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FLEWIN FAMILY HISTORY CENTRE |
THE EMIGRATION RETURN TO INDEX |
George Flewin promised
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He had not slept peacefully. In fact, he had not slept well at all. A strange bed is always difficult and spending his first ever night at sea did not help. But the bigger factor was that his mind was all of a whirl. The previous day he had said goodbye to his wife and six year old son and now, here he was, waking up on board the Sailing Ship Emigrant just a few hours into a three and half month journey via the southern tip of Africa to Australia. The date: Monday, January 24th. The year: 1853. All his life George Flewin had been an agricultural labourer, starting work at the age of 12 in the fields of Kent. He was now 28 years old and on hard times. The agricultural recession was hurting everyone George knew. His older brother, John, had long left their village of Wilmington in the heart of the Kent countryside to make his living as a carpenter in London. Just six months earlier, his younger brother, Thomas, had married his 19-year-old sweetheart and sailed away to a better life promised by the Hudson's Bay Company in what was later to become Canada. But George had more responsibilities. The decision to leave was more involved. He had married eight years earlier to Jane, a local girl from the Blackman family. Soon afterwards their son, John, had arrived. They had a home on the Common at Wilmington, just a few cottages away from his parents, John and Phillis, both well into their sixties and who these days lived alone. ON THE WAY All these things tumbled around in George's mind as he woke up that Monday morning. He had promised to send for his wife and son when he had established a new life. But had he made the right decision? Would Australia be the right place? Would he survive the journey -- there were stories that an earlier voyage by the Emigrant had been hit by typhus and nearly 40 passengers had died. But he had made his decision. He had paid the £12 required for the fare and was on his way. The Emigrant had left the previous day at noon from Gravesend, the same harbour on the estuary of the River Thames from where his brother Thomas had sailed to Western Canada. George did not know at the time, but Thomas and his wife had finally arrived at Vancouver Island just a week beforehand. Both families were to renew contact, but it was to be two generations and seventy years before that happened.. For now, the brothers could not be further apart. The Emigrant was not a small
ship -- 670 tons under Captain C. Anderson. George was one
of 230 or so passengers making the trip, including 40 women
and nearly 50 children under the age of thirteen. Its
destination: Port Philip, on the south eastern seaboard of
Victoria in Eastern Australia. The start of the journey had been delayed for a few hours. Every ship had to undergo an inspection before departure -- the Emigrant had failed to come up to scratch on account of not having enough deck lights. More were added, and she had left harbour at 12 noon on the Sunday. By 3pm she was off Dungeness, at 7pm off Dover and by the following afternoon was in dock at Southampton, where many passengers went ashore. It wasn't until the Thursday that The Emigrant really got underway -- there was singing on the poop deck as she sailed south through the English Channel. Singing and dancing on deck were to become regular events during the journey, especially on Saturday nights. The first Saturday night the event was accompanied by the ship "rolling heavily," according to the diary of one of the passengers, 25-year-old Londoner George Annison. That night passengers were kept awake because one of their number was "raving mad." DEATH ON BOARD The diary reports events on the following day: "Sunday January 30th. Wind contrary and the ship pitching very much. The day passed off very well with the exception of so many being sick. At 5pm we had the first death on board -- a Mr Lywood who was raving mad the night before through drink and fits." The ship's passenger list identified a Mr C.J. Lywood being aged 25, and listed his wife, Jane, aged 19. The following day: "Buried that person at sunrise. His wife in a dreadful way about it. It appears they were only married ten weeks." Coming from an agricultural background, George Flewin could not read or write. In fact, when he married he and his wife used "marks" rather than signatures to acknowledge their agreement to wed. So George could not have made a record of the journey and it is thanks to George Annison's diary that we know what happened. The second week or so was uneventful. By Tuesday February 8th, the diary reports: "Getting very hot. Saw another vessel this morning, which proved to be a Dutch Galliot. We very soon passed it. In fact, we pass everyone." Three days later: "Got up early to see land which proved to be one of the Cape De Verds. It looked like a cloud on the sea. Saw a swarm of flying fish this morning. We are going very fast today so we do not feel the heat so much. They killed a sheep this evening and the butcher's knife broke and as he was throwing the blade overboard it caught one of the passengers in the eye and cut it very much." Sunday February 13th: "First Sunday
in Lent and very hot. Almost becalmed. The weather like a
sultry day in July -- what a comparison to home where I
suppose it is ice or snow. The Doctor read the prayers this
morning and the bell tolled like at home." By the next
Sunday: "A great deal of the provisions bad, not being fit
to eat. A deal of quarrelling among the passengers and
crew." Three days later the ship passed over the Equator and
the diary reported: "The second mate went all round the ship
to collect the tribute money for crossing the line which is
sixpence a head, which is not much. In the evening a regular
jollification amongst everybody on board the ship -- the
best part of the people and very near all the crew tipsy."
The following day: "All the English sailors tipsy and there
is nothing but quarrelling and fighting all day
long." March dawned hot and with light winds. On Sunday the 6th, the diary reports: "Another death on board. A little child two years old which wasted away to a skeleton." The child, a girl named Emily Wilson, was buried at sea at sunrise. Four days later: "Another one of the passengers' children very bad to-day. In fact they are nearly all ill with whooping cough. At nine o'clock in the evening the child died. It belonged to a person by the name of Seymour who is a Cumberland wrestler." The passenger list gave William and Isabella Seymour's child as Alice, aged one. DRINK AND BRAWLS Accidents and brawling became common. Sunday March 13th: "One of the English sailors had an accident by falling off the forecastle onto the deck and cutting his head open very much. His name is Herne and it was caused by drink. There was a fight among the cheif (sic) cabin passengers this afternoon which ended in several being well bruised." The day's diary did tell of other things: "Saw an albatross this afternoon ... the first one. We are put on a pint of water short to-day to make it last out. There was a woman by the name of Gullett confined this evening and it was a boy." According to the passenger list, Isabella Gullett, aged 36, was on board with her husband, Henry, 42, and children aged two, 12, 13 and 15. By March 24th the weather was colder and "eight weeks today since we left Southampton and we have nearly rounded the Cape." The evening' full moon was described: "...there appeared a bright halo around the moon and round that a ring of all the colours of the rainbow." Things did not stay so calm the following day: "Good Friday, but no hot cross buns. The ship going along nicely with a good seas running. The winds rose to half a gale. In the afternoon the fore top gallan studding sail broke and then the sail split at 7pm. The lower studding sail boom sprung and then they shortened sail, the ship rolling very much and the sea coming over the weather side. At 10pm our water can fell and bursted thereby losing a gallon of water. About the same time the people sleeping on the weather side were shot out of there (sic) beds and went sprawling so we could not sleep a bit all night." Weather varied between "a good breeze out today ..... the spray coming right over the side" to "almost calm again, the ship hardly moving." Sunday April 10th: "A fine morning with a good breeze. The ship under reefed topsails. We passed the Island of St Pauls this morning but did not see it being a degree to the south of it. It is half way between the Cape and Port Philip." The next day: "Another son born this morning. It belongs to a person of the name of May, of Poplar (London) -- Stonemasons. The mother and child are doing nicely." According to the passenger list there were two couples named May who, between them, already had five children on board. FOURTEEN PAIRS OF BOOTS The diary reported several thefts on board. One person lost "14 pairs of boots," another "three sets of oil skins." On April 17th: "One of the passengers by the name of Bickers had the feathers taken out of his bed and had flock put in so there was a search made for it, but no good." But landfall was close now. Wednesday April 27th: "A fine breeze this morning and the weather fine. We sighted the wished for land at three o'clock this afternoon which proved to be Cape Otway, the southern most point of Port Philip where she lay to for the night." Thursday April 28th: "Thirteen weeks to day since we left Southampton and arrived inside of the Heads at 11 o'clock in the morning when we came to an anchor waiting for a pilot. The tide outside of the Heads runs with tremendous velocity against the shore." Friday 29th April: "Got underway at 10am this morning and sailed up the bay in company with four other ships and anchored off Williamstown at five in the afternoon." Saturday 30th April: "Went up the river Yarra Yaira in a steam boat on my own account -- four shillings each passenger and returned in the afternoon to the ship with soft bread and fresh meat." Sunday May 1st: "Spent the day on board the ship. The best we have had on board. The bay where we are anchored is crowded with shipping of all sizes." Monday May 2nd: "Left the ship with my luggage this morning. Found it a great bore having so many things to carry about. Gave my hat away. Paid seven shillings for myself and luggage from the ship up to Melbourne and afterwards went and found lodgings." For George Flewin experiences on arrival must have been very similar to those of George Annison whose diary reported, after storing the main part of his luggage: "Took a walk around the town and went and got my money from the Union Bank all right. Found things very dear. We are paying two shillings each meal and two more for a bed, as they call it. "Made preparations for going to the McIvor diggings and set out at 12 o'clock with our blankets and things on our backs. We went in company with some sailors that came out with us. Our party amounted to 16."
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