“The first part of the day was the worst I have experienced since on board. The wind was high.
The sea breaking over us all the time & a nice fine rain that got in everywhere. 12 knots an hour all day. In the evening (at 5) the sun came out & the wind changed. Yesterday we did 270 miles. Joey has been learning a lot of sailor’s songs to-day as he is going round the country as a wandering minstrel on his arrival. It is light now at 3.30am & is not dark again till 8pm so that we have enough daylight if not of everything else. We had hot rolls & butter with coffee for breakfast which was very good. For dinner: soup, salt junk & treacle duff which was full of Normandy pippins. The cook says he found them & I suspect the 1st class passengers had to go short accordingly. The beef, it wants a great effort to eat. You have to smother it with pickles & cry turkey or some other good thing. Our floor, which has been wet for about a fortnight is actually getting dry now & I hope you will all have a place (free of cockers mind) whereon to lay your weary heads so good night”
Extract from A.Whelen’s travel journal aboard the Hesperides sailing from England to Australia in 1878
