Friday 19 August 1836

           The later part of the year 1835 finding our Machinery so
bad, the vessel H.M. Steamer Alban was in consequence ordered
to England there to undergo the necessary repairs. It was then
I became first acquainted with Colonel Light….
…  __ As we were soon to start for Eng-
-land and the Colonel going the same road he took his pass-
-age with us when after a long and weary one of a month (a
long one for a steamer) arrived at Woolwich and immediately
commenced preparations for paying off. Colonel left us at
Plymouth (where we were obliged to put in for coal) and glad
I’ve little doubt he was at getting out of such a craft. Dirt
being the most predominate of luxurys more particularly with
a deck load of coals, however enough of the beast. She was
paid off on Monday and a week before (I think it was) the commander
at Colonel L_ request asked me to leave the Service and
accompany him to South Australia where there was to be
a new Colony established. This being the first I had heard of
such an occurrence & willing to know on what footing I should
go determined on seeing the Colonel as soon as possible which
I did a day or two after, on considering that powerful interest
was the only thing to get a person on in the service and
I being one of those unlucky fellows possessed of none
and in a line where we could only gain to a certain point
accepted the offer of going out as second mate of the Rapid
Surveying vessel commanded by the Colonel who was app-
-ointed Surveyor General) on our arrival in the colony I was
to join the Survey Staff as an assistant at the rate of
100 £ a year provisions found with a prospect of increases
as the colony proceeded. __ On joining the Brig a craft
of 160 tons, purchased for the express purpose I met Lieut
Field who was chief mate and continued so untill we
arrived at our place of destination when he took
the Command.     ___________
            On the 1st May 1836 we hauled out of
the city canal a steamer took us in tow, and about
5 oclock we anchored at the Nore, here we were detained
two or tree days, blowing hard, at last we weighed and
with a favourable breeze soon cleared the channel.
The details of a long sea voyage have been so often deta-
-iled that I shall not say anything about ours suffice
it it was a very pleasant one…
After a pleasant passage of three months
and 19 days from the time we left the city
canal anchored in Antechamber Bay, Kang-
-aroo island.