PRG 932

Off Portland. Dorsetshire. 12^th Dec 1838

8 oclock at night.

My Dear Parents.

As this is the last time that I shall be likely to have an opportunity of sending my letter ashore I take the opportunity of sending this as the Pilot is likely to leave us tonight I have just time to write a few lines. I received the parcel with your letter by a gent who came on board at Portsmouth, am much obliged to Jane for the money, we have nearly 200? Shillings left thank God that we have sufficient clothes, shoes etc. and I have been enabled to buy a saw and some other useful things. The children are quite well and so is Mary, neither of them has been at all ill but are quite hearty. The children all sleep with us, we have a very comfortable berth, rather too warm if any fault. We have nearly 447 Emmigrants including children and about 90 sailors in the crew. She is a large ship 1400 tons. I am happy to inform you that some Praying people on board, prayer meetings are held two or three times a week and Service on Sunday. The weather has been so moderate and the sea so smooth that we can feel very little motion. I think our diet will be much more than we can eat. We have had but one meal of Salt meat yet. The lights now be about extinguished and I must conclude with our most sincere affection.

G&M Vickery

P.S Be kind enough to give particulars to Mary’s Mother and Sister and her very kind love to them.

13 Dec 7 O’clock morning.

The Pilot has not left us, we have had a fresh breeze since 2 in the morning so are now below Plymouth and if this wind continues shall clear the Lands End before night. Mary Ann has been a little sick today, all others are well. The baby gets on very well indeed and Mary gets her Pint of very good Porter every night. We have 3/4 lb bread, ½ lb Flour, 3/4 lb potatoes, ½ lb Meat, 1 oz Suet, Raisons Mutton every day, (could read Malt and Porrige) Porrige and a Quarter of a pound of tea, coffey, cocoa and 3/4 lb Sugar Each per Week, Children one third of a man’s allowance each. And now Yourselves May the God grace be with us and bring us all to the Port of everlasting rest is the prayer of your affectionate Son.

G Vickery

My love to Brothers and Sisters

Jones is going to send down the Black hat first opportunity also some paper for G Webber (?) And Joseph and my silver spoon to Susan.

Envelope address

Mr G Vickery 13 Sims Place, Barnstaple

Sent from Portsmouth

Postmark Dartmouth Dec 13 1838

"Buckinghamshire"

Ship "Buckingham"

Holdfast Bay near Adelaide

South Australia

24th March 1839

Dear Uncle and Aunt

As a ship sails for England on Tuesday I embrace the opportunity of sending as the postage I believe will be little, to inform you of our safe arrival at the place of our destination and happy to inform you we are all in perfect health indeed, Mary I never saw look fatter before and the baby is equally so, indeed fatter than either of the others were at her age. G.H (George Henry Vickery) is very well as is also M.A (Mary Ann Ellis (Vickery ?)) with the exception of suffering a little from cutting the teeth having 4 just coming through.

Our voyage has been a very pleasant and short one. We left Portsmouth on the 11th Dec and anchored here 22nd March. Had not more than a week of bad weather altogether, we had 600 persons on board and lost 9 by death, one man who left England almost in a dying state, one child in a consumption and the remainder all infants under 11 months of age arising from neglect on taking them from their warm berths on the deck without sufficient attention in keeping them from chill.

I cannot yet give you any information of Folland but that the SHIP ARRIVED HERE SAFE. We left the last of England on the 15th Dec, crossed the Bay of Biscay on the next day going 240 miles in 24 hours. Mary began to get a little seasickness which went off in 2 or 3 days, on the 23rd past the Island Madeira, the weather beginning to get warm, 25th on Christmas day it was quite hot, we did not to forget to have a good Plum Pudding but the beef was rather too hard and dry for roasting so we were content with boiling it and then it was not quite so tender as some of your briskets.

Sailing 10 miles an hour and past the "Planter" which left London a fortnight before us. There was plenty of shaving fun going on on deck when we crossed the Line (Equator) but were not allowed to interfere with us although the Cabin and other passengers were tarred and washed most roughly. We passed the Cape of Good Hope on the 12th Feb wind blowing hard and the rolling of the ship almost throwing us off our berths, Boxes, Plates and other articles keeping us somewhat ammused (sic) by their clattering sometimes jumping this side then tumbling that, sometime rolling on one side of the ship just in time to be returned pellmell on the other. Women screaming, children sqealing (sic) and sailors bawling.

16th Feb 540 miles from the Cape about 18 Albatross caught with a line and hook as they swam about the ship it being calm, one measured 11 1/2 feet from the tip of one wing to the other. Their flesh was very good when stewed and well seasoned.

4th March passed the Island of Amsterdam which is about 3 miles long and 2 broad. On the 20th entered the Investigator Straits with Kangaroo Island on the South close to us and the coral reefs of the Australian shore in sight to the North. One of the most beautiful days I ever enjoyed and it has continued with the exception of yesterday equally fine. Within a few hours of anchoring we caught 8 to 10 Snapper, they are very nice tasting fish from 2 to 4 pounds. There have been about 400 Emmigrants here about 2 days before us so that we shall not get landed for 2 or 3 days longer.

We have had plenty of provisions during the voyage. Of the best quality. Mary has had her pint of porter every day, the Pork and Butter is much better than we can procure generally in London. We have saved about 20 lb Pork and beef, 4 cans of preserved meat which cost 5 shillings each wholesale in London, 100 Biscuits, from 20 to 30 lbs of Rice, 2 gallons of split peas, 8 lbs of sugar, 4 lbs Cocoa, 1 lb Coffee, 10 pints Oatmeal, 2 lbs Suet, 3 lbs Butter besides Tea Mustard Vinegar Flour Maisons etc. And now you will want to know how much we had to eat between us. 1 1/2 lbs meat, 1 1/2 lbs flour, 3 oz suet, 2 lbs biscuits, and 2 lbs potatoes daily, 2 ozs tea, 6 ozs cocoa, 3 ozs coffee, 2 lb sugar, 2 lb butter, 3/4 pint vinegar, 3 ozs mustard, 1 1/2 pints oatmeal, 3 pints peas, 3 pints rice per week, 8 quarts of water daily.

Mary was ill about a week with a violent bilious attack and I have been much annoyed by the headache also caused by the Bile, none of us having been sick enough to bring it off the stomach. Neither Mary or the children had more than 3 days of seasickness during the voyage, I believe I felt about a week of it. We messed with one comfortable family to whose brother (as address on the other side) I desire Jones to send a twopenny post letter informing them of the safe arrival with wife and children who will write to them soon also that he will send another to W Mitchell ? informing him of his daughter and husband Mr & Mrs Rogers both being well and her being a country woman sometime living in Marwood and he a painter at Barnstaple. We have been more pleasantly situated than we expected as regards acquaintance.

When you have an opportunity of sending a parcel enclosed this to Father and as soon as I get settled I will write them. I have an offer of an engagement with a builder who is with us and has several houses to put up for Gentleman on board and from all I hear there is no fear of work at good wages. Indeed I am much better pleased than I expected so far as I can at present judge of things but hearsay I cannot depend upon therefore will say nothing further until I have an opportunity of judging for myself. The appearance of the country from the sea I very much like.

Address ... Messr C.H. Robinson, 105 and 106 Silk Merces, Islington.

Mr Mitchell 40 Brown Row, Spilal Fields

(The letter continues June 17th .....)

Many other letters in the series.