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Letter from George Ferris on the WESTWARD HO to his mother
Letter from George Ferris on the WESTWARD HO to his mother

Letter from George Ferris on the WESTWARD HO to his mother

Author
Date13 November 1864
Object number00033000
NameLetter
MediumInk on paper
DimensionsOverall: 317 x 195 mm
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineANMM Collection Purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds
DescriptionTwo-page letter by sailor George Ferris to his mother in Buffalo, New York. Ferris describes his voyage out to Australia on board the bark WESTWARD HO. The vessel arrived in Sydney from New York after a passage of 143 days. Ferris describes weather and crew on board the bark WESTWARD HO while voyaging to "Sidney". There were sixteen people on board including two passengers, a boy cabin passenger and an old Irish man who lived forward. Of note is the description of the size and appearance of Sydney Harbour and notes that "Sidney Harbour is called the finest in the world. It is indeed splendid". He also describes the Botanic Gardens at length including the myriad of birds and animals kept there. HistoryGeorge Ferris' letter to his mother is full of descriptions of a sailor's life during the long passage fron the United States to Australia during this time. Very much a captive to the weather conditions with the WESTWARD HO getting "jammed up to Leeward of the Trade Winds off the coast of Brazil and we were beating about for some six or seven weeks without making anything in our course." This put pressure on supplies and Ferris is relieved to finally arrive in Sydney. Although initally impressed with the growing city, particulaly the harbour and Botantic Gardens, Ferris decides against Australia telling his mother is not a desirable place to live, as it is so hot and the land is so barren. Farmers must work very hard to survive and many things are very expensive in particular alcohol. It is intersting to note that at the time of writing the letter, Ferris was still unsure where the WESTWARD HO would sail to next. It is dependent on the owner and locations could be London, San Francisco, China or Calcutta. Ferris is not tempted to desert the ship, like some other crew, but acknowledges "sailing is a miserable life, never get over three hours sleep at a time on deck in all sorts of weather miserable grub and often short of water..". His great desire is to return home to food - "Tell Grandmother that I want her to have something good for me to eat when I come home which will probably be next August or September _ I havn't (sic) tasted butter or milk or anything of that kind since I left New York".SignificanceGeorge Ferris's letter is a first person account of a growing Sydney in the mid-19th century. His description of the Botanical Gardens and George Street is an interesting comparison for the Sydney of today. He also describes conditions on board the WESTWARD HO and how "We had a pretty hard time of it for we were short of water and we nearly starved."