Herbert Mackarsie journal

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2151_6-1-diary

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Saw by the aid of my glass that Bynoc was ashore at Cobras, mostly likely attending on Mrs Eversfield. Officers came on board to survey defects. Stoddart, Assist. Surgeon of the Spry, was invalided for ulcers on the leg, quite a young [man?] and to all appearance very healthy. At 11 received orders from the Admiral to discharge coals, before going over to [[Ponté de Rio]], to alter our shaft. The fat Master's Assistant getting more impertinent every day, only fit to have a sweeping in some slummy street in Town, more fat-headed than ever, disliked by every one on board. A small addition to my list but the ship very healthy: a death on board the German Town, minute guns being fired, and the Ensign dipped while the boats were going ashore with the funeral. Another order to keep our coals on board, and to proceed at 6 to Ponte de Rio, there land sufficient to examine our leak, and remove the Shaft to be replaced by our spare one. In the evening, Netton, an old Messmate came on board, with a Lieut from the Sqren.

November 13th At 4 Lighted fires and got steam up, and proceeded to Ponte de Video, when we sashed alongside the wharf and commenced preparing for uncoaling. At 10 Surveying Officers came on board to inspect defects: finished letters to England. At 4 Commdr left to dine with Admiral. Some of the Officers went ashore on leave. Ships Company bathed after sunset. Played at Ecarte in the evening and turned in early.

November 14th At 5 went on discharging coals

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possible - Commdr went on board Flag ship 12.30 Steam up weighed and steamed out of the harbor. At 5 set fires go out and made sail. In the evening very fine.

July 27th Light winds Cape Frio astern of us (I wished for ever) and just visible - Made all possible sail, passed several vessels going to Rio - our new Messmate took the [?] catership.

July 28th A fine fresh breeze from SE running with topsail studdy sails. In the afternoon it freshened and after quarters we had to reef: going ten knots.

July 29th Sunday, At Sea. Strong breezes with occasional heavy squalls all day - Noon passed a brig standing to the Nward. At 3 Commdr dined with - At 7 went to bed.

July 30th Woke with a frightful headache, which was quickly followed by rigors, and as soon as I had seen my sick, took a large dose of Antimony and Arsenic and rum and turned in again During the day there were heavy squalls with rain.

July 31st The same sort of weather : after Quarters exercised at gun drill : felt considerably better : made and shortned sail as requisite to heavy squalls : passed a Brazilian brig : in the evening.

Wednesday, August 1st 1855 At Sea. Beautiful nite & morning with a fresh breeze - After quarters exercised at gun drill - In the afternoon saw a great many flying fish, got a dolphin line rigged - After quarters exercised at shifting jib boom, found our new one would not fit - At 6 our band came up and played some tunes very well, considering the short time, it had been in practice, and during the interlude we had songs - Made arrangements with the Commdr about forming a Whist Party. Chess, Backgammon and Cards in the evening, and all turned in by ten o'clock.

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a heavy press of sail - on our weather heavy. Steering to the Sward - 9.30 went to General Quarters: in the evening a fire was reported on board some ship to leeward of us, where we at once made sail and bore down towards her, but after running some time we found it was merely a fire on the shore - At9 shortned sail -

October 13th At 6 made sail - Employed cleaning ship throughout, white washing holes & c. In the evening exercised reefing and making sail - Showed lights to a large barque, about 500 yards to leeward of us.

Sunday, October 14th At Sea. At 6 bore away and made sail towards Pernambuco: 9 breeze freshened, shortned sail, and hauled on a wind, finding we were by some mistake to leeward of our port: 9.30 mustered by Open List, inspected ship, and performed Divine Service : 11 tacked and again made sail : at 2 Commdr and Deal dined with us - About 6 came to an anchor, furled sails -

October 15th At 8 lighted fires, got steam up, and fired a gun for a Pilot: 9 banked up fires, the water being too low to allow us to get in : at 3 the Pilot came off, when we weighed and steamed inside of the Recipe & moored ship - Yellow Fever prevalent on shore. In the evening went ashore, played billiards and got on board by seven next morning.

October 16th At Pernambuco - Paid Ship's Company Monthly Allowance money - Brazilian Corvette went out of harbor - At 7 went ashore played a match of billiards and won - 10 got to the Europa, where we remained some time in consequence of a heavy fall of rain-

October 17th Arrived a French Brig of War from Rio just in Quarantine at once. Heard of 160 Slaves being

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landed from the Coast of Africa - A Dundee barque came inside - In the afternoon made arrangements for a Picnic tomorrow. Commdr went alongside French Man of War, and was told Cholera was very bad at Rio. An Officer belonging to the Avon, who had been left in charge of the Swedish Brig., joined our mess. Fever on the increase on shore, several fatal cases having occurred - Most of the Officers and one half of the Ship's Company on shore: weather very hot and unpleasant. Turned in early after making arrangements for a Picnic next day.

October 18th At 5 got up and dressed, had breakfast - and by seven, we were ashore where a carriage & horses were waiting to take us to Beberba : we found the roads very bad, the dry sand being very deep, so that we had often to get out of our conveyances, as the poor horses could not drag us on: we got to a house where the landlord was very extortionate so we left without paying him anything; and went into the bush and had our grub, grog and baccy on the grass, and got nicely covered with black ants : when the sun got low we made a start for Pernambuco, and got into town after walking half the distance, the horses being done up.

October 19th Not much improved by our last days amusements, got on board at 7 but not much inclined for breakfast - At 11 the English and French Consuls came on board with the Commdr. At noon the Brazilian Brig in harbor fired a Royal salute. French Brig of war sailed. Several of our men in limbo for fighting with some Brazy

October 20th At 5 all the Officers went ashore to play billiards having Pridham and myself on board. 8.30 they returned and at 9 we sat down to a capital supper given by Pridham before leaving, (as expected) for England. Being

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Chairman the duty devolved on me to propose his health, and a speedy and properous passage home making as flowery a speech as I could : he returned the toast in a very short speech, which I was glad of, not wishing to refer to the unpleasantness that happened before: after two or three glasses of grog, we went on deck, smoked, and turned in at midnight -

October 20th In the morning early, I was awoke by hearing a Steamer was in sight, and at once turned out expecting it to be the mail, but it turned out to be a Brazilian Steamer from Rio, however we learnt that the Packet had left, in the forenoon another Steamer arrived from Para.

Commdr came on board : The Purser adrift somewhere. In the afternoon several of the Officers went ashore to ride to fashnagar. Some of our men came off very drunk, and one of them even struck the Officer of the watch on the Quarter deck. I had shut my cabin door when my messmates came on board and insisted on my making it Saturday night, and it was midnight before we all turned in.

Sunday October 21st The hottest morning I ever felt, the perspriation actually running off me in streams : still no appearance of the English Mail - 13 of our men on shore and many on board very rudy - 9 sent a boat for Commdr. waited for him till noon, when she was recalled. At 1 the Purser came off changed his linen and went ashore again - Dined at 2ish Several of the men came off very drunk.

October 23rd Anxiously looking for the Mail, a large fleet of ships outside in Quarantine - In the afternoon heard of the death, from Fever, of a young gentleman who dined with us only three days previously - Most of our officers on shore - Very unwell all day -

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October 23rd At 7 saw the Packet coming from Rio, all confusion, and writing letters, a large addition to my list in consequence of giving leave - Sent a boat to the Steamer, but could not get our bag in consequence of the Steamer being in Quarantine : at 1 sent the Avon's Officer on board : saw the mails coming in, and stop at the Light house to be fumigated: sent another boat but still could not get the letters. At 2 a boat came alongside with our bag, got letters from LQ M-r and Mr Brown - One hour left to read and answer them. Wrote a hurried note to dear Anq - Much annoyed to find the Packet did not sail till seven, four hours after the appointed time. Heard that the Flag Ship and Express were coming here, and some probability of our being ordered home-

October 24th Prepared for going to sea - Exercised at gun drill - In the forenoon a Brig got on shore on the bar, but as the tide was flowing she soon was all right - Commdr came on board and ordered the fires to be lighted at 12.30Noon Pilot came on board, when we commenced unmooring ship - At 2 steam up, weighed and steamed out of harbor passed the Brazilian Commodore going in : Pilot left us - At 4 let the fires go out and made sail - After Quarters exercised shifting sails-

October 25th On this day two years we were put in Commission - Standing in towards the land under easy sail, exercised at gun drill. Saw two sail in the afternoon - At 5 sighted the ships in the outer roads of Pernambuco, tacked and stood out to sea again - Exercised shifting jib &c-

October 26th At 2 very nearly ran over two catarmarans 6 tacked and stood in toward the land - 9 bore

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up and squared yards running in for Pernambuco - Went to General Quarters - At 10 saw Glinda. Saw several vessels at anchor in the outer roads : in the evening tacked and stood out to sea again -

October 27th At 6 went round, and stood in for the land - 11 Saw Glinda, made sail: passed a very large whale and a shark close to him. All very anxious about the arrival of the English Mail and the Admiral. At noon saw a Brig of War, and soon made her out to be the Express and at once made our Pendants which were soon answered. Ran in together and anchored, the English Consul coming on board and telling us of the fall of Sebastopol - Signal from the Express. Sebastopol is no more. - In the afternoon Commdr went alongside Express, and afterwards on shore, returning at 10 when we were enjoying a supper, after hearing such good news.

Sunday October 28th At anchor off Pernambuco. At 9.30 went to Divisions and perfomred Divine Service. While at dinner at 2 the Quarter master reported a Steamer coming in from the Nward, and soon after the Express fired a gun and hoisted the Packet Flag, and in an hour the Tamor, a new steamer anchored: sent for the Mail but the Express being Senior Officer took charge of it and we were consequently some hours later in getting ours : however at last I found a letter from L-y AM-r and learnt by our papers that Sebastopol was ours -

October 29th At 8 hoisted Mast head flags in commemoration of the taking of Sebastopol, flying a French Ensign at the main - 10 fired a Royal Salute - Commdr went on shore and heard there was plenty of slaving going on, on the Coast, wished we might be sent there.

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October 30th - Still no appearance of either the Flag Ship or the Purser, the latter having been ashore since Saturday - Commdr Boyce of Express, very fond of exercising, particularly when the sun was very hot. In the afternoon Ross came off, and was anxious to go ashore again, when he heard the boats being hoisted up: but was obliged to remain-

October 31st At 7 a signal from the Express to be ready for sea at 1 PM - Arrived a fine large Trowship from Liverpool - Commdr came off at 10 - Exercised at hoisting and lowering 2nd gig - At 1 Commenced to weigh, loosed sails; pails of Capsteria carried away, which took possession of the deck, how half the Ship's company was not killed is a miracle - Made a signal to Express who was under Sail, that we were disabled, and asked permission to get steam up and go inside to repair damages; granted, fired a gun and hoisted a Pilot flag: 3 Pilot came off, have short with a tackle and at 4.15 got our anchor, and steamed inside the Reef, where we moored in our fomer position -

Thursday November 1st 1855 At Pernambuco At 7 the Express was seen standing in: made a signal to repair damage as expeditiously as possible - 9.30 Commdr went on shore with the old Carpts mate to buy the requisite articles to repair out Capstery.

Nov 2nd Early this morning a large Ship a long way was reported in the offiing standing toward the anchorage: in the forenoon the English and French Consuls came on board. At 1 made out the Admirals flag in company with the Express, made our Pendants to him - Consuls went ashore, and great excitement prevailed. In the

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afternoon they both stood out to sea

November 3rd At day light saw the Express not far off and sent a boat to communicate, and learnt from her that the Frigate which we took for the Flag Ship, was the Castor31 days from England, and bound to the Cape - English consul dined with Commdr and invited me to dinner next week - In the evening some gentlemen from shore came off and spent a couple of hours - After they left I had a quiet game of cribbage, made it Saturday night and turned in

Sunday November 4th - At Pernambuco - At 7 communicated with the Express - Saw a large Steamer coming from the Sward 9.30 Went to Divisions 10.30 went away in the gig to the English Church, where we heard an excellent Sermon preached by the Revd Mr. Morgan relative to the fall of Sebastopol: got on board to dinner and in the evening went ashore for a couple of hours, to the Sardinian Consuls It was a great day among the Portuguese, the Brazilian Troops were all under arms, a feu de joie was fired, the Le Deurn played and sang by a very large Orchestra, and a grand display of fireworks took place at noon.

November 5th Battle of Larkermon, Guy Fawkes &c Blowing fresh from the Sward. In the forenoon went ashore and played billiards, came off to dinner, had a siesta and in the evening went to Mr Bowman's, a Scotchman, where I had tea; Mrs Bowman and I (a Dundee lady) very soon got great friends, as I had been aCollege Mate with some young men formerly friends of hers : spent a very pleasant evening and left at 9, after accepting an invitation from Mr. Morgan the Clergyman

November 6th Shortly after daylight saw the Express;

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bent sails, and prepared for going to sea. Had a party on board in the evening.

November 7th Went ashore in the forenoon to see an accident, fracture of thigh, afterwards prescribed for a case of Erysipelas, which unfortunately proved fatal in 48 hours : played at billiards in evening and got on board before ten.

November 8th A request for my advice in a Fever case, Mrs W L in a great Junk : after stopping an hour, smoking a cigar I went on board about noon - After dinner, commenced unmooring : Pilot came off : fired a gun for Mr Ross, who was on shore and sent an officer and boats crew to bring him off. At 3 (having got him on board) weighed and steamed out of the Reefe : after the Pilot left, let the fires burn down, and made sail - At 8.30 showed lights and communicated with Express: ordered to go in on Sunday - Old Ross, very screwy.

November 9th Standing along the land to the Nward - under easy sail. 9 went to General Quarters - In the afternoon passed several vessels, bound apparently for Pernambuco

November 10th At daylight tacked and made sail. 11 saw a brig supposed to be a Man of War, altered course and stood towards her: 3 came up with her found her to be a Brig from Liverpool, tacked again and stood out to sea - At 8.30 made it Saturday night, smoked and turnedin.

Sunday November 11th At Sea. At daylight bore up and ran in towards the land. - 9 the land reported in sight from the masthead - 9.30 Mustered

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