The papers form part of the collection of naval manuscripts transferred from the Royal United Service Institution in 1968. They consist of logs mainly relating to the surveying voyage of 1795 to 1797 by Captain William Robert Broughton, 1762-1821, and his overland crossing of 1793. There is also a section covering the earlier surveying voyage of 1792. See full list in printed catalogue.

Administrative / biographical background
Papers and journals of Captain William Robert Broughton, 1762-1821, navigator and explorer. Broughton served as midshipman on the North American and East Indies Stations and was promoted to lieutenant in 1782. He was appointed in 1790 to command the Chatham to accompany George Vancouver (1758-1798) on his voyage of discovery and was for some time employed on the survey of the Columbia river on the west coast of North America. In 1793 he travelled overland from San Blas in the North Pacific to Vera Cruz on his way home with despatches. In October 1793, he was made Commander of the Providence, once again being sent to the north-west coast of America to rejoin Vancouver. On his arrival he found that Vancouver had left. He then decided to carry out a close survey of the Chinese and Japanese coasts, which took four years. After the Providence was wrecked off the coast of Formosa in May 1797, Broughton continued the survey until May 1798, when he returned to England. He was made a captain in 1797 and after further service in the East Indies ended his career in 1812.