HMS GALATEA

Although Harper’s Weekly is an American serialization, it still had content regarding events outside The United States. The illustration on the HMS Galatea is an example of Molly Knox Leverenz's discussion on “articles and images that discuss foreign affairs” (26). The page before tells the tale of His Royal Highness, Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and his adventures in the Indian Ocean. The excerpt tells how the ship got caught in a cyclone, but eventually “makes safe arrival at her destination” (Harpers 67). The excerpt also includes actual detail of the exact location of departure and destination as well as the dates that the events took place. It also talks about the conditions of the crew and ship as “no serious harm was done to the ship or crew” (Harpers 67). This shows that the Americans were well aware of events outside of their borders.

Only a few years have passed since the Civil war, yet The United States is already looking pass its borders shows the confidence and strength that they are capable of being a part of the world stage. This aspect is paralleling Mr. Murthwaite’s conversation with Rachel when he states that she is “safe in England” (Collins 66). The idea is The United States is a safe place even after the War and leaving it is dangerous like Rachel in India. The HMS Galatea also parallels this as the ship itself representing both England and The United States and the safety it brings while the ocean, like the moonstone, represents the exoticness and explicit danger of venturing out.          

Works Cited   

Collins, Wilkie. The Moonstone. Ed. John Sutherland. New York: OUP, 2008. 292-307.

Leverenz, Molly Knox. "Illustrating The Moonstone in America: Harper’s Weekly and Transatlantic Introspection." American Periodicals: A Journal of History & Criticism, vol. 24 no. 1, 2014, p. 21-44.