Emigrants on the deck of a sailing ship in the 1840s

Day 10

We have been out for 10 days and have not seen land for almost as long. I have much to report.

The first few days were terrible, but now we have a routine and feel a little happier. Sarah was sick before we left the river, and I must admit I also suffered greatly with seasickness in those first days. Others fell over, with one old man breaking his leg.

William and Joseph were unaffected and ran wild, but now complain of boredom - I don't blame them. Everyday we talk of the same things - the poor food, the weather, how long we will be at sea, where we've come from and where we are going.

One Irish child has fever and cries constantly. Feeling amongst the English passengers is turning against the Irish although I am not sure it is warranted. First tobacco and keepsakes went missing, for which they were blamed, and now they are accused of infesting us with lice (although I am sure that accusation is fair!) The surgeon is not surprised and says we will all be loused by time we see Sydney.

The deck is as busy as steerage with animals, provisions, crew and passengers. Nowhere is there peace or quiet.

		Setting sail

	Day 27

	Routine Life on ship followed the same basic routine: 7am - Get up 8am - Breakfast 1pm - Lunch 6pm - Dinner 10pm - Lights out and bed Passengers would have been kept busy during the day with filtering water, preparing food, airing clothes and bedding etc. They were allowed to wash their clothes on just two days a week, and once a week were given access to their boxes and encouraged to change their clothes. Close

	Boredom Boredom was a problem for passengers. Publications like William H G Kingston's, 'The Emigrant Voyager's Manual' had lots of ideas for keeping people occupied during the trip. Suggestions included keeping a journal and carving animal bones. Close

	Sea At the time (1858) the journey from Britain to Australia took between 10 and 17 weeks depending on the weather, and covered around 21,600 km (13,000 miles). Close

	Surgeon From 1848 any ship carrying more than 100 people had to have a surgeon on board. The doctor on the Admiral Alcock is not surprised that everyone has lice. In such cramped conditions it is almost inevitable that almost everyone on board would have caught them. Close

	Passengers British Passenger Acts always stated how much space each migrant should have in steerage, but didn't mention exercise space on deck. As a result the deck was always crowded with people and provisions. Close

	Equator An imaginary line which runs around the centre of the Earth, an equal distance from both poles. At the time it would have taken a ship sailing from Britain 25-35 days to cross the equator, with a further 45-50 days before it reached Australia. Close

	Luck In folklore comets were thought to bring bad luck, often bringing death and sorrow. Close