212 - [MANUSCRIPT] BRETTE, A. Logbook kept in 1903 by a cadet aboard the passenger ship S/S Amiral Jaureguiberry, sailing from Indochina to Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk.

[MANUSCRIPT] BRETTE, A. Logbook kept in 1903 by a cadet aboard the passenger ship S/S Amiral Jaureguiberry, sailing from Indochina to Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk. A valuable autographed logbook kept by a young French officer during his voyage aboard the mail steamship S/S Amiral Jaureguiberry, traveling from Indochina to Meiji-era Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk, between August 5 and September 1, 1903. 5 double leaves, in-8 format (160 x 215 mm), containing 9 handwritten pages in cursive script in black ink, with a calligraphic title at the top, adorned with an original color drawing depicting the Amiral Jauréguiberry. Minor brown stains. A moving autograph logbook kept between August 5 and September 1, 1903, by A. Brette, a cadet from Versailles, during his voyage aboard the mail steamship S/S Amiral Jauréguiberry (Compagnie des Chargeurs Réunis) connecting Indochina to Japan and the eastern coasts of the Russian Empire. The header, carefully calligraphied on the first page, is adorned with a color illustration depicting the liner. Blending scenes of life on board (the cabin’s layout, hunts for malamocks, changing weather conditions as the ship approached the Russian trading posts) with impressions of the cultural life and local customs observed during the stopover in Moji (Buddhist priest rituals, ceremonies in pagodas, geisha dances), the author offers a vivid and spontaneous account of Meiji-era Japan and navigation in the Far East on the eve of the Russo-Japanese War. The manuscript is perfectly legible and well-preserved.