Portfolio - French to English - 19th century FRENCH diary

This translation was requested by a New Zealand historian. The source text consisted of the excerpts of a 19th century diary which belonged to the crew member of one of Dumont D'Urville's exploration voyages in the South Pacific.

I am convinced the shortage in resources I was granted for this campaign made it impossible to succeed in this endeavour. Here is the note I received for the account of the expedition: 4 dozen small ‘Eustache” knives, a dozen strands of blue and yellow razades, in three lots, a dozen small red-chequered cotton handkerchiefs Rouen-style, six larger yellow cotton handkerchiefs, scarf-like, and one kilogram of gun powder.

It should be noted that these objects were handed to me in retail and at long intervals with each time the same recommendation:” make good use of them, take good care of them and if you do not use them all, hand them back to the expedition”. As the proverb goes, the end justifies the means, and I missed the means. Whenever possible, my own belongings made up for the shortage of what had been granted to me. In every town, when I could find manufactured products from Europe I paid with my own money for objects I could exchange, utensils, tools, weapons, fabrics, plaster, as much as my limited finances enabled me to. I found these resources thanks to the savings and sacrifices I forced onto myself.