Folio 36: 12 December 1821; In consequence of the information yesterday given by...

ADM 101/38/7/6

1821-1822

Folio 36: 12 December 1821; In consequence of the information yesterday given by Catherine Stafford gave orders to all the convicts to have no communication with Biddy Lunny and Eliza Wilson and that if any committees were again assembled they would be severely flogged. Mary Connor having fallen and hurt her back it was bathed twice a day with volatile liniment. She took a dose of slats and at night an opium pill.

Folio 36: 13 December 1821; Made King's Island Bass's straights at 4am. At 9pm Sir Roger Curtis's Island North 3 or 4 leagues distant.

Folios 36-37: 14 December 1821; At 2am passed the New Rock. At 10.30 am a heavy sea struck the ship right aft, stove in all the windows and filled the cabins, state rooms, and convicts prisons with water. The convicts were very much alarmed and screamed out. My own family sleeping in the after cabin were completely soaked in their hammocks and on their screaming out, I attempted to get out of bed when the water from the Captain's cabin rushed into my State Room window into the bed where my wife and infant child lay and knocked me backwards. On the heel of the ship the water retreating I jumped out of bed and was jammed up by the broken frames of the stern windows and our chests all floating, the water being at this time above my knees. As soon As I could obtain a light and the confusion had a little subsided I obtained two men and two boys with buckets to bail the water out of the state and after cabins, which occupied us all for two hours, having nothing dry, our shoes and boots carried by the retiring sea out of the stern windows, hats, cloaths, chests and every thing floating about, and everything quite wet and having only my shirt on which was very wet, after securing everything as well as we could I went to bed again, having had the stern ports or windows secured by the carpenters.

Folio 37: 15 December 1821; On opening the afterhold [in the morning] found that a considerable quantity of water had got below and damaged bread and other articles.

Folio 37: 16 December 1821; At 9am set all convicts, passengers to rinse and dry their cloathes also to wash their beds blankets and pillows now being in sight of the Land and hoping to arrive in Sydney Cove tomorrow morning. The officers and servants employed in drying charts, books, papers and parcels and their instruments and cloathing. Myself and family employed in drying our chests, cloaths, books, papers and parcels and some of the women washing and rinsing the articles that were soaked with salt water. On opening my chest containing my surgical instruments I found the amputating and trepanning set very much injured as well as the case containing them. Most of the instruments are rendered completely useless by rust.

Folio 38: 18 December 1821; At pm anchored in Sydney Cove, New South Wales. Captain Piper, the naval officer came on board to whom I gave all letters and dispatches for His Excellency the Governor.

Folio 38: 19 December 1821; Convicts preparing for disembarking. At 10am went on shore and waited on Captain Piper. Reported my arrival to the Lieutenant Governor Colonel Erskine and called at the office of Major Goulburnt, Colonial Secretary and left my letter from the Colonial Office in London. At same time left a letter of application for one of the convict women to continue in the service of my family, she having attended us on our passage out.

Folio 38: 20 December 1821; At 10am Major Goulburnt Colonial Secretary came on board and inspected the convicts, passengers and free settlers and children. Major Weymiss came on board and served out slops to the convicts, to be disembarked tomorrow.

Folio 38: 21 December 1821; At 10am His Excellency Major General Sir Thomas Brisbane, K.B, Governor of New South Wales and suite came on board, inspected the convicts and their children, the wives of convicts and their children. The children of convicts and the free settlers and was pleases to express his approbation of their appearance and good order.

Folio 39: 21 December 1821 (continued); At 1pm served out provisions to the convicts going to Parramatta factory, at which time they were disembarked from the ship into schooners appointed to take them to their destination. On going away they all returned us their thanks for our lenity and attention to them, many of them kissing our hands as they went over the sides. Mr Tress, master builder, came on board and began to knock down the prison.

Folio 39: 23 December 1821; Went on shore at 8am and took my journal to Dr Bowman to examine and breakfasted with him.

Folio 39: 26 December 1821; Mr Lourey and family went on shore to their lodgings.

Folio 39: 8 January 1822; Disembarked with my family.

Folios 40-44: Blank.

Folio 45: A numerical abstract of the medical cases mentioned in the journal.

Folio 45: Surgeon's general remarks. The convicts were in general very comfortable, but if knitting needles and worsted or cotton had been put on board in order to employ the women it would not only be serviceable to them but would prevent their inclination for other purposes not so much to the morality of themselves nor inconvenience to the Superintendents.

Folio 46: Blank.

Public Record(s)

Open Document, Open Description