Our thanks to Lyn Johnston, the Great Grand Daughter of Henry Marsh. Lyn quotes one comment by Henry Marsh which certainly indicates the benefit of migrating in those days "...if I'd stayed in England I'd have only had the length & the breadth of me'.
June 22 |
Slept for the first time on board very well. |
June 23 |
Ditto - not so well. |
June 24 |
Ditto - 6 oclock - landed on board 1 milck cow, I dead sheep, half a cow. 4 deer for Sir George Grey Governor - 10 oclock hauls out of dock into the basin. Roast beef for dinner. |
June 25 |
6 oclock - steam tug took us down to Gravesend. Had biscuits serve out to us - roast beef for dinner - Government inspectors has inspected us passengers and crew. Started again to the Downs. Made captain over our lot three lot. Steam tug took us down the Nore. Cast anchor for the night. All right yet. |
June 27 |
A good night sleep, eat a good breakfast. 10 oclock and the wind gone very cold and rough. The passengers are nearly all very sick. I begin to feel very poorly. Cant eat no dinner nore more meat today. The wind blow right against us, we get on very slow. |
June 28 |
Sunday - it is calm today, the wind is against us poorly all day very slow passing the French coast and the Isle of White. |
June 29 |
A good night rest, nearly well again. Passing Portland. There is about 110 passengers. |
June 30 |
A good rest and a good breakfast. Pass Start Point, 6 oclock reach Plymouth. All right again. |
July 1 |
Put on board 12 sheep, 12 pigs, 36 ducks and 8 fowls. Wrote letter home, and to Mr Salter. Received a letter from home. |
July 2 |
Stopping at Plymouth all day. |
July 3 |
Started at last. The steam tug took us out of Plymouth Harbour about 4 oclock this morning, 8 oclock steam tug come along side of us with a policeman for Mr Rowe for appropriating £100 for his own and belonging to is master. He is a bank clerk. He has made it up with paying his rate (Lyn's note: I think the word is 'rate' but it is on the edge of the paper and extremely faded and hard to read.) Beutiful day. Seen some bottle headed porpoises. 9 oclock bid adiew to England, the last we saw of England was two lights. |
July 4 |
For the Atlantic, butifull day - first rate, eat anaything, past three ships. |
July 5 |
Sunday - butifull day passing the Bay of Biscay. Morning prayers at 10 oclock. Signal a ship. 7 oclock a dead calm for 2 hours. 9 oclock started going again. We have been going right south-west. |
July 6 |
The wind is against us. See a ship and some porpoises. 6 oclock very rough for 2 hours. |
July 7 |
Passing a ship. The Captain ask her where she going and all about her by signall. Going to Calcutta from Liverpool, Tanasram. The wind favourable. |
July 8 |
Fine morning. Very slow. Tanasram; gaining on us. We have seen five or six wales, one shark, about a score of porpoises, some little fish about one or two pounds weight. Dark soon after 8 oclock. My watch has gain above an hour. We sees some birds called Mother Carrey chickins the size of a swallow. |
July 9 |
Fine morning - 9 oclock see 7 ships at once. One ship come within 20 yards of us the Lizzie Annie of London. Our Captain spoke to theres and ask him to report him to the Agents. All Well. We have beat the Tanasram - lost her in night. The temperature is 68 degrees - we are quite well again. |
July 10 |
Beutifull day - ship is steady as a house. |
July 11 |
Very warm - going along very slowly. |
July 12 |
Sunday - fine day - morning prayers - singing hymns at night. Going at 20 miles a day. |
July 13 |
Very warm and fine and nearly standing still. Wrote home - passing a Spanish vessel name the Packeta sent out a boat to it with our letters. Bound from Havanna to Marseilles. |
July 14 |
Fine day - fair wind. Going along first rate - very warm. |
July 15 |
Fine day - fair wind - we see 4 vessells - Trades winds. |
July 16 |
The same as yesterday. Weve got in the Trades. |
July 17 |
Ditto - past a Dutch ship, signal to her. |
July 18 & 19 |
Sunday nearly a calm. Layerd a boat and catch a turtle about sixty pounds weight. |
July 20 |
Going a little faster. In the tropics yesterday |
July 21 |
Going first rate - 3 flying fish dropt on deck. |
July 22 |
Very slow - 23 - Very slow - the Dutch has overtook us again. |
July 24 |
Very slow. 8 ships in sight. Rain 2 hours. Spoke to 3 ships, one is the Asterope. They come 2 men 2 women from the Asterope, our Captain invited them to come and dine with him. They did come the Captain, Doctor, Second Mate, two ladies, two passengers and 4 sailors, they stopt till after 9 oclock, jolly spree. The sailors drawd the dead horse round the deck 3 or 4 times and then drawd him up to the yardarm and then dropt him in the sea. Fired 5 rockets, burned some blue lights. |
July 25 |
Our Captain return the compliment with Asterope - calm all day. |
July 26 |
Going first rate, left the Asterope behind. |
July 27 |
Fine day - going first rate, past 3 ships, signall to one. Two where close to our ship, the Captain shouted to them. |
July 28 |
The wind is against us, showery, roast mutton for dinner. |
July 29 |
Wind against us - 30/31 - 1 August - tack about yet, cooler. |
August 2 |
Sunday, gets cooler - 12 hours sun - dark at half past six. |
August 3 |
Monday, Neptune comes on board at 7 oclock, leave us eight, promise to come again tomorrow with his family. Good South-East Trades. |
August 4 |
Tuesday, crossing the line - Neptune brings his family on board at eleven 0clock with the Doctor and Barbar to shave Ashwood, Jack and Martin Wilson and the Doctor Mr Chips, jolly spree at night. |
August 5 |
Going first rate. |
August 6 |
Calm |
August 7,8,9 |
Sunday, 15 degrees, going first rate |
August 10,11 |
Tuesday, we see an Island, Trindada |
August 12, 13, 14 |
Nearly calm |
August 15 |
Very strong breeze against us. |
August 16 |
Sunday, they catch two Cape Pigeons, very slow. |
August 17 |
Going 300 miles some days this week. |
August 22 |
Greenwich Time. |
August 23 |
Sunday, sun sets at 5 and rises at 7 oclock |
August 24 |
Tea at 5 oclock, lamp lighted. |
August 25 |
Foggy day. |
August 27 |
Going at the rate of 17 miles an hour. Passing the Cape of Good Hope. |
Sept 1 |
Very rough night and all day. No danger |
Sept 6 |
Sunday - rough night. |
Sept 13 |
Sunday |
Sept 20 |
Sunday - passing Tasmania |
Sept 23 |
See land. |
Sept 24 |
See Wales/ |
Sept 27, 28, 29 |
Head winds. |
Sept 30 |
Misty at times. |
October 1 |
Passing within 2 miles of the Three Kings at 2 oclock this morning. We see the land of Auckland all day, a butifull warm day, cloudless sky. |
October 2 |
The wind is right against us, a dull foggy day. 4 oclock passing some rocks call the Poor Knight. |
October 3 |
Butifull day, light wind favourable, sailing between rocks, Islelands and land all day. |
October 4 |
Sunday arrived in Auckland after sailing one hundred and one days from London. Went on shore and saw Mr T Masefield and stopt in Auckland all day. Slept on land. |
Lyns note: I have copied this narrative verbatim from Henry Marshs handwritten diary and the spelling and grammar are his. The only liberties I have taken have been to type ditto in full, whereas it is written Do in the Diary and to add the occasional hyphen, comma, and full-stop. I have done this to make the reading of this fascinating family document easier, but have been very careful not to alter the context and meaning of Henrys writing.
The Diary carries on in Auckland
October 5 |
Wrote home met ..James Salter .. |
October 7 |
William began to work began board and lodgings |
October ? |
William received 28 shillings 4 days work. |
October 11 |
Sunday - went to a Baptist Chapel. |
October 12 |
Ganges arrived |
October 15 |
Went to work in the morning rained (all?) afternoon. |
October 17 |
Ive received 9 shillings 1 day ½. William £2.25 this week. |
October 18 |
Sunday - went to Church |
October 20 |
|
October 22 |
Went to Otahuhu |
October 24 |
I received 22s 6d, Will 7s 6d Ive .. Bought a horse and drove Vernon .. for 3 days |
October 25 |
Went to Otahuhu |
? |
Wrote home to sister. |
October 31 |
Saturday recd of Williams £?? Owes Vernon |
Nov 7 |
Saturday, ditto |
Nov 12 |
Parker £1.8.0. |
Nov 14 |
Ditto Maiden? 1½ days 11 Vernon 3 days Wayte 6.0d (both names ruled through?) |
Nov 21 |
Recd Vernon £3, Wayte £1.4.0 |
Nov 28 |
Weather butifull - received for moving (morning?)£3.3.0. |
Nov 29 |
Wrote to Thomas Marsh and J Dicken and sent 2 papers, one to Father one to George sent Father 2 papers before and one to Mr Marsh Crasmere. Received no letters nore papers. |
Dec 7 |
Received of P Grace £3.5.0. |
Dec 12 |
Received of J Wayte £3.3.0. Mack (7s 2d?) |
Dec 20 |
Ditto Robinson £10. Hicks 15s. |
Dec 26 |
Ditto £1.6.0. Mail come in, no letters. |
Dec 25 |
Christmas Day - went to Wood Isleland. |
Dec 31 |
Sent 4 papers home, letters to T Salter, J? Lister |
Jan 1 & 2 |
Went to the races and got £2.6.9d? each. (Amount not clear, but I think its right!) |
Jan 5 |
Sent a paper to Brother Thomas. |
Jan 6 |
Received our first letter, sent home a paper (Petlmamaa ???) |
Jan 16 |
Bought a two year old colt for forty pounds. |
Jan 30 |
Bought a five year old horse for thirty-two pounds. |
Feb 1 |
Sent sister a letter, father a paper Griffe and George |
Feb 5 |
Will got a letter from E and 3 papers. |
Feb 8 |
Sent John Brian a paper. |
Feb 14 |
Dry hot weather this last fortnight. |
Feb 20 |
Bought a horse, seventy-seven pounds. |
Feb 26 |
Received a letter from sister. The weather is colder. |
Feb 28 |
Received 2 more letters and 4 papers in answer to our first. |
Feb 28 |
Sent sister a letter, father and George a paper. |
March 5 |
Sent a letter to Tom and Richard a paper. Received 2 letters. |
March 31 |
Sent Eliza a letter, George a letter, Father a paper, John a paper. |
April 4 |
Sent George a paper. |
April 6 |
Sent George a monthly sumnerly (summary?) paper latest war news. We have not had a heavy shower since Christmas. Weather butifull, grass is getting green again. |
April 25 |
Received 2 letters from home, 3 papers one Shrewsbury, one Newport and one Wellington paper. |
April 31 |
Sent home 1 paper Griffith, 1 Father, 1 George, one. |
May 1 |
Been raining all night. Miserable wet Sunday. |
May 3 |
Received 2 more papers from home. |
May 7 |
Poor Robert Died. It has been a fine week. |
May 7 |
Sent John Brian a weekly newspaper dated 6th. |
May 8 |
Sunday - showery, burying Robert at 4 oclock. |
May 13 |
Friday 9 oclock at night start from Queen St Wharf to go to Mangawia, (Mangawhai?) arrived Saturday at 3 in the afternoon. |
May 15 |
Sunday - went as far as .Slept all night. Arrived at Armitages. |
May 16 - Monday to |
|
May 19 Thursday |
Sent sister a letter and Will one. Fetch my things from the town, Ship got them swamped in the night, Dried them the next day. Showery week. |
Sunday 22 |
Walk as far as Ora Brooks in the morning, Ben and (me?) went to Eddy Brooks and had some oysters, Sowed some peas, onions and cabbage. Frosty night. |
Monday 23 |
Began to put up a hut or stable. |
Friday |
Went with Ben to work for Wilcoxon. |
Saturday |
Began to fence the Peach Grove in a few frosty nights. A lot showery in the week. |
Sunday 29 |
Miserable wet day. |
Wensday |
Went to market order the wood for house building. Received a letter from sister, J Dicken & Will and a paper. |
Thursday |
Finished fencing the Peach Grove. |
Friday |
Began to clear land for house & garden. Frosty night or two, butifull sunny days rather cold at nights. |
June 5 |
Sunday. Butifull day. Went to Chaple to Marcroft, about 30 there. |
June 6th? |
Cleared some land, sowed some hay seed. |
June 9, 10 |
Ditto |
June 11 |
Help Yates, P Armitage to build there house. |
June 15, 16 |
Cleared, burned the bush, rough windy cold weather with hail & rain. |
June 17 |
Rough cold wet days. |
June 18 |
Sent sister a letter and Father a paper. Planted 33 Early Kidneys potatoes and beans & seeds. |
June 19 |
Sunday. Went to Chapel to Cocks. |
June 20 |
Went a pig hunting. Very frosty catch a pig about 100 lbs in one hour and half. Stot & Co had there house warming. |
June 21 |
Getting posts & carving them. |
June 22, 23 |
(?) wet. |
June 24 |
Wet day. |
June 25 |
Made a ladder (14 rung????) |
June 26 |
Sunday. The first night in the new house. |
June 30 |
Stop & slept at Woodcocks. Went to the Maoris Feast. Sowing grass seed & clearing all week. A showery week with warm days, cold nights. |
July 3 |
Sunday. Fine day. |
July 4 |
Received 3 papers. |
July 6 |
Bought a cow for £18.7.0 |
July 7 |
Very wet and windy all day & night. Showery week with warm days & cold nights. |
July 10 |
Sunday. Warm showery day. |
July 11 |
Monday. Fetch the cows, very warm days, 2 frosty nights. Clearing & sowing grass seeds. Dry week. Sent of Dickin & Brother large papers. |
July 17 |
Sunday. Went to Chapel Cocks, met with Mr P Mrs Wilcoxon from Auckland. |
July 18 |
Monday. My foot is gone bad. |
July 19 |
Tuesday. Received 3 letters one from Eliza. Ditto Mrs Brian, Ditto Will and had my last English letter returned for deficient postage. Wrote another |