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A Voyage To Australia In The Barque WILLIAM WILSON 1849
A Voyage To Australia In The Barque WILLIAM WILSON 1849

A Voyage To Australia In The Barque WILLIAM WILSON 1849

Author (1826 - 1910)
Datec 1966
Object number00034329
NameBook
MediumVelveteen, paper, ink
DimensionsOverall: 202 x 140 x 9 mm, 0.14 kg
ClassificationsBooks and journals
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis publication 'A Voyage in the Barque William Wilson' was taken from the diary of Luther Scammell, the Ship's Surgeon on board the 400-ton wooden, Indian built immigration barque WILLIAM WILSON during a voyage from Gravesend, England to Port Adelaide, South Australia in 1849.HistoryThe WILLIAM WILSON was a 400-ton wooden three-masted barque which had been built at Sulkea, Calcutta, India in 1826. Originally rated 14AI because of the high regard Lloyd's Register had to Indian built ships, the vessel was rated AE1 for this particular voyage nearly 25 years after the vessel had been built. The WILLAIM WILSON left Gravesend on the 13 May 1849 bound for Port Adelaide in South Australia. The Captain's name was James Gibb and this was his first voyage as master, having been first mate of the vessel on its last voyage. The barque had an eventful first day with one of the steerage passengers being put into a straightjacket due to temporary madness and the vessel running aground on a sandbank. As a result of the grounding the vessel was delayed for a few days at anchor while the WILIAM WILSON was inspected and Gibbs received instructions from 'headquarters'. For the first few days Luther Scammell records treating the second mate for 'pleurisy', a seasick passenger, the discovery of a stowaway (who eventually ended up working his passage to South Australia), and provides additional details on his travelling companions. In early June 1849 Scammell records impressions of Madeira, Tenerife and the islands of the Canaries at the same time provide glimpses of his work as a ship’s surgeon. In early July the WILLIAM WILSON crosses the line and Scammell records the usual ceremonies along with an interesting example of shipboard poetry. One of the more interesting comments on shipboard life and passenger/crew interactions is noted on the 11 July when a dispute arises between Scammell, the passengers and the ship’s Captain: ‘The preserved provisions were being served out in the Steerage and Intermediate passengers in tins of two pounds, four pounds and eight pounds each. The Captain, contrary to his usual customs, had been overlooking the steward and shore to interfere, insisting that four pound tins should be issued as five pounds, and eight pounds as ten…. I interfered, pointed out the nefarious character of the transaction, insisted on the rights of the passengers on this matter and demanded to have the provisions weighed.’ As the voyage progressed the welfare of the passenger and crew was dutifully recorded by Scammell, who, in order to get his government bonus on arrival in Port Adelaide would have to show due care. Luther Scammell, along with his brother and sister arrived in Port Adelaide on the WILLIAM WILSON on 17 September 1849. Originally trained as a surgeon in England, he worked as a pharmacist when he arrived in South Australia. In 1861 he joined Francis Hardey Faulding, as an equal partner in Faulding’s well known medical and pharmaceutical company F H Faulding and Co. SignificanceWritten by ship’s surgeon Luther Scammell on board the WILLIAM WILSON, this account is significant in providing insight into the role of the ship's surgeon in the 19th century, and the immigration experiences of passengers voyaging from England to Australia in the 1840s. The account refers to passenger’s illnesses and injuries, as well as the problems which arose between the Captain, the crew and the passengers (such as rations). As Scammell's original diary no longer exists, this limited edition privately published account of his diary is the only known form.