Robert Suggate journal and commonplace book, 1874-1878.

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was summoned by the crew to appear, and of course refused. The door was immediately tried and found too strong for them to break open, but that did not deter them, two men got over the vessel's side, and entered the passenger's cabin by the port-hole, fixed a rope round him and then hauled him on deck. They then subjected him to the whole ceremony in its most disgusting form.

Upon reaching Bombay he brought an action against the captain and recovered three hundred pounds damages!

Such results would go far towards putting an end to the ceremony altogether, and as before remarked it is now nearly abolished. On board the emigrants' vessels where the crews are allowed a frolic on that day, whatever takes place is confined to themselves the passengers are not molested, sometimes a little sport with throwing water about is got up among them, giving a heartier zest to the evening's social glass of grog

No doubt the custom from the first was only intended as fun and a welcome break in the monotony of sailor life, but cruelty was often intended in it intended as a sort of punishment for obnoxious ship companions. A Sailor's life at sea has not many enjoyments it is well known but the sports formerly so much in vogue on the day of crossing the Line for the first time, are much better honored in the breach than the observance

when crossing the Line, we had a visit at night from Old Father Neptune and his followers -the "bo'sun" in a white robe, with long hempen beard, a diadem of tin, and a toasting-fork as a sceptre- his wife hanging upon his arm, a brownfaced lady, who smelt rather strongly of grog and "baccy"- and the rest of the sailors with blackened faces. After the "doctor" had gone round and examined the tongues of the passengers, the "barber" shaved one of the stewards with treacle.

The unfortunate victim, after this operation, was flung backward into a sail full of sea-water, out of which he scrambled with the howls of Neptune's imps ringing in his ears. Then the masqueraders having gone through their foolish performance, got confused, stood about uneasily, hitched their shoulders, laughed at one another, and moved sheepishly away. Father Neptune and his party were subsequently rewarded by the sum of five guineas collected at the close of one of the concerts.

Cut from the "North British Advertiser" Feb. 19th 1876.

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Fine weather and light breezes took us clear of the "[[Equinoctial Line]]" but the lines were not all cleared off some of our chins, and remembrances of it was not all pleasant. However we gradually got into steady and good order again. We got in the Latitude of the "Trade Winds" and the armourers, carpenters, caulkers, and sailmakers were all busy at their respective trades, for in large ships on long voyages there are always repairs wanted. The sick who are able are sent on deck by the doctor and find employment under the shade of some sort of awning picking oakum, to keep the twine spinner's and spunyarn maker's wheel constantly going, all sail set and in these Latitudes for hours together not a sail is touched or a rope pulled, and it is doubtless curious to many how work can be found for so many men on board a ship, for week after week. In regular weather the men turn out at five in the morning (generally at sea the morning watch does the decks or a portion of them) hammocks are piped up and (Here is some confusion in this account is not this confounded with Harbor Work?) stowed away in the hammock-nettings, the same as they are seen on board a ship of war, next decks are cleaned up and holy-stoned then thoroughly washed and swabbed dry with swabs made from old rope made for that purpose, then comes the boatswain's pipe to breakfast for which half an hour is allowed, and then the regular day's work begin, and a good officer lets no man be idle, even if for lack of other employment he sets him to polish the best [illegible?] anchor.

"Six days shalt thou labor and do all that thou art able" On the seventh holy stone the decks and then scrub the cable."

With such amusements for the officers to fall back upon they are not likely to let jack be idle at sea.

The 6th of June according to my book we saw a strange sail to leeward and shortly made her out

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to be the H. C. Ship [[Earl of Balcarras]] that left port the same time that we did. We kept company with her a few days but soon left her behind.

We now began to feel a change in the temperature being very much cooler, and one morning, my hammock being swung near a porthole where a strong breeze came in all my watch below, I woke with a dreadful cold, stiff neck and quite deaf. We had plenty of the cape pigeon round us a variety of "Old Mother Cary's Chickens" as they are called and some were caught but they are not eatable. We had also the noble Albatross with us with his spread of twelve feet wing. We now rummaged up our cold weather clothing and prepared for squalls.

On the 6th of July we were about off the [[Cape of Good Hope]], with a stormy sea and sky with a dingy dirty look all round with all the ports screwed in and the scuttle holes closed to keep the sea out, plenty of work for the old fifer reefing and making sail as the weather allowed, in the morning of the 5th we began reducing sail and by daylight we were close reefed, and blowing a gale with every appearance of a continuance and we were soon scudding along along with scarcely a bit of sail set, and fast enough to please the "Flying Dutchman" himself. Top gallant snarls were down, stays on the rigging and every thing made pretty snug, but everything that was not lashed was determined to "keep hoving" the wind was right aft and the vessel rolled until her yard arms nearly dipped in the water, and the officers got quite hoarse trying to make themselves heard through the noise from the wind in the rigging, some heavy things got loose and done damage, and one of the guns by some means not properly secured on the gun deck got loose and trying to secure it a man got his leg badly hurt, but in the cuddy at the officers' dinner hour things looked very

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comical we learnt, to those unconcerned in it. The chairs were all lashed to the table with a strong rope, and even with the help of long narrow bags lashed across the table to keep the dishes in bounds nothing would remain steady, and it was quite as likely to find a chicken or leg of pork, on one's lap as in its proper place, but the best fun was and what caused us much laughter, was to see the servants belonging to the captain and officers trying to reach the cuddy door with the dishes from the gally where they were cooked. They would often make an attempt to run for it at an unfortunate moment of seeming steadiness of the ship, they get a few yards along her deck when down she would go on a sudden and send the unlucky servant into her scuppers rolling about along with the contents of the dish he was carrying. Towards the second morning the wind eased and we showed some sail upon the vessel and at noon shook out more reefs and matters looked a little pleasanter, but we had dirty weather for a long time before we took leave of the cape Latitudes. However we cleared without any serious accident and on the 20th of July saw the [[Island of Amsterdam]] bearing E.S.E. This Island lies in the [[Indian Ocean]] in Latitude 37.51".30'. Longitude 77.54".

On the 6th of August we saw [[Java Head]] and with light breezes entered the [[straits of Sundan]]. The Latitude of [[Java Head]] is 6.48". Longitude 105.18".30'. on the 8th we anchored in [[Anger Roads]] about 1/2 past three, a delightful change after our long voyage to get into smooth water again, with the pleasant sight of Land close by, and luxuriant vegetation apparently down to the water's edge.

We were directly surrounded with Malays in their canoes bringing fowls, cocoa nuts, plantain, shells and monkeys in great abundance and all to be had very cheap. The Malays are dark but not black and some are fine strong looking men, they have but little clothing on, a piece of linen round their Loins only the rest part naked, and some of them were without anything round them. I saw one old man who

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appearance of some importance among the boats, with a piece of very gay cotton in the shape of a shawl that partially covered his great copper colored shoulders, and which looked as if it had once formed part of a woman's dress. Next day I got leave to go on shore in the jolly boat. [[Anger]] is a small Dutch settlement about sixty or seventy miles from [[Batavia]] as I understood, with a Governor, a small fort and a few miserable bungalows or huts for the natives, and dreadfully hot. I bought a [kries?] or dirk and after a walk round amongst the native, I was just enjoying myself with some very good claret with some of my shipmates in John Chinaman's store. When my stay on shore was cut unpleasantly short our purser was sending some lead off to our ship in one of the native prahus and was looking for some one to take charge of it, unluckily he saw me and started me off with it and so ended my excursions at [[Anger]] point. After getting the lead on board, I had some trade with the natives still round the ship in their boats, I raked up some old knives and razors and bartered them for shells cocoa nuts, plantain, and some beautiful shells and also a pretty little monkey.

In the bay were lying some spanish transports from [[Cadiz]] bound to [[Manilla]] with fourteen hundred troops on board and we heard they were suffering dreadfully with the scurvy a complaint that I saw no case of on board our ship, they were supplying the soldiers very freely with fruit and vegetables, but without care the next thing they would suffer from would be dysentery. Here several of our men form drinking too freely of the water and eating abundantly of fruit of which this Island produces, laid the foundation of that complaint and which they finally sank under.

On the 11th of August a breeze coming we weighed anchor and sailed in company with the ships [[Earl of Balcarras]] and the [[Astell]], they having got into the bay shortly after us. We now had but very light breezes