Pages
16
12
May 31st At 5 Sighted fires and got steam up. At 7 weighed and steamed towards the Bar 7.30 made our Pendants to HMS Express : saw a small steamer towing out a vessel. At 9 Stopped alongside and Commander went on board Express - returned in half an hour and ordered us to anchor and draw the fires : he then went on board the small steamer, came back and took the second gig, with two days provisions &c and took a passage in Steamer up to Rio Grande do Sul, distant about 15 miles, (as there was not sufficient water on the bar for us to go over) to wait on Captain Boyce of Express, Purser went with him. Sailed a small brig for England. One of the Officers of Express came on board. At 3 PM saw a tug coming off having in tow two gigs which we soon made out to be our own and the Express's : Captn Boyce & Christian went on board with the Brazilian Consul when a Salute of seven guns was fired : at 5 Consul left when another salute was fired: 5.15 a signal from Express to shorten in cable and prepare for sea : at 6 Commdr & Purser came on board up gig, weighed and made sail in Co with Express, arrived an American Brig. Having got our anchor at the bows after making sail the Compressor tackle fell carried away and away went anchor and cable again at a frightful rate, very nearly losing both : the Brig seeing it tact about and stood towards us: we again got it up and made sail together - At 9 Express almost out of sight astern -
Friday, June 1st 1855 At Sea. At 2 blowing fresh, single reefed fore topsail and furled LGb sail. At 8 saw Express bearing WNW dist 7 or 8 miles - 9 made sail - a signal on board Express but could not make it out : a nasty cross sea running many of our people sea sick. At noon the weather began to look overall, and the barometer fell fast - Lost sight of Express on our weather quarter - At 7 single reefed the fore and aft sails, secured the guns, rose preventer braces, and hoisted the boats in -
17
13
June 2nd At midnight blowing hard double reefed topsail and reefed foresail, close reefed fore and aft sails, 12.30 a very heavy squall let every thing fly ; closed reefed foretopsail, furled foresail and fore and aft sails, and hove to : a heavy sea running: 3 more moderate kept away under easy sail
Sunday June 3rd 1855 At Sea. At 4 heavy squalls came away, with a very heavy sea. At 8 co with rain, shipped several seas : found my Cupping cake and Stomach Pump completely destroyed, running under reefed foresail close co foretopsail and fore stay sail, going 10-1/2 knots : every thing very uncomfortable. Sent down main and mizen topmasts hoisted boats in - At 6 hauled up under close reefed topsails, only going thru knots. At 8 rather less wind and sea - At 10 nearly calm but rolling heavily
June 4th At daylight saw the high land of St Catherines, wind from the W dull cloudy weather, no chance of getting in without steam. A small schooner in sight. Tacked as requisite In the afternoon very black and threatening with lightning & thunder. At 6 double reefed the foretopsail and reefed the foresail. At 7 furled foresail and fore and aft sails & close reefed foretopsail, set fore Maysail At 7 blowing a perfect hurricane dead on the land, giving us a new shore : Sighted fires and ran the boilers up in case of accident. At 8 it blew terribly - At 10 it moderated a little and rained very fast: at midnight less wind.
June 5th A cloudy dull morning with a breeze blowing dead on and made sail listing to windward : at 8 saw the land on port bow. everything very wet and miserable. Sailmaker repairing the split sails of last night. Sick list increasing, occasioned by the weather. Tacked as requisite
June 6th At 5 a SW breeze sprang up, braced up on part tack and stood towards Avarida distant about 50 miles, at
18
14
9 made sail: spoke a small Brazilian Schooner: weather much improved - In the afternoon while sending up the maintopmast, the mast rope carried away, and it came down by the run. At 3 a heavy squall shortned sail - At 5 a nice little breeze but dead on end - Saw what we considered to be Alverida -
June 7th At 6.30 found we had made a mistake in the land and that we were at least 20 miles more to leeward than we expected; working to windward with all possible sail set - the Sick list very large, but only one severe case, the others being caused by the late boisterous weather, in the shape of broken shins, jammed fingers, & colds. At noon got a slant of wind - At 4 came abreast of Anachtomalin : wind falling light. At 5 it came on to rain and became very dark, stood in towards the land and came to an anchor in 10 fths, furled sails - very heavy rain -
June 8th Very wet with a fresh breeze from SE . At 5 lighted fires 6.30 steam up, weighed and steamed toward the Fort: 9 on the Sick list, and 13 short of complement, making it hard work for the remainder of the ships company. At 11 anchored, banked up the fires, and Commdr and I went ashore in search for a Pilot, to take us up to St. Catherines : at the first house, we learnt he was on board a Brig, so we went to a friends house, the widow of a Pilot where we had passed several evenings: they were as usual very glad to see us : we had a chat with the four daughters in broken English, and Portuguese: in the house I found a case of fever for whom I prescribed at noon we got a Pilot and went on board, weighed and steamed up to the town against a SE gale with thick rain - At 2.30 came to an anchor off the town, found here a small Brazy Schooner. Commdr and Purser went on shore to wait on the Consul: weather very rough and cold: at 4 gig returned. Towards evening it blew hard from SE, gave her more chain.
June 9th At daylight sent market boat on shore : at 8 Pilot
19
15
came on board : sent boat for Commander. At 9 Christian and Purser came off with Mr. Callander the English Consul to consult me about his health: up anchor - and steamed down to Anachtomaluir where we anchored for half an hour, landed the Consul & Pilot and again steamed down on our way to Rio : wind about WSW - At 2 we were abreast of Avarido, when the wind shifted to SSE, set fore and aft sails. At 3 set stirsails, got the Screw up, going 7 knots - At dusk rainy and the wind crawling, in stinsails and braced up. At 7 the wind freshened and there was every appearance of a dirty night & single reefed foretopsail, ship going 8-1/2 8.30 took in TGt sail - At 10 brandy and water with Commdr. blowing very hard with heavy rain from SE.
Sunday June 10th 1855 - At Sea - Between midnight and 2 am it blew a strong gale and the sea got up, running with the wind abeam 10-1/2 knots - A little after two carried away the jib boom by the Cap, and it took them till four to clear the wreck, as she was literally tearing through it how the foretopmast stood is a miracle - At day light rather less wind, and also less sea, ship going 7-1/2 - Watch employed repairing the rigging of jib boom. At 3 Commdr. dined with us: watch getting jib boom out. 5 Set jib and fore LGrsail - Thick rain, and wind crawling forward.
June 11th A light wind with heavy rain from the NE ward, doing away with any hopes of meeting the packet. In the afternoon we had the wind all round the Compass, and nothing was to be heard but continual growling. At 5 it became very black with an occasional flash of lightning and thunder. At 8 it came away from the SW and we prepared for a pampers, lest the wind soon died away - At 11 very vivid lightening & heavy rain.
June 12th In the middle watch squally with rain, wind about SE dead an end - At 7 saw a steamer - At 9 tacked & single
20
16
reefed fore topsail : every appearance of dirty weather : for the last three weeks we have enjoyed a succession of gales of wind with much rain - 9 on the Sick List, reducing our complement to 69. Towards evening it rained very heavily with thunder & lightning and occasional heavy squalls.
June 13th At 2 am a breeze came away from the SW and we squared yards running 5 knots - At 4 going 8. At 9 saw the land. 10 saw Nova Redonda. At noon passed Raza Island. At 1 came to an anchor in Rio, found there the Flag, Trident and Sharpshooter - 2 went on board Trident to dine with my old friend Eversfield, returned with him at 4. At 6 went on shore with Purser about mess accounts, got on board by midnight. Mail closed at 5, wrote to Mother in a hurry.
June 14th Rio de Janeiro 1855 - At 8 the English Minister went on board the Solent, Mail Steamer and was saluted by the Flag Ship. In the forenoon Captain Stope came on board had a chat with him about old times. Noon Dr Clift paid me a visit and smoked a pipe. 4 Eversfield came on board, went ashore with a large party to the Opera, which we found shut: supped at the Exchange, came off at Midt
June 15th A Survey on Engineers and Carpenter's stores - Purser went to Cobras for Provisions. Engineer joining from HMS Sharpshooter - In the afternoon Purser got very screwy - At 6 went ashore with a party to the Opera : Saw Anne of Boleyn - got on board by 1.
June 16th Employed refitting - Our Boatswain's Mate appointed Boatswain of the Vixen - several of our men drunk. In the evening Eversfield and Crocker came on board : had a game of Vingt'un. 10 Commander and Coleman came off Made Saturday night and turned in about 11 PM