MS 95/1/1

Patrick Chalmers (1819-1891) was the son of James Chalmers, the Arbroath born inventor of the adhesive postage stamp. Like many young Scots of the period, Patrick sought work abroad. In 1844 he travelled to China by ship on a voyage that lasted 118 days. He wrote home to his family describing the long voyage around the Cape of Good Hope and onboard activities, his fellow voyagers, and the shooting of now rare birds for sport amongst other topics.

Below is a further extract from his long and detailed letter to his father.

From MS 95/1/1

At Sea, off Java Head

Monday 26^th August 1844

Dear Father

and all dear folks at home Finding I have not altogether forgotten how to hold a pen, and having some chance of sending you a letter from the present neigh-bourhood, I proceed to give you some account of our proceedings since coming on board this ere ship, and more especially to acquaint you of my salubrity and safe conveyance to this quarter of the globe. We expect to see the land this evening and to be at Anjer in the Straits probably to-morrow - this little town is a Dutch settlement, where vessels take in fresh stock, leave letters etc, and you are very likely to get this before one from China, by means of some homeward bounder - vessels to Bombay from China pass through the Straits of Malacca - else by that route you might have this in six weeks from now - As I have not been in the habit of seeing the

newspapers lately, I can talk to you neither of war nor politics, but some account of our voyage may be interesting. For my own part therein I have been perfectly well in health, and never wearied in spirits - indeed a voyage is a very pleasant undertaking, especially if the gales wd. stay at home, but of these we have not had many, though some very severe, as hereafter to be noted. - Reading has of course been my chief occupation - my Chinese at times, for I won’t take too much credit as having studied much thereat - them pacing about the deck in confabulation with the mates, - getting hungry, eating, drinking, and not a little of doing nothing at all - has served to fill up my days. - In the evenings we have whist, the Capt., Doctor, and myself - the Capt. and I taking Dummie alternatively, At sea, as on shore, I may mention that We pass the night in sleeping - and this I have endeavoured to account for the 24 hours, with little variation. - The victualling department has been on rather a shabby scale, the Capt. as I find being a confounded screw, and saves every six- pence he can in his meats & liquars, though there is no want on board, but he can sell his surplus to great advantage in China, and so we are scrimped of all really worth having. But all has gone on agreeably, and I have not heard scarce an angry word on board - he is a pleasant enough man on the whole, only requiring his ways humoured a little. The Doctor is a regular canny scot, always obliging and agreeable and we have been great friends together, though I am happy to say I have not had to apply to him in his professional capacity having some ordinary medicines of my own - indeed he has hardly been wanted, unless one day when a man took a fit of apoplexy in reefing top sails in a gale of wind, out at the very extremity of the yard, rather an awkward situation. - however the others held him on, lowered him down, bled him well, and he was at work in a couple of days. - The two chief mates are scotchmen, and the third a Londoner, so I have had no want of topics in conversing with them all. - the first is a Highlander, an active enquiring young chap, has been some 7 years on board, and gets a vessel to himself next voyage from same ------------. The second is a Perth man

sailed out of Dundee not a little, and been in all parts of the world, and in all services navy, company, & mercantile. - He and I have had many a “yarn” of our native quarters. - with the other, a funny, jocular Cockney, I have discussed “life in London”, many a watch. I may give a sketch of our track, such as you can easily trace on a map. - After leaving the Mersey, go straight down to Medeira, to which we passed close one fine morning and in nine days delightful sailing - thence stretch across to the Brazil coast sail him and skirt along it for some days, within a hundred miles or two sometimes of the east - then look out for a speck in the ocean called the Island of “Tristan de Cunha”, about latitude 37 south and draw over to it from Rio de Janeiro on the Brazil coast. - This Island we passed close to - it is a mere mountain rising 8000 feet high, & covered at the top with snow, which could be seen high above the clouds. - Until within a day or two’s sail of this island, our voyage had been like a pleasure sail - when as a contrast we experienced as severe a gale as any on board had felt. - After losing some sails, we lay to under bare masts for two days, blowing a hurricane with heavy rain. - The first day I went on deck now & then just to see how a gale looked, but the second was the worst & during that day & night the ship rolled fearfully in the heavy sea, and we looked for every roll to carry away some of the masts. On the morning of the third day it moderated, and we escaped with a few minor damages, though the cargo is said to be much damaged by salt water. - Our course goes on southerly to 40 lat., thence past the Island of St. Pauls to the South, but not insight thereof. - All round the Cape of Good Hope there is plenty of shooting - lots of Pigeons and Albatross congregate round the vessel, and I used to blaze away with my pistols and the Captain’s rifle, and latterly brought down the albatross on the wing with a bullet. - They are a majestic bird. We were unfortunate in fishing, having caught only one small shark. - From St. Paul’s, we should have stretched straight on to Java head, but the winds kept us to the south, and we were within a days sail of Swan River, New Holland. - About St. Pauls we had more gales, though not continuing disagreeably long as before - since then we have had fine weather, & from Swan River till now have hardly shifted a sail, going 180 to 200 miles a day in the South East Trade wind. The greatest run made during the voyage was 262 miles one day, or 11 miles within 2 an hour for 24 hours.

Since I began this, land is in sight we saw Christmas Island yesterday and we shall be in the Straits of Sunda in an hour or two. - We are 97 days out, a quick passage, especially considering the round about we have had, as a near course wd not have brought us either so close to Brazil or to New Holland We have seen several vessels on the passage, some as close as to speak to, and though our questions cd. - be few, it was a days adventure in such a solitude - indeed you should have heard us being “spoken” once or twice. - Other vessels we signalized, accupying an afternoon very pleasantly, & I got an adept at the signals, with which any conversation can be carried on. - One vessel, a Frenchman, bound to Batavia, kept company for some days, until we lost each other in a gale - one is now in sight, making for the Straits, and may be the same. - I need not fill paper by detailing those little phenomena, witnessed by all passengers - flying fish, whales, purpoises &c. - The fine evening in the tropics should be mentioned - decks swept up, work over, and all sitting on deck talking & laughing - a song & chorus heard from among the seamen, or one more musical playing the Queen’s Anthem on a Fife / what a change from the Halion Opera / - then when dark, the brilliancy of the planets & Stars, and phosphoric glance of the sea. Our Captain, among his accomplishments, plays six tunes on the accordian, which I liked at first then suffered, but now flee from - besides this, he hums a villainous edition of the Serenade I used to shine in, “Oh! Gentle night”, which he heard at some penny theatre burlesqued to the words of My eye! how ------ fair. I never did see such hair - This is the severest cut of all. - Two nights ago we witnessed that curious phenomenon sometimes seen, of sailing through an ocean of milk - the Doctor awoke me about four in the morning to see it - and on looking around, the sea was of that appearance as far as the eye cd reach. A bucket of the water was taken up, and found to contain phosphorescent animalenlae, which in myriads innummerable give the sea that appearance - this planation agrees with that given by Horsburgh, the guide of navigators. - ......

from MS 95/1/1

Share |