The maritime writings and drawings of naval commander Sir John Narbrough have found a new home, as Princeton University Library (PUL) has acquired a manuscript of “A Voyage of Discovery.”

Dated 1669 to 1671 and originally consisting of loose sheets of paper, the manuscript, now bound in untreated calfskin, documents Narbrough’s travels from England to the shores of Valdivia, Chile. Unlike later scribal copies, this version of “A Voyage of Discovery” is written and illustrated almost entirely in the seafarer’s own hand, and features 36 watercolor sketches of the ships, flora, fauna, coastal geographic features, indigenous life, and a full-page of a portion of the Strait of Magellan.

The acquisition, made by Mireille Djenno, Global Special Collections Librarian, took several months, and the manuscript arrived at PUL in mid-April 2026. The manuscript was cataloged later that month and has now been digitized. Researchers can also now consult the manuscript in Firestone Library’s Special Collections Reading Room. 

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Source: Library News