Nine notebooks containing journals kept by Williamson while he was first mate and master of the RIALTO in 1875-1885. The journals feature illustrations and many references to his family. They cover the following periods:

-October 1875 to February 1876 and 8 April 1883 to 25 August 1883 (Numbered 1 and 8)
-23 September 1876 to 30 June 1877 and 26 April 1884 to 13 August 1884 (2 and 9)
-21 January 1878 to 15 September 1878 (3)
-26 November 1878 to 9 February 1880 (4)
-9 February 1880 to 15 February 1881 (5)
-17 December 1881 to 18 April 1882 (6)
-11 May 1882 to 21 June 1882 (7)

The iron sailing ship RIALTO of London Official No 58992 was built by Oswald & Co at Sunderland in 1869 and owned by the Merchant Shipping Co Ltd. During the period covered by the journals, the RIALTO carried emigrants to Australia and New Zealand, and cargoes of grain to London.

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Administrative / biographical background
Williamson was born at Portsmouth and first went to sea as an apprentice on the NORTHAMPTON in 1868. He was engaged as second mate and then first mate on the BEAUMARIS CASTLE in 1872-1873. He then joined the RIALTO for a period of over ten years, during which he qualified as master (certificate number 96287). He was engaged as master of the RIALTO in 1880-1885. Williamson was married to Amy Elizabeth Henderson in 1882 and his family lived in the Stamford Hill area of London. One of his sons, Lawrence Collingwood Williamson, became Deputy Director of Naval Construction at the Admiralty.