ABSTRACT
The manuscript of Henry Eason’s diaries was written over a period of about 30 years. The diary has been handed down within the Eason family, being in the possession of Commander Christopher Eason, RN, Retd, OBE – his grandson. Eason’s language reflects the common prejudices of his day when writing about Africans. This feature has not been bowdlerised, as it represents the usage of the time. The British, including the Royal Navy, had an arrogance towards all other nations at this time, but the Blacks, Chinese, Indians, and others, received epithets no more insulting than those that were applied to some European near neighbours, many of whom were actively despised. Henry Eason’s account of the proceedings of the Naval Brigade began in the New Year of 1879 when Shah was on passage up the Atlantic on her way home.
