Bound for South Australia 1836Life Onboard

Week 18

Our cabin aboard the Bolton. Edward Snell, 1849

Overview Between February and July 1836 nine ships left Britain bound for the newly created province of South Australia. On-board the ships were passengers who over many long months braved the perils of the ocean, including some of the most treacherous seas in the world to begin a new life on the other side of the world.

This resource uses the stories from these nine ships as recorded by the passengers and crew in their personal journals.

Contents

• Introduction• Journal entries• Inquiry Questions• Relevant images • Glossary of terms

Introduction

This week we will take a closer look at what life is like for the passengers who are travelling below the decks. How do they sleep, eat, learn, work, play and go to the toilet.

Captain Robert Morgan, on board the Duke of York wrote:

Most part of this 24 hours light airs of wind fromthe SEd made sail as required Lattd Obsd 36.13 SLongitude 41.10 EastIn the morning read the word of God with prayeryesterday one of the crew complained to me beingallmost dead with illness I gave him an ametick his complaint being a disordred stomack and stoptof course his rum to day he says he is quite welland complains of his rum being stopt and says will not drink any more ships rum but the firstport if he has to sell his last shirt will buye somelast sunday was a storm of wind and sea this astorm of man …

Journal entries Sunday 19 June 1836

… – in the afternoon we had a prayermeting with religious instruction in the everningread the word of God with a surmon the youngman Glansford tell me to read the word of God todo him good he watches when all is a sleep and drawsthe curtain of his little bed place which is about 6 feetlong and 4 feet heigh and four feet whide thus hereads and prayes

Inquiry Questions

• What is the accommodation for passengers like onboard our ships?

• Where and how are every day tasks such as washing, eating, sleeping and toileting performed onboard?

• How do the living arrangements of the crew and passengers compare?

• Are all passengers treated equally?

Images

hair cutting at sea. Edward Snell, 1849

the mess at dinner. Edward Snell, 1849

Some play at hop-scotch, by E. C. Moore. Image Courtesy of the National Library of Australia, PIC T1757 NK4270

Glossary of Terms

Ametick• Emetic, medicine to cause vomiting.Lattd• Latitude is the distance of a point north or south of the equator as measured in degrees. The

poles are at 90 degrees north and south. Longitude• Longitude is the distance, measured in degrees, of the meridian on which a point lies to the

meridian of Greenwich. On the other side of the earth to Greenwich is a point with a longitude of both 180 degrees east and 180 degrees west.

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