JAVA     1840     DIARIES
These notes were supplied by Peter Trangmar, a descendant.
His research was initially based on two diaries, one of which was written by William Richards - possibly a cabin passenger
(that is an emigrant who paid for a passage for himself and his family instead of registering for a free passage)
and the other by James Trangmar a gentleman who we are lead to believe was associated with the owners of the ship.

William RICHARDS and wife & 5 children
George RICHARDS- possibly cabin passengers


**Journal, 28 October 1839-6 February 1840, of William/George Richards, in the Mortlock Library of South Australiana, State Library of South Australia, Adelaide, D4718(L).
William Richards does not make any such comment about his fellow passengers although he did write, "the supposed ladies in the cuddy discovered to be bad characters." George was to however chronicle the very sad litany of deaths, of children in particular.

William, on December 23rd, wrote the following in his diary:
"Christmas Eve (sic) A double allowance of grog, 1/21b of flour, l oz. of raisins, 1/2 oz of suet to each."
The next day, 24th of December, William recorded
"24th Xmas Day. Puddings, drunkards discovered, too many on board breaking out in boils."
On December 25th, William recorded simply "Child died'.

William made the following final entries in his diary:
January 5th. Made Kangaroo Island, vessel in sight, overtook and proved to be the "Rajasthan (sic) with emigrants from London.
sailed three days before us, got in abreast of the island 6 p.m. 6th. No sleep all night. Got up 3 o'clock.
Beat the "Rajasthan", went up the gulf in fine style, anchored in Holdfast Bay, opposite Glenelg 1/4 before 8 a.m. and the "Rajasthan" 20 minutes after us along side, had a shower of rain just after we anchored.
We did not go on shore before Saturday afternoon. The Governor came aboard, very disgusted at the starving faces of the children, and the languishing women. We were permitted to go on shore on account of the 3 children with Hooping cough (sic) poor little things nearly starved, had we been a week longer at sea they surely must have died. George and Laura we had no hope of, but the change of air with good nourishing food got them about again.

The rest of the emigrants were not allowed to come ashore for a week or more. several of the children died since on shore but I did not keep account. I have abridged my Journal to make room for writing and have omitted the shameful conduct and treatment of the Doctor, Captain and three officers or mates towards the emigrants and crew. The crew left the ship; some are in jail and the rest in the mountains. The doctor of the ship, Mr. Smith has stayed behind in love with Miss Watson. He was obliged to keep close until the ship sailed. 		   James TRANGMAN / TRANKIMAN
Mary Ann TRANGMAN

**Typescript of a "Log", by James Trangmar, from Gravesend, 12 October 1839, to Holdfast Bay, February 1840 - including Crossing the Line (the Equator), near mutiny by the crew, and a race with the RAJASTHAN, 5-6 February 1840, to anchorage of Gleneig, South Africa, including return to England - also in the Mortlock Library, State Library of South Australia.

The most striking thing about the diaries is that James did not mention any of the deaths at sea nor the sickness that many suffered, save of course the usual malaise that usually strikes those at sea. James, in fact would seem to have taken an instant dislike to the Cornish emigrants, for he wrote in his diary on the very day that the "JAVA" set sail: "October 28th... more disturbances amongst us. I begin to have a very bad opinion of our Plymouth Emigrants, the greater part of them are Cornish people, and many of them are miners, they are a very uncouth and dissatisfied lot of people."

On December 22nd, James received an invitation to dine which again may give an indication of his status on board:
December 22nd. Sunday. This morning I received a note of invitation to dine with our intermediate passengers on Christmas Day. I declined accepting it, having promised to dine with Aunt. and Uncle"
James was to make social arrangements:
" I am already engaged to dine with our Intermediates on New Year's Day, and they have made me promise to spend Christmas evening with them. We are nearing the Cape very fast, the weather is much colder. Another man in irons for insulting the third mate."

James wrote at length about Christmas Day
"We have had up to this day a continuation of fine breezes and are making fine progress to rounding the Cape. The day (though much colder than it has been) is so different from the weather that we have been accustomed to at this time of year, that I hardly believe it to be Christmas Day. I spent the morning with Aunt and Uncle and the afternoon and evening with the Intermediates. An unpleasant scene occurred just as we were going to sit down to tea --one of the French passengers came and took a pie out of the Mess chest to take to his cabin. Mr. Walters, the president of the mess, seeing him asked him what he was going to do with it. He immediately threw the pie in his face and followed it up by collaring him and forcing him down the forms. I was the only one near him, so I plunged in, caught the Frenchman by the arms and swung him against the cabins. I stood before Mr. Walters till he had recovered his feet, but the Frenchman did not attempt to touch him. We afterwards spent a very pleasant evening and I enjoyed myself very much."

James completed his diary with entries over the next two days
February 5th. We have been bearing away well to the South all night, and we now have got a fair wind to run into Investigator's Strait abreast of Cape Border 5 o'clock after running 8 knots an hour, running a race with the ship "RAJASTHAN", who entered the Straits at the same time as ourselves --- we spoke to her with signals, she has been out 2 days more than us.'

February 6th I was on deck all last night, tracing the land (Kangaroo Island) as we ran up the strait --- at times we were running 10 knots an hour. At day break the "RAJASTHAN" was four miles astern, we had a beautiful view of the coast all the morning. It appears to be just what it has been described to be --- very much like parkland --- in some places there is scarce a tree to be seen for miles, but from the masthead I thought the interior very thickly wooded."

This was the last entry made in this portion of James' diary. He travelled to Tasmania, returned a few years later to England and wrote a diary of his return voyage. He returned to Australia and had a successful career in commerce as well as having pastoral interests in the Wannon and Portland areas of Victoria. He was Mayor of Portland from 1875-1878 and also 1882. He is listed in "Burkes Colonial Gentry".

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