Sunday 15 May 1836

Sunday. 15th. Continued rain, occasional squalls, wind foul. Lat. 2. Long. 25.

Wednesday. 11th. Beaufust [?] made some cakes for Mrs. F. In this Lat. Found great comfort in the essence of coffee, which however, none have milk with it. The ship’s ale was good. Bread and honey and ham, the only things we could eat – not that we got ham – the best beverage was some lemon juice and sugar, made to effervesce with tartaric acid and soda. Thermometer generally about 83 F in the cabin.

15th. May. Finding the day very close and not having observed any of the 25 of the steerage passengers on deck since the commencement of the damp weather, and being aware that there were 10 persons on the sick list I advised Kingston to insist upon the whole of the passengers coming up on deck to allow some of the foul air to escape. On examining the state of the berths, bilge water and vegetable matter had accumulated under the lower tier to [?] extent which must have proved highly prejudicial to health. The apathy of the steerage passengers was truly remarkable. This state of things was evidently caused by the want of attention to proper principles in fitting up the steerage. Previous to leaving the Dock the married persons should have been separated from the single men by bulk heads and not by canvas, and tables should have been provided to enable the passengers to mess at regular hours and in comfort instead of making [t]heir berths a perpetual cook’s shop. Meals going on at all hours must be productive of dirt and disorder. I should certainly in future provide every grown up person with a canvas bag to contain a sufficient quantity of clothing for immediate use, and then prohibit the introduction of any boxes between decks.

As an invariable principle the medical man should be provided with preserved meats and medical comforts.