Folio 1: 7 June 1817; [McDonald] joined the Larkins convict ship at Deptford. Folios...

ADM 101/42/3/1

1817

Folio 1: 7 June 1817; [McDonald] joined the Larkins convict ship at Deptford.

Folios 1-2: 28 June 1817; The guard embarked, composes of detachments from the 46th and 48th regiments of the line, being 40 rank and file with a Captain to command them. They were accompanied by nine women and nine children. Received from the hulks at Woolwich 80 male convicts, who are all apparently in good health. They were all put in irons both legs, for their better security, and formed into messes of six men each.

Folio 2: 29 June 1817; Dressed a number of small ulcers on the legs of the convicts.

Folio 2: 30 June 1817; Dressed the small ulcers. Joseph Faucett, aged 38, of a robust and plethoric habit, complained of a fixed pain in the chest with difficult breathing.

Folio 2: 1 July 1817; The owners of the ship came on board and paid wages in advance to the crew of the ship. The weather being very stormy the prisoners were not admitted on deck. Let blood from Robert Woodley, convict, being of the sanguineous temperament, he is very much harassed with headaches and pains in his sides. Faucett is quite relieved this morning.

Folio 2: 2 July 1817; Dressed small ulcers as usual. The ship dropped down to Northfleet.

Folio 2: 3 July 1817; At 11am got under weigh for the Nore. Came to an anchor at the Nore at 5.30pm and soon after received a draft of 50 prisoners from the Retribution hulk at Sheerness served them with slops, berthed them, and formed them into messes of six men each.

Folio 3: 4 July 1817; Received 50 male prisoners from the Bellerophon at Sheerness. Small ulcers continued to do well. At 10am weighed anchor and stood for Margate Roads.

Folio 3: 5 July 1817; Several prisoners complained of costiveness accompanied with pains of the head and sides, attended with loss of appetite, for which, I either prescribe two scruples of the compound powder of Jalap or some of the neutral salts. Ulcers continue to amend. Weighed anchor at 6am, and came to an anchor off the South Foreland at 2pm. At 6pm weighed anchor and continued working ship round towards Portsmouth for the remainder of our complement of prisoners.

Folio 3: 6 July 1817; At 6pm came to an anchor in Dungeness Roads. No patients as yet admitted into the hospital.

Folio 3: 8 July 1817; At 9am got under weigh from Dungeness Roads.

Folio 3: 9 July 1817; Ship working round to Portsmouth.

Folio 3: 10 July 1817; Received a pilot on board who took charge of the ship and at 11pm came to an anchor at the motherbank.

Folios 3-4: 11 July 1817; George Millington, convict, received 3 dozen lashes for abuse to the centinel. Received 40 prisoners from the Captivity and 30 from the Laurel hulks at Portsmouth which completed our complement of 250 male prisoners.

Folio 4: 12 July 1817; The ulcers and small sores are dressed every morning, and one or two are rather foul and [?] are dressed twice a day. Received fresh beef for the guard and convicts.

Folio 4: 13 July 1817; We only wait for government orders for sail.

Folio 4: 14 July 1817; Let blood of one of the convicts for a pain in his side and gave him a saline cathartic. The ship consists of 250 convicts, 40 men of the guard and 1 officer, 9 women, and 9 children, 5 passengers, and the crew of the ship 54 men and officers. Grand total of 368 persons.

Folio 4: 16 July 1817; The ulcers are in progressive amendment.

Folios 4-12: John Kirkton, convict; disease or hurt, complains of headache, pains in his loins and breast, attended with cold shivering, bitter taste in the mouth, the tongue white and foul, loss of appetite; taken ill, 17 July 1817; discharged 15 August 1817.

Folios 5-17: John O'Brien, convict; disease or hurt, whilst running along the prison deck, struck his head against one of the edges of the beams and cut a piece of his scalp, about 4 inches in length; taken ill, 19 July 1817; discharged 29 August 1817.

Folio 5: 20 July 1817; Sailed from the motherbank, down to St Helens, received our sailing orders, and only wait for a change of wind.

Folio 6: 22 July 1817; Ulcers continue to do well.

Folio 6: 23 July 1817; had a general muster of the convicts when it was found that George Keen, convict, was missing. It is conjectured he had got his irons of his legs, concealed himself, among the boats or booms, when the prisoners were sent below last night. So that he took an opportunity and swam on shore to the Isle of Wight, a distance about two miles.

Folio 6: 24 July 1817; At 4am got underweigh from St Helens.

Folio 7: 27 July 1817; A great number of prisoners, guards, passengers, women and children are very sea sick, the ship having a great deal of motion. Came to anchor off Brixham at 5pm.

Folio 7: Jones (a patient). Also mentioned on 7-10 August 1817 (but not after 11 August 1817).

Folio 8: 1 August 1817; 11am sailed from Torbay.

Folio 8: 2 August 1817; Some slight cases of diarrhoea with one of colica.

Folio 8: 3 August 1817; Joseph Tunstall, convict, fell out of his berth, by sudden motion of ship, whereby his left humerus was dislocated. Without any apparatus, I had three assistants and by means of extension I very readily reduced the dislocation. I then applied a bandage and supported the arm in a sling.

Folio 8: 4 August 1817; Each convict was issued with a piece of soap for personal cleanliness. Extracted a tooth from a prisoner.

Folios 8-9: Henry Collins, guard; disease or hurt, scarlet fever (not of malignant kind); taken ill, 4 August 1817; discharged [?]. Extracted a tooth from Henry Collins on 6 August 1817.

Folio 9: 5 August 1817; In consequence of having detected psora among some of the guard; had a general muster of them, their wives, and children, when 17 men, one woman and two children appeared to have it with various shades of inveteracy. They were all subjected to frictions of ointment composed of sulphur vivum.

Folio 9: 6 August 1817; John Smith, convict, and Joseph Slater, guard, both afflicted with secondary symptoms of syphilis.

Folio 9: 6 August 1817; The ulcers in general are reduced in number, adhesive strapping performs wonders and facilitates cures in an unexpected degree. In livid sores, attended with considerable oderma and tension (which may be added a scorbutic ulcer) I have used lemon juice undiluted to the sores while at the same time they have taken it undiluted twice a day mixed with sugar. In recent hurts I find nature able to complete a cure by the use of the most simple and mild dressings. In the application of surgeon?s lint to the sores, I take a great deal of precaution by cutting it in small pieces so as to cover the ulcer only within the dimensions of the sore, without touching their margins. The utmost cleanliness is necessary to be observed in the sores, also the compress and bandages.

Folio 9: 7 August 1817; Sand which has been heated in the oven strewed over the deck by which means all grease and filth is easily swept off at next cleaning.

Folios 9-18: Thomas Spencer; disease or hurt, feverish attack; taken ill, 7 August 1817; discharged 4 September 1817 cured.

Folios 9-18: Joseph Slater, guard; disease or hurt, nodes on shins who has been using the mercurial friction; taken ill, 8 August 1817; discharged 24 August 1817.

Public Record(s)

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