete voyage took several days including stops in Lake Timsah where a dinner and dance was held in a temporary ballroom beside an Arab encampment, and in Bitter Lake where fireworks were set off.

On reaching Suez, Northcote and friends took a train to Cairo to attend the Viceroy's ball. They stayed in the city and visited Heliopolis and Giza to see the ancient sites. Northcote describes his impression of the Egyptian people and considers how the country will be affected by the new canal. They returned to Suez on 26 Nov and began their voyage home. Sir Stucley was unwell on the voyage home, so they took a detour to the Piraeus, Greece, arriving on 4 Dec. While here Northcote took the train to Athens, visiting the Acropolis and other local sites, and even organising a walk up Mount Pentelicus despite the threat of bandits. They then sailed on to Malta, arriving on 12 Dec and visited naval hospital. Northcote transferred to another vessel to Marseilles and then took the train to Paris where he visited some friends before taking the travelling back to London on 20 Dec.

The second volume describes a family holiday around the Mediterranean. Northcote set out from Portsmouth with his wife on 24 Nov 1882, but they were held back from crossing the English channel by bad weather. Reached Vigo, Spain on 2 Dec, they went ashore and visited Redondela. They sailed onwards to Gibraltar, arriving on 9 Dec, where they visited Lord and Lady Napier and the Governor's house. When they arrived at Malaga on 14 Dec they were met by the consul, Charles Toll Bidwell, and visited the protestant cemetery. They sailed on to Ibiza, staying there on the 16-17, before sailing on to Cagliari in Sardinia and visiting the amphitheatre and cathedral on 19 Dec. They stayed at Palermo over Christmas, visiting the consul, cathedral and museum. Next they sailed towards Galetta on 30 Dec, took the train to Tunis and, on 31, visited the ruins of Carthage. They then sailed to Malta, arriving on 3 Jan, before sailing on to Syracuse, Sicily, arriving on 6 Jan. There they visited the cathedral, museum and amphitheatre and then sailed on to Catania to visit more sights. The voyage continued to Taormina, then Messina, and finally to Naples. They toured Naples and Pompeii from 17-23 Jan. The final leg of the voyage visited Mentone, Monte Carlo, Villefranche, and Nice. They took the train from Nice on 6 Feb back to Paris and then home to London on 9 Feb.