Stateside With Rosalea: My Own Private Sesqui

Who that was there could forget the damp squib that was Aotearoa/New Zealand’s Sesquicentennial in 1990? I lived in Wellington at the time, and prominent in my memory is some waterfront building that was painted blue. Were there waka on the harbour, coming ashore at Te Papa? Didn’t it bankrupt the organizers? And didn’t the Artist Informally Known as Bony F drink himself into a mortal stupor under a tree at Waitangi?

Well, I kind of missed out on my own private sesqui earlier this year. On January 17, Timaru celebrated the 150th anniversary of the arrival of a boatload of immigrants on board the Strathallan, among them my father’s grandfather. I chanced across a website that has posted brief extracts from the day-to-day goings on aboard the ship, and it makes for gripping reading. The website is here, but I’ve shortened the account even more by including just the bits I find fascinating below. It’s a kind of nineteenth century Twitter.

OCTOBER 12th 1858

12. Started at last. Man overboard.

14. Saw the comet.

15. Porpoises.

17. All hands making puddings.

18. Bay of Biscay 0! Sick. Pitch and toss. Heavy sea all night. All in motion.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

19. Sea as high as the maintop. Rain and cold. Much sickness on board. Pig fell down the main hatch.

20. Shoals of porpoises.

21. Becalmed all day. Starling came on board, and a hawk. Several whales about the ship. Another pig down the main hatch.

22. Dead calm still. A woman died this morning. Funeral at half-past 4. [The woman was my great-grandfather’s wife.]

24 A child died this afternoon.

26. Heavy sea all last night, broke the cabin windows. Very heavy weather; shipping a great deal of water.

27. Fine morning. Becalmed, looking out for the Trades. A song below at night till 12. Trades expected.

31 (Sunday). First fine Sunday. Sun warm; sea smooth; wind fair. Dinner and tea on the forecastle. Very pleasant day altogether.

NOVEMBER

2. Fine day. Flying fish seen, also waterspout. Concert on deck in the evening.

6. Going well. Lots of flying fish. Dance on deck in the evening.

7 (Sunday). Splendid weather. Flying fish came on the poop. Several nautilus seen.

10. Wet. Buckley and Tobin fought.

14. A shark came on the port side and went away aft, and after smelling the bait went away ahead. The first mate got down on the guys of the martingale, and dropping the bait the shark presently came back and took it. Landed it on the main deck and cut it up.

15. Shark for breakfast fried in butter. Shark for tea stewed in vinegar.

16. Pickles sent to prison for 12 hours.

18. Ship going well. School of whales at 2 in the afternoon. Crossed the Line between 2 and 3. Neptune came on board in the evening. Plenty of grog in forecastle with sailors; all singing and jolly.

20. Mrs Kohn's child died this morning. Funeral at half-past 4.

23. Mrs Padget had a child at 3 this morning.

26. First mate knocked a cabin passenger down on the poop.

30. The Julia, 52 days out from Callao for Liverpool and Cork, in sight this morning. At 8 a.m. the ship 10 miles off. A boat put off and came alongside a little after 10. Left again a little after 12, with letters and some tar, twine, etc.

DECEMBER

1. Shoal of porpoises. The first mate tried to harpoon one but failed.

3. Albatrosses, Cape pigeons, etc., in sight. Fishing for them. No go.

4. Stiff breeze. Main-top-gallant yard-arm carried away.

5. Ship rolling frightfully, and shipping water every few moments.

6. Shooting albatross on the poop in the afternoon.

9. Sailor Jack knocked the boatswain down. Single men's band on deck in the evening. Fight between Clark and Jim the sailor.

11. Mrs Bishop's child died last night. The cabin steward went into the hospital on Thursday. Row between the captain and boatswain; between the boatswain and little Jimmy the sailor and general quarrelling. Child buried between 12 and 1. Heavy seas during the service.

15. Mrs Abbott's child died at 9 p.m.

17. The first mate going to put Cameron the sailor in irons.

24. Mr. Double's child died this afternoon and was buried directly afterwards. Southern lights, or Aurora Australis very plain after dark.

25 (Saturday, Christmas Day). Fine day. Splendid weather. Shiny, cool and pleasant. Ship going well. Two children christened this morning. Plenty of plum duffs on board. Sailors all drunk and fighting. Blue murder. Hurrah!

26 (Sunday). Queer. No how. All wrong. Too soon after Christmas.

31. The last day of the old year. At midnight the ship's bells rang for a quarter of an hour, after which a concert of pots and pans kept up a chorus until the captain brought out the rum bottle. Heavy sea. Water coming on the drummer.

JANUARY

1st, 1859. Mrs Brightmore, the mad woman brought down to the single men's hospital at night. Mutiny and rebellion. ladder taken down and the devil to pay.

2 Child died this afternoon.

4. Row between old Pickles and young Everett.

5. Curious appearances like balls of fire floating past every moment in the dark.

6. Mrs Brightmore died in the afternoon, and was buried directly afterwards. Land birds about the ship.

9. Row between B. and R. R. tried to cut B. down with a scraper. A watch kept below all night for fear of R. assaulting B. in his sleep.

13. Land on the port bow about 11 a.m., between 30 and 40 miles distant. NEW ZEALAND! Long, being made fast in the fore rigging, drew his knife and threatened to stab little Jimmy the sailor.

14. Ten thousand mountains towering far above the clouds, some of them covered with eternal snow, but all barren and desolate, not a sign of human being or human works. Thousands of little red lobsters the size of shrimps, and jelly star fish. One of each caught. Gnats, butterflies, and dragonflies flying about at 9 a.m. More mountains, the high ones crowned with snow. A point ahead which we are trying to round. Heavy tide running in-shore. Our cake stolen.

TIMARU AT LAST! Five houses in sight. A boat comes off with six men. They come on board and the boat is smashed against the side. Spanish Joe, the sailor, gets a ducking in slinging the boat for lifting. Shoals of porpoises round the ship. Riding with one anchor and a gale of wind blowing. Sent down all the royal yards. No accommodation for the immigrants A queer look out! The water since the morning of the 12th of a brilliant green. Several of the immigrants engaged. One short ale is 2s 6d per bottle, rum 9d a glass, tobacco 4s 6d a pound, a sheep for £1 or £1 5s.

16 (Sunday). Boat came alongside at 6 a.m. with seven men, bringing off a live sheep, a leg of mutton and some grog. Hove the anchor chain straight up and down before 8 a.m. Old Jimmy pitched into the black cook and the boatswain followed suit. All in confusion. Beautiful morning, warm sun. Made sail and stood further in and anchored in 9 fathoms. The boatswain went on to the poop and made a noise and got put into irons. Had fresh mutton for dinner in the forecastle. Radishes and new potatoes brought on board.
Commenced landing passengers.

17. Finished landing passengers.

Not all the passengers landed at Timaru. They carried on to Lyttelton instead, my great grandfather and his two young daughters among them. He had left England because the climate was bad for his wife’s health, but it seems the stormy weather in the Bay of Biscay was even worse for it. He remarried, to a young woman who had also traveled, with her mother, from England to NZ on board the Strathallan. They settled in Christchurch, where he created the Botanical Gardens and Hagley Park.

Have a nice long weekend, y’all!

rosalea.barker@gmail.com

--PEACE --

© Scoop Media