The weather still continued warmer, there being little wind: the run today being 121 miles. Prayers were read in the saloon forenoon and evening. The crew mustered after breakfast; one of the officers informed me that they amounted in all to about 200; the stewards and a comparatively small proportion only of the sailors being English, the remainder chiefly Lascars. Tonight the moon appeared to be at her full.
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.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Saturday 23rd April 1853
This morning it was very warm and continued during the day, there being almost no wind. By noon we had run 121 miles and were now as far east as the most easternmost point of the island of Socotra, but about 100 miles to the south of it. We were now about to cross the Indian ocean to Ceylon and should be out of sight of land on the open sea for many days...
..This evening the sunset was the finest I had seen since I left England or for a long time before. Numerous clouds of the well known characters composed of rounded masses heaped over one another, floated in the sky in all directions, but more particularly appeared accumulated all round the lower part of the firmament , in a stratum with long level base at no great distance above the horizon. Beyond and obscurely seen below this, similar clouds occupied the space between these and the horizons. Much higher in the atmosphere another class of clouds floated in smaller number, these light and fleecy, - the curse of the meteorologist. As the sun sunk behind the clouds his disk became only partially visible, a brilliant crimson spot, surrounded by light of the same colour and scarcely less bright reflected from the edges of the clouds in the extreme west, and visible through the spaces left between the clouds which occupied the firmament between these and the observer...
...The fiddlers this evening played at the bows of the vessel for the benefit of the sailors who are generally granted that privilege on Saturday evenings. They danced sailor dances two of them being decked out in female costume; songs also diversified the entertainment and on the whole they conducted themselves with so much decorum as their superiors of the preceding evening; or rather considering the difference of their circumstances, with greater.
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.
..This evening the sunset was the finest I had seen since I left England or for a long time before. Numerous clouds of the well known characters composed of rounded masses heaped over one another, floated in the sky in all directions, but more particularly appeared accumulated all round the lower part of the firmament , in a stratum with long level base at no great distance above the horizon. Beyond and obscurely seen below this, similar clouds occupied the space between these and the horizons. Much higher in the atmosphere another class of clouds floated in smaller number, these light and fleecy, - the curse of the meteorologist. As the sun sunk behind the clouds his disk became only partially visible, a brilliant crimson spot, surrounded by light of the same colour and scarcely less bright reflected from the edges of the clouds in the extreme west, and visible through the spaces left between the clouds which occupied the firmament between these and the observer...
...The fiddlers this evening played at the bows of the vessel for the benefit of the sailors who are generally granted that privilege on Saturday evenings. They danced sailor dances two of them being decked out in female costume; songs also diversified the entertainment and on the whole they conducted themselves with so much decorum as their superiors of the preceding evening; or rather considering the difference of their circumstances, with greater.
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.
Friday, June 28, 2013
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.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Thursday 21st April 1853
Today it was almost calm and we had made 138 miles in the last 24 hours.
This morning a bold coast appeared on our right and continued in view all day while daylight lasted... During the afternoon the land was sufficiently near to be viewed by telescope: the beach was sandy, but the coast beyond appeared verdant and the hills in the background also. I saw no inhabitants but some others at another place observed a village. This country from Gardafui westwards towards Abyssinia is marked on the map Somauli, and is the country whence the negroes of Aden come.
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.
This morning a bold coast appeared on our right and continued in view all day while daylight lasted... During the afternoon the land was sufficiently near to be viewed by telescope: the beach was sandy, but the coast beyond appeared verdant and the hills in the background also. I saw no inhabitants but some others at another place observed a village. This country from Gardafui westwards towards Abyssinia is marked on the map Somauli, and is the country whence the negroes of Aden come.
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.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Wednesday 20th April 1853
The breeze became so gentle today that the vessel kept her course without tacking. Since yesterday we had advanced 106 miles. This was the warmest day we had had, the thermometer at noon being 89 F. In the Red Sea it had ranged from 74 F to 88 F in the shade at noon.
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.
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.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Tuesday 19th April 1853
The breeze abated somewhat, though still against us. We had got out of sight of land, and had run 91 miles from noon yesterday till noon today.
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.
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.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Monday 18th April 1853
Early this morning the stewards were taken on shore and brought before the Magistrate: the riingleaders were condemned to imprisonment for 12 weeks and the rest returned to their duty. After breakfast preparations were made for leaving. A French steamer, the same which had passed us in the Red Sea had anchored the previous evening in the channel by which we had to proceed, and required to move out of the way. But this obstacle was soon removed, the stewards assisted with the capstan and before noon we had begun to move. On our way we passed a vessel- the Belouchie of Belfast, which along with some other vessels had been lying there since our arrival. The breeze was against us and rather stronger than we either anticipated or wished, but we made the best of our way with our single paddle wheel, and in the course of the afternoon were out of sight of land on our route to Ceylon. Hitherto I had been occupying a cabin along with another passenger, but as there was now plenty of room I got a cabin to myself, one on the poop next the Captain’s.
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.
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.
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