The Nautical Magazine first appeared in 1832, and was published monthly well into the twenty-first century. It covers a wide range of subjects, including navigation, meteorology, technology and safety. An important resource for maritime historians, it also includes reports on military and scientific expeditions and on current affairs. The volume for 1851 features several pieces about the Arctic, including descriptions of Baffin Bay and Labrador, and reviews of two books describing the searches for Sir John Franklin's lost expedition to the North-West Passage. The content also includes the East India mail schedules, a bloodthirsty 'journal of a Russian privateer' and the final parts of the 'Turkish for Tars' course begun the previous year. There is an unusual foray into ancient history, describing Julius Caesar's expedition to England, and an advertising feature promoting a preserved potato product ideal for ships' provisions, a precursor of modern 'instant mash'.