Friday 22nd April 1853

This morning at half past 6 o’clock a funeral took place on board.One of the stewards had been ill, I believe of consumption almost ever since the vessel started on her voyage, and died yesterday evening. The body was laid on a board at a place projecting behind the paddle wheel on the main deck, the feet, loaded with a weight toward the sea. The captain surrounded by a number of the officers, sailors and stewards. Read the burial service of the Church of England  and when he came to the words(substituted for those employed on land )” We therefore commit his body to the deep”, the sailors raised the end of the board on which the head lay and it immediately slid down into the water. The body was wrapped in sheeting and as it lay on the board was covered with a flag, which of course was removed when the plank was raised.
By noon it was found that we had run 157 miles in the last 24 hours: the wind was still against us but the breeze had almost gone down. During the course of the day we saw some islands on our left at some distance, - Abdel Koun about halfway between Gardafui and Socotra and later one of the islands called the Brothers (apparently those marked Derz on my map), a precipitous rock at a considerable distance. Our course lay too much to the south to allow us to see Socotra, a much larger island than any of these.
In the evening the moon was nearly full and shone beautifully on deck. The fiddlers usually played after tea in the evening, and some of the passengers (all of the male sex) got up a quadrille this evening and attempted some polkaing. Shortly one of them made his appearance dressed in female attire and created some amusement. Another followed his example, the most robust and powerful looking man amongst the passengers. He however overdid his part, and in my opinion spoiled the sport.

The full journal will soon be published by Annet House Museum, Linlithgow. Waldie's journey to India forms a key feature of the museum's Waldie exhibition.