George Henry Seymour fonds, 1855-1860 RG 662

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10464/13754

George Henry Seymour (1818-1869) was a Royal Navy Officer who became a Third Naval Lord. He descends from a distinguished line of Royal Navy Admirals, including his grandfather Lord Hugh Seymour, his father Sir George Francis Seymour and his father-in-law Sir George Cranfield Berkeley. Seymour joined the Royal Navy in 1831 and was promoted to Captain in 1844. He commanded the HMS Pembroke during the Crimean War, and also commanded the HMS Victory, HMS Hero, and HMY Victoria and Albert. In 1863 he was promoted to Rear Admiral, and served as a Third Naval Lord between 1866 and 1868. From 1865 to 1869, he served as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Antrim.

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    Travel journal of Commodore Seymour featuring the Prince of Wales trip only
    (1860) Seymour, George Henry
    The portion of George Henry Seymour's travel journal that chronicles the Prince of Wales Albert Edward's trip to Canada in 1860.
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    Map of the British Provinces of North America in 1860
    (1860) Johnston, Keith
    Map of the British Provinces of North America in 1860. A large, folding, linen backed map of Canada with part of New Brunswick & Nova Scotia, showing the Line of Grand Trunk Railway and its connections, by Keith Johnston. The map is published by W & A.K. Johnston, Edinburgh, Geographers to the Queen.
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    Certificates of appointment, 1859-1860
    (1859)
    Certificates of appointment, 1859-1860. Two certificates of appointment issued by the Admiralty to Seymour, both relating to HMS Hero. The first certificate appoints Seymour Captain on April 29, 1859. The second certificate appoints him as Commodore on July 7, 1860, two days before the departure for Canada with the Prince of Wales.
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    Letter written by George Henry Seymour, 1860
    (1860-09-16) Seymour, George Henry
    Letter written by George Henry Seymour, 1860. The letter is dated at Niagara, September 16, 1860. He writes that “…when we got here, the D. of Newcastle received a proposal from Mr. Blondin to wheel the Prince over the falls on his tightrope in a wheelbarrow and in case of letting him fall ‘to return the money’. I have very little doubt that he could do what he proposed as he went across just below the suspension bridge, played all sorts of tightrope feats in the centre then took a man on his back roped over with him and returned on stilts. It was a most wonderful performance. I strongly advised HRH not to wait and see him do anything that he had not done before and the feat of the stilts was a first attempt but he was so anxious to remain that he carried his point against our prudent remonstrances and it all came off right— but if any mischance had occurred he would have blamed himself for having given encouragement by his presence.”
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    Letters regarding the HMS Hero
    (1860-08) Lindsay, E.B.; Smith, I.; Milne, Alex
    Letters regarding the HMS Hero. Three copies of letters dated August 20, 1860, August 28, 1860 and August 30, 1860, concerning the grounding of the HMS Hero at the mouth of the Saguenay River a few days earlier, due to a buoy being improperly positioned. The letters are written by E.B. Lindsay, I. Smith and Alex Milne. The Hero was repaired by the Captains of the Valorous, Ariadne, and Nile.
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    Letters written by George Henry Seymour to his father, 1860
    (1860-08) Seymour, George Henry
    Letter written by George Henry Seymour to his father, 1860. The letter is dated at Halifax, August 4, 1860 and describes the Prince’s warm welcome in Newfoundland. He goes on to comment on the possibility of hostilities, writing that “we went to have a look…at what they were doing at St. Pierre and Miquelon where it is said they are erecting batteries contrary to treaty but they were not to be seen from outside…there is little doubt that the fortifications there are in existence and I believe they justify the measure by saying that they were erected just at the end of the Russian War when hostilities were expected between England and the U. States and that they had no other means of protecting themselves against the Privateers that would have been fitted out in the States if War had then been declared.” He continues with descriptions of the Volunteer Corps, the death of Sir Brenton Halliburton (Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia) only days earlier, and the upcoming itinerary.
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    Travel journal, 1855-1860
    (1855-1860) Seymour, George Henry
    Travel journal, 1855-1860. The first 8 pages of the journal contain entries from the HMS Pembroke in the Gulf of Finland in 1855. The remaining entries are “the dates & c of sailing and arrival of HMS Hero during HRH the Prince of Wales’ visit to Canada in 1860.” Entries are dated from July 9 to November 6, 1860. The journey begins from Plymouth Sound, with subsequent entries at Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston, Belleville, Toronto, Niagara, Halifax, and Portland. Highlights of the tour include encounters with Governors Sir Alexander Bannerman (Newfoundland) and George Dundas (Prince Edward Island), the Governor General [Sir Edmund Walker Head], Sir George Simpson (Governor-in-Chief of the Hudson’s Bay Company), Charles Blondin,(tightrope walker), and First Nations tribes.