Folio 16: Sunday 18 March 1821: cases of scurvy getting better and no more of them...

Folio 16: Sunday 18 March 1821: cases of scurvy getting better and no more of them on the list, released from handcuffed Vickers and Lemon.

Folio 16: Monday 19 March 1821: scurvy cases improving but several prisoners complain of much debility, the cause of this and scurvy, I attribute to the bad quality of our water which has been very putred [putrid] for some time owing to its being in new water casks, put irons on both legs of all the prisoners excepting the following, William Banton, William Foxall, James Wood, William Comstive, James Webster, William Holmes, James Freeman, Mr Weir the master agreeing to their being kept off as far as his penalty is concerned.

Folios 16-17: Tuesday 20 March 1821: [ventilation] stove has been removed without consulting me, at about 4 pm Mr Lambie the first mate came to me and said he was sent by the master to ask me to have the convicts put in the prison, to be out of the way of working the ship, I said I think they will not be in the way, this conversation was in the cabin and in the presence of the officer of the guard. I heard nothing more till half past 4 pm when I went on deck and found the prisoners had been put below, I asked the master who was standing on the top cuddy if he had ordered the convicts to be put in prison, he said yes, for they were in the way of working the ship, I said I wanted them upon deck and I would take care they did not interfere with the working, he said he would not allow them, I then said sir I demand the keys of the prisons, he said he was master of the ship and I should not have them, I then called to the officer of the guard and asked if he had heard what passed he said yes, I called him to observe the state of the weather, I asked Mr Wallace the second mate if he had heard what passed between the master and me and he said know [no] I would observe here that this person was within three yards of us during the whole, at this time the breeze was right aft and steady the ship going about 4 knots there were top mast and top gallant steering sails set, this as the log was, but was afterwards altered by Mr Weir.

Folio 17: Wednesday 21 March 1821: at 5 am three of the convicts were ordered out of the prison by Mr Wallace the second mate, to assist in washing the ship's deck, they refused to come on deck telling him they had orders from me, not to come out for that purpose, he said he did not care a damn for the doctor orders, and he wanted them on deck these men were accordingly taken on deck, about half past 2 pm come to an anchor of the town, I went on board of HM sloop Alacrity and reported the ship's arrival to captain Stanhope and informing him of a complaint against the Master, he directed me to wait upon him on the next morning at 8 o'clock when him and captain Elliot of HM sloop Icarus would hear my complaint, I then went on shore and told the contractor that we would want fresh beef and vegatables [vegetables] with the usual proportion of oranges which are given to ships on their first coming, handcuffed John Seaman for disobedience.

Folios 18-19: Thursday 22 March 1821: before I left this ship to go on board the Alacrity, I asked the officer of the guard if his party would be able to attend one half of the prisoners on deck at a time consistent with their security on deck during our stay in the harbour, he said I might let them all on deck at once if I chose and he would place an extra sentry, I then told Mr Weir I wished one half of the prisoners to be on deck from breakfast to dinner and the other half from dinner to the usual time of shutting of the prison, this he said he would not allow until he consulted with the captain of the man of war, I then went on board the Alacrity and read to captain Stanhope and captain Elliot my diary of Tuesday and Wednesday last and complained of his refusing this morning thereby defeating the very purpose for which I directed him to carry the ship into port, see diary 15th inst. I also complained of his having taken the irons of one convict on the 3rd ulto. Without consulting me, and of his having kept another out of prison on the evening of 15th inst. upon deck the whole of the night without once consulting me, this prisoner I saw as I was going round the deck in the evening and had him locked up, the master told me he thought I had been premature, was his expression in locking him up for he had asked the officer of the guard to let the sentry look after him, I told him he ought to have asked me and that no one but myself had any thing to do with the management of the prisoners, he said he thought otherwise indeed he did not think it necessary to ask me about that man being kept out of the prison for he was captain of the ship, I told him I did not know such a person in her, I know him to be the master and, I was the superintendant and I would not allow him to interfere, captain Stanhope having heard all I had to say, now admitted Mr Weir the master and Mr Marchall the officer of the guard, the latter corroborated and the other admitted the substance of all which I had stated with the exception of the alteration in the ship's log book, captain Stanhope sent captain Elliot on board the Lady Ridley to examine the mates touching the alteration of the log and enquire into the second mates conduct when he took the prisoners out off prison contrary to my directions on captain elliot's return he reported that both of the mates admitted the log was altered by Mr Weir directions, the second mate admitted he had made use of my name in an improper way when he took the prisoners out of the prison, captain Elliot stated further that he had examined the ship and he was of opinion that a hundred men could be put upon the booms without being in the way of working the ship, but the log as explained proved that there was no working of the ship at that time, captain Elliot's opinion from the examination which he has made that the reason assigned by Mr Weir why he refused to let them upon deck was for the good and safety of the ship is really nonsense, captain Stanhope agreed with captain Elliot in their opinions, released John Seaman from handcuffs.

Folio 19: Friday 23 March 1821: captain Stanhope having told the master it was for the superintendent and not the master to say how many convicts should be upon deck at a time, and in his captain Stanhope's opinion he the master had interfered with the surgeon and superintendent's duty.

Folio 19: Sunday 25 March 1821: at 8 am the wife of sargaht [sergeant] Mash was delivered of a son entered on ship's book John Mash.

Folios 19-20: Wednesday 28 March 1821: Mr Weir the master acknowledges that he had done wrong in having interfered with my duty and was now sorry, and wished the matter could be quashed, I told him as all our proceedings were noted in my diary agreeable to my instructions it was not in my power to erase them, however much I might feel inclined to comply, but I did hope from what he had said that his conduct for the remainder of our voyage would not only evidence the sincerity of his expression of sorrow, but that it would be such as to be the best atonement for the errors which he had committed, thus showing them to have been errors of judgement only, and if so I should entreat the Lieutenant Governor of Van Dieman's Land as well as the Honourable the principle officers and commissioners of HM Navy for the above reasons to look over his offence.

Folio 20: Saturday 30 March 1821: only one scorbutic case on the list, wrote the Navy Board acquainting them of our being here.