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 first volume opens by explaining the magazine's objectives, notably to promote the safety of seamen and the advancement of hydrography. The content reflects the interests of the founding editor, Captain (later Rear-Admiral) A. B. Becher (1796–1876), and especially his commanding officer, the enormously productive Hydrographer of the Navy, Francis Beaufort (1774–1857). Besides managing the surveying and publication of a definitive repository of charts (new additions are regularly listed in the magazine), Beaufort was influential in promoting exploration, oceanography, meteorology and astronomy, all of which feature prominently from the first volume, together with naval and shipping news.
