Illustration inside the front cover of 'One of the sons of Onnese Obi Osai chief...

ADM 101/82/2/1

1840-1842

Illustration inside the front cover of 'One of the sons of Onnese Obi Osai chief of Aboh, River Niger', drawn by John Duncan. The illustration appears to have been cut from a published source and pasted inside the journal. Beneath it is a written note 'Ali Hare came on board accompanied by a dozen little boys, who seemed to be nearly coeval. These were sons of the Obi. Page 175.' Frontispiece to Page 1: Illustration drawn by John Duncan but apparently cut from a published source and pasted in to the journal. 'Nufi man, a native of Egga, River Niger'. A note written under it reads 'An intermixture of the Caucasian with the Negro race. Vide page 189'.

Folio 1: Daniel Williams, aged 50, Quarter Master; disease or hurt, ulcus varicosus. Put on sick list, 13 January 1841, Liverpool. Invalided at Woolwich, 3 February 1841. His ulcer looked clean and his health was improved but he was invalided as too old and infirm for the expedition.

Folios 1-3: James Appleton, aged 24, Seaman; disease or hurt, cynanche maligna. Put on sick list, 25 January 1841, in the basin at Deptford. Discharged to the Royal Marine Hospital, Woolwich, 9 February 1841. He had ulcers on his tonsils from a cold caught some days earlier and had been previously subject to this complaint but said he had never had a venereal affection. He was sent to the hospital because 'the confused state of the ship and the extreme severity of the weather' made his recovery on board unlikely.

Folios 3-4: John Gosling, aged 26, Carpenter's Crew; disease or hurt, pleuritis. Put on sick list, 1 February 1841, in the basin at Deptford. Discharged to the Royal Marine Hospital Woolwich, [4] February 1841. The surgeon believed there were probably 'old pleuro costal adhesions and effusion' and since he would need treatment for some time, he was sent to the hospital.

Folios 5-6: William Lee, aged 36, Boatswain's Mate; disease or hurt, bronchitis. Put on sick list, 1 February 1841, at his own house in Greenwich. Sent to the Royal Marine Hospital Woolwich, 5 February 1841. 'Of a short stature and full habit', he had absented himself from the ship for a couple of days because he had a cough. His complaint 'came on after a debauch' and since he was unlikely to improve in his own home he was sent to the hospital.

Folios 6-7: Pedro Peter, aged 26, Able Seaman; disease or hurt, synochus. Put on sick list, 2 February 1841, in the basin at Deptford. Sent to the Royal Marine Hospital Woolwich, 9 February 1841. He had been complaining a couple of days of headache, pain in the back and loins extending to his lower extremities. Sent to the hospital when he showed no sign of improvement. Page 8: James Durham, aged 28, Private Royal Marines; disease or hurt, syphilis. Put on sick list, 15 March 1841, in the Thames off Woolwich. Sent to the Royal Marine Hospital Woolwich, 20 March 1841. Sent to hospital as the ship was going to sea.

Folio 8: Robert Sparks, aged 24, Private Marine; disease or hurt, syphilis. Put on sick list, 18 April 1841, in the River Thames off Woolwich. Sent to the Royal Marine Hospital Woolwich, 18 April 1841.

Folios 8-9: William Vincent, aged 21, Private Marine; disease or hurt, cynanche tonsillaris. Put on sick list, 12 May 1841, Hamoaze. Discharged to the Royal Marine Hospital at Plymouth, 12 May 1841. Sent to the hospital because he was likely to have a return of the disease and 'it being desirable to take none but effective men for the peculiar service of the expedition'.

Folio 9: Samuel Johnson, aged 28, Captain of Forecastle; disease or hurt, concussio cerebri cum signis compressionis. Put on sick list, 3 July 1841, on the passage from Sierra Leone to Monrovia, Cape Mesurado. Died, 3 July 1841. Fell from the fore yard arm to the deck at 9pm, he died at 11:45pm without regaining consciousness.

Folio 10: Thomas Kemp, aged 24, Private Marine; disease or hurt, phthysis incipiens. Put on sick list, July 1841, at Cape Coast Castle, West Coast of Africa [Ghana]. Invalided at Cape Coast Castle, 27 July 1841. Since he was likely to be unwell for a long time he was invalided.

Folios 10-14: William Bach, aged 24, Scientific Instrument Maker; disease or hurt, dyspepsia, terminans in febre tremente. Put on sick list, 10 August 1841, off the River Nun, West Coast of Africa. Died, 15 August 1841.

Folios 12-14 have a description of a post mortem examination, or sectio cadaveris, and the condition of his internal organs.

Folios 15-16: John Pegler, aged 22, Stoker; disease or hurt, febris remittens adynamica. Put on sick list, 4 September 1841, at Iddah [Idah] in the kingdom of Egarra [Igala], banks of the Niger. Died, 6 September 1841. Complained of general abdominal uneasiness, spent the night 'lying about the deck' because his hammock had got wet and on the following morning complained of headache, heat of skin, pulse 100 full, eyes suffused. On page 16 is a description of a post mortem examination of the organs of his abdomen.

Folios 17-19: William Oakley, aged 38, Gun Room Cook; disease or hurt, febris remittens adynamica. Put on sick list, 4 September 1841, at Iddah [Idah] in the Kingdom of Egarra [Igala], left bank of the Niger. Discharged, 24 September 1841, [Toup]. An African by birth who had been in England for many years.

Folios 19-21: William Underwood, aged 22, 2nd Gun Room Steward; disease or hurt, febris remittens adynamica. Put on sick list, 4 September 1841, at Iddah [Idah] in the Kingdom of Egarra [Igala], left bank of the Niger. Discharged to HMS Soudan for a passage to Ascension Island, 18 September 1841. His fever kept returning but during the periods of remission he was almost free of symptoms. His fever increased on the evening of 17 September and he was put on board the HMS Soudan to be taken to Ascension Hospital.

Folios 21-24: James Robertson, aged 30, Stoker; disease or hurt, febris remittens adynamica. Put on sick list, 5 September 1841, at Iddah [Idah] in the Kingdom of Egarra [Igala], left bank of the Niger. Died, 17 September 1841, at the confluence of the Niger and Tchadda [Benue River]. 'Of stout muscular form. Temperament phlegmatic'. No post mortem examination.

Folios 24-28: John Burgess, aged 24, Seaman; disease or hurt, febris remittens adynamica. Put on sick list, 5 September 1841, at Iddah [Idah] in the Kingdom of Egarra [Igala], left bank of the Niger. Died, 14 September 1841, at the confluence of the Niger and Tchadda [Benue River]. 'Of a full plethoric habit: temperament sanguinous'.

Folios 27 and 28 summarise the findings of the post mortem examination.

Folios 28-29: William McMillan, aged 32, Quarter Master; disease or hurt, febris remittens adynamica. Put on sick list, 6 September 1841, at Iddah [Idah] in the Kingdom of Egarra [Igala], left bank of the Niger. Discharged to the HMS Soudan for a passage to Ascension, 18 September 1841. His condition was improved on 18 September but he was 'desirous of leaving the river'. The Soudan discharged the sick into the Dolphin at the mouth of the Nun for conveyance to Ascension and he died on the passage.

Folios 30-31: Thomas Ashcroft, aged 24, Quarter Master; disease or hurt, febris remittens adynamica. Put on sick list, 6 September 1841, at Iddah [Idah] in the Kingdom of Egarra [Igala], left bank of the Niger. Discharged to the HMS Soudan, 18 September 1841. 'Short and stout, temperament sanguinous'. He had been on the sick list at the beginning of the month with constipation. The day before this complaint he had been on deck smoking. He was well before reaching Fernando Po and rejoined the Albert in October.

Public Record(s)

Open Document, Open Description