Series 1. CORRESPONDENCE, 1841
Series 2. MANUSCRIPTS ON THE UNITED STATES EXPLORING EXPEDITION
Series 3. CATALOGUES, DRAWINGS, AND OTHER MATERIALS CONCERNING SPECIMENS COLLECTED BY THE UNITED STATES EXPLORING EXPEDITION, 1838 - 1864.
Series 4. MANUSCRIPT ON THE FISHES COLLECTED BY THE UNITED STATES EXPLORING EXPEDITION.
Series 5. NOTES, LISTS AND RELATED MATERIALS CONCERNING WORK DONE ON FISH AND ECHINODERM SPECIMENS COLLECTED BY THE UNITED STATES EXPLORING EXPEDITION.
Series 6. DRAWINGS AND TRACINGS OF FISHES, MARKED "REJECTED."
Series 7. DRAWINGS AND TRACINGS OF FISHES, MARKED "SELECTED."
The United States Exploring Expedition, also known as the Wilkes Expedition,
was authorized by an act of Congress in 1836 as "a surveying and exploring
expedition to the Pacific Ocean and South Seas." It was prompted by a desire
to obtain information concerning an area which was rapidly becoming of interest
to American traders and whalers. A contingent of scientists accompanied the
expedition, commanded by Lieutenant Charles Wilkes of the United States Navy,
including Charles Pickering, Titian Ramsay Peale, Joseph P. Couthouy, James
Dwight Dana, William Rich, William Dunlop Brackenridge, and Horatio Hale. In
addition to the scientists, two illustrators, Joseph Drayton and Alfred T.
Agate, also accompanied the expedition. The expedition, which consisted
of five ships and crews provided by the United States Navy, sailed from
Norfolk, Virginia, in August, 1838. By the time it returned to New York in
June, 1842, it had visited and explored Madeira, both coasts of South America,
Tierra del Fuego, the South Pacific islands, Australia, New Zealand,
Antarctica, the Hawaiian Islands, Oregon, California, the Philippine Islands,
Singapore, the Cape of Good Hope, and St. Helena. Wilkes' voyage along the
Antarctic coast during the expedition established the existence of that
continent. During the voyage, the scientists gathered specimens and
studied the flora and fauna of each place visited. At various points along
the route specimens were packed and sent back to the United States.
Eventually, the specimens were placed in the custody of the National Institute
in Washington, D. C., and installed in the Great Hall of the Patent Office.
They remained there until their removal to the Smithsonian Institution in
1858. Several reports covering the scientific work of the expedition were made,
and most were published. One of the exceptions was the ichthyology report,
which Charles Pickering was originally assigned to prepare. It was delayed,
however; and by the middle of 1849, Jean Louis Agassiz had been placed in
charge of the work. Due to the pressures of his many other commitments, and
to the growing reluctance of Congress to appropriate additional funds after
1862, Agassiz never completed the project. In 1885, twelve years after
Agassiz's death, the fish specimens, his manuscript, and its illustrations
were sent to the United States National Museum. The two illustrators,
Joseph Drayton and Alfred T. Agate, produced numerous drawings of fishes during
the expedition, many of which are in this collection. Drayton also helped
supervise the illustrations and engraving work for a number of the scientific
reports which were published. A number of the items covering the
ichthyology of the United States Exploring Expedition have been held, along
with the specimens, by the Division of Fishes of the United States National
Museum of Natural History. This record unit includes an unsigned manuscript
on the fishes of the expedition, apparently the work of Jean Louis Agassiz
which was sent to the United States National Museum in 1885; notes on the
fishes and echinoderms collected by the expedition, either by Charles
Pickering or based on his notes; a number of items concerning the drawings,
specimens and the itinerary of the expedition; and drawings and illustrations
of fishes done during the voyage or as illustrations for the ichthyology
report. An unpublished manuscript on the fishes of the United States
Exploring Expedition by Henry Ward Fowler has been placed in RU 7180. In addition to the ichthyological materials some items in this collection
were held by the Smithsonian Library. These items consist of a letter from R.
R. Waldron to Mrs. Sarah Jane Hale concerning her son Horatio Hale's travel
plan, 1841; a manuscript on the expedition by Titian Ramsay Peale, which was
published by the American Historical Records, 1874; notebooks on botany,
mostly by William Dunlop Brackenridge; catalogues and annotated lists of
ethnological, geological, mineralogical, and natural history specimens
collected by the expedition; drawings of echinoderms by Drayton; original
invoices and other official papers of the expedition, mostly shipping lists of
specimens sent to the United States; and some loose sheets from the purser's
account book, 1838-1842. Box 1 of 8
HISTORICAL NOTE
DESCRIPTIVE ENTRY
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
SERIES 1.
CORRESPONDENCE, 1841
| Folder | 1 | Letter from R. R. Waldron (U. S. S. Vincennes), Bay of San Francisco, California to Mrs. Sarah Jane Hale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 30, 1841. Waldron wrote to inform Mrs. Hale of her son, Horatio Hale's travel plan. |
Box 1 of 8
| Folder | 2 | "The South Sea Surveying and Exploring Expedition, its origin, organization, equipment, purposes, results, and termination," by Titian Ramsay Peale, circa 1874. (Includes several typewritten copies). Published in American Historical Records, Philadelphia, v. 3, 1874, p. 244-251, 305-311. |
Box 1 of 8
| Folder | 3 | Manuscript on Botany, undated | |
| Folder | 4 | Original notebooks of the botanist, volumes 1-16. Peru, New South Wales (Australia), Samoa Islands group, Tonga Islands group, Fiji Islands group, and Hawaiian Islands group (William Dunlop Brackenridge). | |
| Folder | 5 | Botanical notebooks, Fiji Islands, volumes 5, 6, 10-27. | |
| Folder | 6 | Botanical notebooks, East Indies, volumes 1-17. | |
| Folder | 7 | Botany: Echinoderms, drawings by Joseph Drayton. | |
| Folder | 8 | Ethnology: "Collection of the United States South Sea Surveying and Exploring Expedition, 1838 - 1842," by Titian Ramsay Peale, 1846. |
Box 2 of 8
| Folder | 1 | Ethnology (cont'd): Bound volume labeled Catalogue U. S. Exploring Expedition, and containing "Ethnological collections of the U. S. South Sea Exploring Expedition" and "Molds made by George A. Matile for the Smithsonian Institution 1863, 1864." | |
| Folder | 2 | Geology: Original catalogue of geological specimens from Australia [by] James D. Dana. | |
| Folder | 3 | Geology: Original catalogue of geological specimens collected at Sandwich Islands by James D. Dana. | |
| Folder | 4 | Mineralogy: checklist of minerals | |
| Folder | 5 | "Original Invoices and other Official Papers of the U. S. Exploring Expedition" Official letters to Capt. Wilkes, 1839 - 1840, mostly transmitting shipping lists of specimens, and some loose sheets from the purser's account book, 1838 Original invoices of shells, 1839 - 1840 Original invoices of miscellaneous specimens, 1839 - 1841 Original invoices and catalogue of geological and mineralogical specimens, 1839 - 1840 | |
| Folder | 6 | Annotated lists of specimens received from the U. S. Exploring Expedition, 1838 - 1842. | |
| Folder | 7 | Catalogue of specimens collected by the U. S. Exploring Expedition and received by the Philadelphia Museum, 1838 - 1842. | |
| Folder | 8 | List of specimens unpacked by Charles Pickering, undated. | |
| Folder | 9 | Catalogue of specimens sent to the United States by Charles Pickering, undated. |
Includes an uncompleted manuscript covering the fishes collected by the United States Exploring Expedition. The manuscript's author is unidentified; but appears from handwriting samples to be Jean Louis Agassiz. It was sent to the United States National Museum about 1885.
Box 3 of 8
| Folder | 1 | Introduction | |
| Folder | 2 | Lophobranchii | |
| Folder | 3 | Tetrodons | |
| Folder | 4 | True Balistes | |
| Folder | 5 | Diodons | |
| Folder | 6 | Aluterini | |
| Folder | 7 | Ostraceons | |
| Folder | 8 | Clarias | |
| Folder | 9 | Scomberesoces |
Box 4 of 8
| Folder | 1 | Gadites | |
| Folder | 2 | Clupeoides | |
| Folder | 3 | Salmonides | |
| Folder | 4 | Erythroides | |
| Folder | 5 | Descriptions of seventeen unnamed genera | |
| Folder | 6 | Xyrichthys | |
| Folder | 7 | Scaroids | |
| Folder | 8 | Corsyphus | |
| Folder | 9 | Chirhio | |
| Folder | 10 | Somphosus | |
| Folder | 11 | Anampres | |
| Folder | 12 | Epibulus | |
| Folder | 13 | Eels | |
| Folder | 14 | Myzontes | |
| Folder | 15 | Selachians |
Box 5 of 8
| Folder | 1 | Folder labeled "Notes relating to Expl. Exp. Collections by Charles Pickering." Also on folder is note "All these collections of Echinoderms have been returned to Smithsonian by A. Agassiz." Includes notes concerning drawings and plates, notes on sharks, six page list of specimens, "List of Specimens sent to Prof. Agassiz" and apparently transcribed notes of Charles Pickering covering echinoderms and fishes of the Exploring Expedition. | |
| Folder | 2 | Itinerary of the United States Exploring Expedition sent to Louis Agassiz by Charles Wilkes. | |
| Folder | 3 | List of drawings sent to Charles Wilkes, 28 January 1860. | |
| Folder | 4 | Report on care of fish specimens of the United States Exploring Expedition at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, by Robert Bliss, Jr., undated. | |
| Folder | 5 | Unidentified lists of fish specimens of United States Exploring Expedition, undated. |
This series contains drawings and tracings of fishes seen and/or taken by the United States Exploring Expedition. The majority of the works are signed by either Joseph Drayton or John H. Richard. Drayton was a draftsman who accompanied the expedition. A number of his drawings, done during the voyage, are dated and locations are given. Richard was hired after the return of the expedition to prepare drawings for the plates that were to illustrate the work on ichthyology. Other artists identified include W. Dougel; Alfred T. Agate, who was also on the voyage; and Alexander Agassiz.
The works in this series were found in envelopes which were marked as "rejected" or "rejected for publication." There is no hint as to the proposed work for which these drawings were rejected. Other drawings found in envelopes marked "selected for publication," are in Series 7.
The arrangement of the drawings is alphabetical by the scientific name of the fishes given on the envelope or drawing. Each folder corresponds to one envelope. In a case where more than one scientific name was represented by the drawings in an envelope, the envelope was alphabetized by the name which appeared first. An alphabetical index to the other names follows.
Acanthuras - See Folders 17 and 24
Amphacanthus - See Folders 6 and 17
Arripris - See Folder 11
Blenniods - See Folder 19
Catostomus - See Folder 17
Chaetodon - See Folders 9 and 17
Diodons - See Folder 32
Ephippus - See Folder 17
Gobius - See Folders 15 and 19
Hemisamplius - See Folder 8
Holocanthus - See Folder 17
Isacia - See Folder 11
Leucisceus - See Folder 17
Mylachilus - See Folder 17
Pentapus - See Folder 11
Pharopteryx - See Folder 11
Priacanthus - See Folder 11
Priodon - See Folder 24
Pseudolabrus - See Folder 33
Salmonidae - See Folders 9 and 30
Sicyopteris - See Folder 15
Zanelus - See Folder 17
Box 5 of 8
| Folder | 6 | Drawings of Amphacanthus | |
| Folder | 7 | Drawings of Balistoids | |
| Folder | 8 | Drawings of Belone, Hemisamphius and other unidentified fishes (two drawings removed to Box 7) | |
| Folder | 9 | Drawings of Chaetodon | |
| Folder | 10 | Drawings of Characini and Salmonidae | |
| Folder | 11 | Drawings of Cheilodactylus, Pentapus, Arripris, Isacia Pharopteryx, Priacanthus and other unidentified fishes | |
| Folder | 12 | Drawings of duplicate Clupoids | |
| Folder | 13 | Drawings of Cottoids (two drawings removed to Box 7) | |
| Folder | 14 | Drawings of Cyprinoids | |
| Folder | 15 | Drawings of Eleotris, Gobius, Sicyoperus and other unidentified fishes. | |
| Folder | 16 | Drawings of Galaxia | |
| Folder | 17 | Drawings of Galaxia, Catostomus, Leuciseus, Mylachilus, Zanelus, Ephippus, Holocanthus, Amphacanthus, Acanthurus and Chaetodon | |
| Folder | 18 | Drawings of Germo (drawing removed to Box 7) | |
| Folder | 19 | Drawings of Gobiods and Blenniods | |
| Folder | 20 | Drawings of Lophobranch | |
| Folder | 21 | Drawings of Lophobranchii | |
| Folder | 22 | Drawings of Muraenoids (two drawings removed to Box 7) | |
| Folder | 23 | Drawings of Myzontes | |
| Folder | 24 | Drawings of Nasius, Priodon and Acanthurus (item removed to Box 7) | |
| Folder | 25 | Drawings of Notothenia | |
| Folder | 26 | Drawings of Ostracionidae | |
| Folder | 27 | Drawings of Pennujta (?) | |
| Folder | 28 | Drawings of Pomocentroids | |
| Folder | 29 | Drawings of Rhinoscopelus | |
| Folder | 30 | Drawings of Salmonidae | |
| Folder | 31 | Drawings of Serranus | |
| Folder | 32 | Drawings of Tetradons and Diodons | |
| Folder | 33 | Drawings of Thalassoma, Pseudolabrus and other unidentified fishes | |
| Folder | 34 | Drawings of unidentified fishes |
This series contains drawings and tracings of fishes seen and/or taken by the United States Exploring Expedition. Like the "rejected" drawings of Series 6, the majority of these works are by either Joseph Drayton or John H. Richard. Further information on these two artists is given in the introduction to Series 6. Other artists identified include Alfred T. Agate, W. Dougel, and Ts. (or Js.) Burkhardt.
The works in this series were found in envelopes marked "selected for publication." There is no hint as to the proposed work for which these drawings were selected. Other drawings, found in envelopes marked "rejected" are found in Series 6.
This arrangement of the drawings is alphabetical by the scientific name of the fishes given on the envelope or drawings. Each folder corresponds to one envelope. In a case where the drawings in one envelope represent more than one scientific name, the folder was alphabetized by the name which appears first and the other(s) is included in the following list.
Kubliidae - See Folder 7
Monacanthids - See Folder 1
Serranidae - See Folder 7
Box 6 of 8
| Folder | 1 | Drawings of Balistids and Monacanthids | |
| Folder | 2 | Drawings of Clupeoids (two drawings removed to Box 7) | |
| Folder | 3 | Drawings of Eels | |
| Folder | 4 | Drawings of Eptatretus | |
| Folder | 5 | Drawings of Exocoetus Brachypterus (two drawings removed to Box 7) | |
| Folder | 6 | Drawings of Ostracions | |
| Folder | 7 | Drawings of Pempherids, Kubliidae, and Serranidae (drawing removed to Box 7) | |
| Folder | 8 | Drawings of Pleurnectids (drawing removed to Box 7) | |
| Folder | 9 | Drawings of Scombroids (drawing removed to Box 7) | |
| Folder | 10 | Drawings of Synentognathi (two drawings removed to Box 7) | |
| Folder | 11 | Miscellaneous drawings (12 drawings removed to box 7) |
Box 7 of 8
Box 8 of 8
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Revised: August 1, 2002