ARGONAUTA The Newsletter of The Canadian Nautical Research Society Volume XVI Number Two April 1999 ARGONAUTA Founded 1984 by Kenneth MacKenzie ISSN No. 0843-8544 Honorary Editor Gerald E. Panting Editors Michael A. Hennessy Maurice D. Smith Argonauta Editorial Office Marine Museum ofthe Great Lakes at Kingston 55 Ontario Street, Kingston, Ontario K7K 2Y2 e-mail [email protected][email protected] Telephone: (613) 542-2261 FAX: (613)542-0043 ARGONAUTA is published four time a year-January, April, July and October The Canadian Nautical Research Society Executive Officers President: G. Edward Reed, Ottawa Past President: Faye Kert, Ottawa Vice-President: Christon I. Archer, Calgary Vice-President: William R. Glover, London, ON Councilor: Gerald Jordan, Toronto Councilor: James Pritchard, Kingston Councilor: Maurice D. Smith, Kingston Secretary: Richard Gimblett, Ottawa Treasurer: Ann Martin, Ottawa Canadian Nautical Research Society Mailing Address Membership Business P.O. Box 55035 240 Sparks Street, Ottawa, Ontario, KIP IA I Annual Membership including four issues ofARGONAUTA and four issues of THE NORTHERN MARiNER! LE MARiN DU NORD: Individuals, $35.00; Institutions, $60.00; Students, $25.00 APRIL 1999 ARGONAUTA 1 MUN, that support will effectively IN THIS ISSUE come to an end on I April 1999. Editorial The problem confronting Council was, therefore, to identify measures - viz., reducing expenditures, in­ Council Comer, 1 creasing revenues, or some By C. Edward Reed combination of the two - that could be taken, first., to make up for the Member News 3 loss of the subsidy that the Society has been receiving annually from Articles MUN - some $6,000 during the -The Saxby Gale, by Alan Ruffman 3 University's most recent fiscal year - The Periodical Literature, by OlafJanzen 5 - and, second and more important ­ - Update on the 1999 CNRS Confernce, by OlafJanzen 9 to ensure the long-term viability of - Nautical Nostalgia, by William Glover 15 the Society. Accordingly, after a careful and thorough examination of a number of alternatives, Council Current Maritime Calendar 18 agreed on the following measures: • To change printers. Although Printing Services at MUN has EDITORIAL provided the Society with a In this issue the comments of the high level of service from the A call for volunteers? Readers of President of the CNRS are impor­ very beginning and the change this forum may note that on occa­ tant for all members ofthe CNRS to to a mainland printer would sion the editors appear to have been digest. The spirit is willing but flesh undoubtedly cause some incon­ asleep at the switch. For this we costs money. venience for the Managing apologize. When Maurice Smith Editor, Council concluded that and I took on the job of editing Ar­ Mike Hennessy, ed. the estimated savings of some gonauta several years ago we did so $1,000 annually more than jus­ in order to ensure its survival. Both tified the move. Olaf Janzen and Skip Fischer had COUNCIL CORNER­ produced it for years, while also APRIL 1999 • To change from printing The sustaining other maritime journals Northern Mariner/Le Marin du and sought relief from the effort. G. Edward Reed, nord on 60-pound paper to This we have granted them. Neither President, CNRS printing it on 50-pound paper. Maurice nor I are in the habit of A particular concern of Council bleating about our plight but it is The Council of the Society held its in assessing this measure was accurate to state that our consump­ regular mid-winter meeting on 23 with the physical appearance of tion by other pursuits directly January, with a rather full and, in the journal. Council did, how­ related to our paying work have some respects, difficult agenda. ever, have a chance to examine detracted from the attention and a journal that is currently being time we might devote to this news­ As members know, the Society has printed on 50-pound stock, and letter. For me, at least, the pace of benefited greatly over the years it was felt that the change in the the work promises to be reduced in from the practical and financial physical appearance of The several months. Thus steps will be support that has been provided to it Northern mariner/Le Marin du taken to re-invigorate this forum. by Memorial University of New­ nord from printing it on a Anyone interested in contributing to foundland - e.g., the services of lighter stock, though notice­ this effort is encouraged to contact students for stuffing envelopes and able, would be relatively the editors directly (see inside front covering the costs of mailing out modest overall and that the cover for details). Your contribu­ The Northern Mariner/Le Marin du change to a lighter stock was, tions are all encouraged. nord and Argonauta. However, again, justified by the potential owing to the financial situation at 2 ARGONAUTA APRIL 1999 savings in printing and postage • To recommend the establish­ actions would be followed by other costs. ment of several new categories members of the Society who might of member - viz., sponsor, wish to help the Society weather an • To begin to charge for the in­ benefactor, patron, and corpo­ especially difficult period in its sertion of flyers and catalogues rate - and the setting of the history. in The Northern Mariner/Le annual subscriptions for those Marin du nord and to begin to new categories at $75, $100, Turning to happier, more positive accept paid advertisements. $250, and $200, respectively, to developments.... the members at the forthcoming • To begin to accept credit Annual General Meeting. It Council received reports on the pro­ cards for the payment of sub­ was felt that the establishment gramme and local arrangements for scriptions. While this measure of the new categories would both the 1999 and 2000 Annual is not without cost--a require­ simplify the fund-raising ac­ Meetings and Conferences, and both ment that, in order to be able to tivities of the Society to some promise to be very exciting and. take advantage of MUN's extent and also serve to attract interesting events indeed. (In that credit-eard facility, the Society new types of individual and in­ connection, I would invite any must leave its subscription stitutional membership and member of the Society who might revenues on deposit with the support of the Society. (The be interested in serving on the or­ University-- Council was of the matter of exactly what portion ganizing committee for the 2000 view that the amount of inter­ of the subscription rates for the Annual Conference to contact me ­ est-income foregone would be new categories would qualify (613) 782-8182 (telephone) or more than offset by the benefits as a charitable donation for in­ [email protected].) offered by the facility for re­ come-tax purposes is being taining existing members and pursued with Revenue Canada­ Council also agreed to meet during for recruiting new ones. -Taxation.) 2001 at Kingston, Ontario, possibly at the same time as the opening of • For 1999 only, to use the an­ • To establish the position of the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage nual grant from the SSHRC to Membership Secretary. Hith­ Centre and possibly jointly with the fund the operating expenses of erto, the responsibility for Association for Great Lakes His­ the publications programme, membership retention and re­ tory, and to accept on invitation rather than to recruit and train cruitment has been shared from James P. Delgado, Executive an editorial intern. between the President, the Sec­ Director ofthe Vancouver Maritime retary and the Treasurer. It was Museum for the Society to hold its • To recommend an across-the­ agreed that, by placing that re­ 2002 Annual meeting and Confer­ board increase of $10 in exist­ sponsibility in the hands of one ence in Vancouver. ing subscription rates to the officer of the Society, the members at the Annual General membership programme would Finally, Council approved a rec­ Meeting in August. Council become more efficient and ef­ ommendation by the Chairman of fonnulated this recommenda­ fective. the Editorial Board that the $500 tion with some reluctance - an bursary that is award<;d annually by increase in rates might well re­ Council recognized that many of the the Society to a new scholar in the sult in some existing members measures it had approved or was field of nautical research to attend not renewing their subscrip­ proposing would have an impact on and to present a paper at the Annual tions for 2000. At the same the Society's circumstances only Conference be designated "The time, Council acknowledged with a lag. Accordingly, every Gerald Panting Award" in honour of that subscription rates had re­ member of Council pledged to make the Society's late second President. mained unchanged for several a charitable donation to the general It is altogether fitting and proper years, whereas the Society's funds of the Society, on the under­ that the bursary be named after expenses had not, and that the standing that the donations would Gerry, who was especially active new rates, if approved, would be used exclusively to cover the both in recruiting new scholars, still be well below those for operating expenses of the publica­ professional and avocational alike, The Mariner's Mirror and The tions programme. All of them have for the field of maritime history and American Neptune. done so. Members of Council also in encouraging their research. expressed the hope that their own APRIL 1999 ARGONAUTA 3 MEMBER NEWS for the Northwest Passage recently evening ofOctober 4-5, 1869? Well, had published "The Heceta-Bodega in fact there were any number of Cheryl Fury has been award ~e Voyage of 1775: Its Significance .for observers on the ground, and at sea, Alexander O.