Friday 30th January 2026, 2.10pm (day 5,272)
In case you were wondering I have been doing at least some work on this trip, including today, spent in the Asian and African Reading Room of the British Library, carrying on hunting down some sources relevant to St Helena and the East India Company. Some of them were useful and interesting (published tirades against incompetent former Governors and Deputies which for vituperativeness rival anything 21st century social media can offer). Some were useful, but not authentic documents; photocopies are OK but not quite the same when it comes to feeling connected to the authors.
This one was authentic — but as you can see, almost completely incomprehensible. I can see an ‘and’ here and there. And, oh look, that’s an ‘if’ towards the bottom right. How much valuable information is now lost despite being properly preserved and archived — simply because the handwriting is so goddamn awful?
Being 42 