| Robbins Genealogy Home Tree details Surname Lists Researchers Resources & Links Lifestyles |
|
Immigrants on the high seas - Part 2 A Voyage letter written by E. Robbins on the S. Parthenope from L.pool to Melbourne, Australia, June to September 1881. Part 1 Part 3 Dear Father and Mother and all July 17th/81 We have been out more than a month now, the ship is making very good progress, we are now 3 or 400 miles south of the Equator in the Western Hemisphere where we have never been before, or any of our family, we crossed the line on Thursday July 14th at 9 p.m., the captain can tell exactly where we are, he takes observations from the sun every day and so gets the exact time, we are about 2 1/2 hours behind you now. There is quite a performance for all those who have not crossed before, father Neptune is supposed to come aboard and you have to go before him and he asks you where you are from who your father is and what your name is and if you would like a shave there are men for shaving you and keep you in order and if you do not answer all satisfactory you have to be shaved or pay a fine, the shaving is I should say a dirty tar pot a piece of wood for a razor, one or two were served so and some were ducked in a tub of water, it was rare fun, I tell you, the money that the sailor got for fines they spend in grog, they crossed the line 10 days earlier this voyage than last and we may expect to be in six weeks from this. We have had splendid weather all last week. We have spent most of our time on the forecastle it is grand up there, one day I was there, had been several hours, and Walter came for me at tea time. I had been knitting, singing and sleeping and enjoying myself proper and when I got up the ship gave a lerch to one side and of my ball of wool went and so put an end to my knitting. I had finished one pair of socks and just started the next so I shall have to wait a bit now I guess. Tell Lizzie Patch we could have some rare times if she were here, my Sunday suit is my red kilted skirt Blue polannaise and penny hat, quite a swell ain't I. You would think so if you saw me, we are enjoying it very much, no one can say we had a shabby honeymoon, we are expecting to have rough weather now, we have got a good wind going along in fine style, I wish you could just see us. Sunday seems the longest day to us, the sailors make splendid mats, something like that one by our front door so strong, I have seen one finished two different colours. Walter has been promised one. Every one that knew Bill Robbins on this ship speaks well of him, the carpenter thinks a deal of him and says he is the man to get on. This last two weeks we have had our meals by ourselves in our room and find it much better, we have finished Grand-ma's jar of jam we have enjoyed it and the rhubarb too also that cake we took, the ham has kept very well indeed, only I am sorry to say it is nearly done we have not touched the tinned fish or meat yet, we are waiting until it gets cooler, we have a rice pudding nearly every day with raisins sugar and butter in and lemon rind, but water instead of milk. We have nearly finished that tin of coffee and will soon have to start of Aunt Dingleys. Give our love to her when you see her and let her know how we have fared. Dear Father & Mother, July 24th/81. We have got this another week safe thank God and I wish it was the last for we are getting tired, this is the seventh Sunday, what a treat it will be to go to chapel again. We can scarcely deceive Sunday from any other day here. We have had another fine week, last Thursday it was very calm, we hardly had any wind at all, the sea was one large mirror. In the afternoon we saw several Whales at a distance such huge creatures, it kept calm until Friday afternoon and then the wind freshened and blew that hard that they had to take in some of the sails, I tell you I began to feel rather afraid. It tossed awful all night, the water came over the sides in large quanties and made the dogs bark and the cans rattle. You may stand and look at the sea for hours and yet never grow tired, it is wonderful and yet awful to see the waves heave mountains high and to think you are at the mercy of them. I hope, Dear Father & Mother & all of you don't forget to remember us in your prayers for I am sure we need them, we are so apt to forget God, altho we are in such danger, I feel after that I want more of Christ's love in my heart an unselfish love to love others better than myself, if we could exercise more of that love to others what a deal happier we should be, what a different place this Ship would be or rather the inmates of it. There is hardly any one here judging from appearances that think of God. What an awful thing it would be to be brought before God's throne and meet Him face to face and not be prepared. God Grant that we shall be ready When He sees fit to call us whether on land or Sea. I don't know how I should have got along by myself, I do not want for anything that Walter can get me, he has t get up by six every morning to take the water to the cook and the meal for porriage, the cook makes very good porriage and we have treacle, I think I have had more fowl etc. since I came on board than I ever had, the stewart gives it to Walter. I get tired of so much. Yesterday the cook killed a sheep, I felt that I would have given anything for a bit done over the fire like Father has it. I suppose you will be having Black currant pudding and Lamb & Green peas. I wish we could have some, I suppose when we have been hare as long again we can look out for land, we have not passed the Cape of Good Hope yet. I am sitting in the carpenters shop and the ship is rolling about so please excuse the writing. I hardly know what to write about I don't feel in any form for it somehow. I have felt rather low spirited to-day. I am glad to say we both are very well. Walter never fails to look after my comforts, we had a nice pudding to-day boiled it in a jar, it was much better than in a cloth because the salt water came thro. The engineer has been condensing water this last week & I think it quite as nice if not better, so we shall have enough now for the passage now the weather is a little cooler now one night last week thay had to put one of the stowaways in Iron's because he had been swearing at the mate, he deserved it, he is an awful fellow. Yesterday we had a proper tea, chicken & bread & marmalade. I wish we had some more Marmalade it's proper, the stewart gave us a bit of Salmon on Friday night so we had it for breakfast on Saturday. We did enjoy it, we have a treat in store when we open ours, the pickles are proper, the Ham is nearly all gone, we have started of Aunt Dingleys coffee, tell her it is very nice indeed and thank her. The tea we get is not nice at all so I put two tea spoonsful of the ships tea and one of ours and that makes it better. That tin jug we took has to serve as coffee and tea pot. You would laugh I know if you could see us at our meals, you have to stick fast to them or else away they go. July 31st/81, Dear Father & Mother & all, another week over I am happy to say & we are quite well, on the whole it has been a fine week but at times we have travelled very slow but now we are making up for lost time, we are going about 13 knots an hour. It is just possible we shall not be in so early as we at first antisepated as we have been almost becalmed at times, we have not yet come to the Cape of Good Hope. On Tuesday 26th we sighted Trinadad Island, when I say sighted it looked like a cloud in the distance but what a commotion it caused. I did not get up that day until dinner time, it was so rough and Walter took me on Top of the deck house and we had a good view but could not make anything out, I should have liked to see trees grass etc. etc. What a treat it will be to us when we get to the Cape, we shall soon run to Melbourne as there is always a good wind. On Wednesday morning Walter ask the Captain if we could have our big box open as his boots let in water and he had none decent to land in and we were telling the carpenter that we had a parcel for Bill and he said as they were pieces not made ... we should have to pay duty on them so he advised us to get it out and anything else we had so as it was a beautiful morning we got his permission. It was the first down the hold so we got the Blanket, those sheets that are for Bella Robbins, my navy blue Dress to land in, Walters boots and several other things and put several others back that we had done with. We thought it exceedingly kind of the Captain to allow us and Walter thanked him. On Thursday considerable excitement prevailed on board after Tea for the sailors had caught a shark, it measured about 11 feet and was considered a small one. I was surprised at the length of time it took to die, they cut is tail right off and then it kicked and after its head was cut of too, it was wonderful. Walter has got part of the jaw, it has 5 rows of teeth and some have a lot more, they are awfully sharp so you may guess if a man went over board he would stand little chance of living long. The back bone the sailors make a proper walking stick out of it, it is cleaned and is drying now and jaw is dry and it is as white as this paper. We shall keep it as a relick, they will put the tail at the end of the ship as that the folks at Melbourne will see we have caught a shark. Since I wrote the above we have been down stairs to dinner and stayed longer than we thought for it is nearly tea time now, oh it was such fun to get the dinner down stairs, the decks were so slippery you could scarcely walk, we were fortunate tho in getting it alright, one as soon as he reached to cooks down his potatoes went and so he had to go without. Walter had just taken the carpenter his pudding and such a tremendous sea came over and followed him down stairs, it is such fun to watch but not very nice to be in it, she has shipped some awful big seas to-day. When we are below they sound like thunder, one would stand a poor chance if they were caught. It is now a deal calmer, the sun is shining for the first time to-day but there is still a good wind and hope it will keep so. Walter & I are very well and happy, our love to you all not forgetting Ramsbottom St. This letter will be sent to you but please let them have it as Walter is not writing but he will write the first mail after we land. |