Sunday 28 August 1836

Sunday August 28. Making but little progress during the
last week. The weather, which for some days had been ex-
-ceedingly sultry, (the thermometer frequently reaching 87
in the shade at 9 A.M.) has become much cooler, although
the sun is now vertical. Out latitude to-day is nearly
10 north which being also the amount of the sun’s declin-
-ation places us directly under him. For Service to-day
had substituted the Articles of War. Surely in the lazy
listlessness of existence at sea there might have been
sufficient time for both – if indeed reading the Mutiny
Act be at all a fitting employment for the day. No
Sunday School. So we thought it would be. What the
plea is we know not. But all this is exceedingly un-
-satisfactory. There are no school books on board to give
to the Emigrants’ children – an unhappy oversight, for
they might have been advantageously instructed during
these long and sleepy days. It will be important to see
that in all future emigrant Ships a person in some
degree qualified to act as Schoolmaster, be sent out.
Next to the Surgeon he would be the most useful person
in the vessel.