The papers include official service documents, 1826 to 1843; logs, 1836, 1839 to 1841; letterbooks, 1836, 1840 to 1841; order books, 1827 to 1837; books of expenses for various stores and other ship's papers, mainly for the PELORUS.

Administrative / biographical background
Chambers entered the Navy in 1823 and served in the West Indies from 1824 until 1829, the year in which he became a lieutenant. He went again to the West Indies in 1833 when he was appointed First Lieutenant of the Racer and in 1836 was given charge of the Portuguese prize brigantine Vigilanti. In 1837 he transferred to the Wellesley, flagship in the East Indies, and in 1840 was acting captain firstly of the Alligator, then of the Pelorus which was stationed at Port Essington, Australia. When the Pelorus was sold at Singapore in 1841, Chambers returned to the Wellesley as her First Lieutenant and took part in the latter stages of the First China War, 1839 to 1842. For this service he was promoted to commander and became captain in 1846.