The Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle for 1844

The Nautical Magazine, published monthly from 1832, covers subjects including navigation, oceanography, meteorology, exploration, trade, technology and maritime safety. The 1844 volume documents commercial rivalries over the building of Birkenhead Docks. Other topics include the calculation of Navy provisions and how Queen Victoria acquired the musket ball that killed Nelson.

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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 1844 volume includes discussion of the building of the docks at Birkenhead, which met with great opposition from the rival port of Liverpool. Other topics covered include discipline on merchant ships, the report of the committee on shipwreck, the visit of the King of France and a description of Zanzibar. There is a fascinating scale showing how Navy provisions were calculated, and a surprising set of extracts from correspondence in which the owner of the musket ball that killed Nelson offers it to Queen Victoria, and the Queen accepts, keeping it at Windsor Castle (where it is still on display today).