Royal
Mail steamers 1853-54
Source: TNA: PRO:
BT 98/3851 - CALCUTTA
List C -
‘Account of crew of foreign going ship, to be delivered at the end of the
voyage to the Shipping Master at the above port’ (Southampton)
.
|
Master: |
John Goodall
(Cert. No. 5,866) |
|
Initially signed on at 6 a.m. Wednesday
14th December 1853 at Southampton:- |
|
|
Chief Mate: |
Frederick Alexander L. Blacknow |
|
2nd Mate: |
John L. Castle |
|
3rd Mate: |
Robert B. Davie |
|
4th Mate: |
Stanley J. Hollway |
|
5th Mate: |
Woodbine Stewart |
|
6th Mate: |
Ford Ainslie |
3 Midshipmen, 1 Purser, 1 Boatswain, 1
Carpenter, 1 Plumber, 1 Sailmaker, 1 Joiner, 2 Boatswain’s Mates, 4
Quartermasters, 26 ABs, 3 OS, 1st Engr., 2nd Engr., 3rd
Engr., 4th Engr., 2 storekeepers, 3 Leading Stokers, 9 Firemen, 1 Engrs’ Servant, 5 Boys, 1 Ship’s Cook, 1 Chief Steward, 1 2nd
Steward,
1 Barman, 1 Pantryman,
1 Chief Cook, 1 2nd Cook, 1 Butcher, 1 Butcher’s Mate, 1 Baker, 4
Bedroom Stewards, 4 Saloon Waiters, 1 Boots & ????, 1 Scullion, 2 Bath
Boys, 1 Stewardess, 2nd Stewardess, 1 Officers’ Steward and 1
Captain’s Steward.
4 ABs did not join
Signed on at Plymouth 15th
December 1853
1 Surgeon, 9 ABs, 3 OS and 3 Boys
1 AB did not join
4th Mate transferred to the RMSS
‘Mauritius’ 14th April 1854 at Calcutta
1 AB deserted 13th March at
Calcutta
1 AB ‘fell overboard’ 9th February
at sea
1 AB transferred to the RMSS ‘Indiana’ 14th
March at Calcutta
13 ABs discharged 17th March at
Calcutta (varying ‘reports of character’ for ability and conduct from ‘Bad’ to
‘V.G.’)
2 OS discharged 17th March at
Calcutta
3rd Engr. and 1 Fireman died of
cholera 9th March at Calcutta
1 Fireman discharged 29th March at
Calcutta
1 AB discharged 22nd January at
Cape Town (bad conduct)
1 AB left in Hospital 14th April
at Calcutta
Ship’s Cook died of cholera 20th
March at Calcutta
1 Saloon Waiter discharged 7th
March at Calcutta
1 Saloon Waiter discharged 9th
March at Calcutta
2nd Stewardess died 29th
April at sea
All the rest were discharged at Southampton 4th
July 1854
Crew hailed from
all around Britain and Ireland (though mostly from southern Britain), but also
Bombay, New York, ?Bergen? and
Barbados.
They had come from
a great many different past vessels. A number had resigned on from CALCUTTA; at
least one had come from a warship; and a few had come from ORINOCO. It was the
plumber’s first ship.
List A - ‘Agreement for foreign-going Ship’
‘The several
persons whose names are hereto subscribed hereby agree to serve onboard the
Said Ship, in the several capacities expressed against their respective names
on a voyage from Southampton to the Cape of Good Hope and Calcutta/Calling
at Plymouth, Cape de Verd Islands, Ascention, Mauritius, Ceylon, and Madras and Back to a port
of discharge in Great Britain or Ireland calling at the same places and in
addition at St. Helena and other ports or posts as the nature of Her Majesty’s
Mail Service, and the interest of the Ship may require
And the said Crew agree to conduct themselves in an orderly,
faithful, honest, and sober manner, and to be at all times diligent in their
respective duties, and to be obedient to the lawful commands of the said
Master, or of any Person who shall lawfully succeed him, and of their Superior
Officers, in everything relating to the said Ship and the Stores and Cargo
thereof, whether on board, in boats, or on Shore: in consideration of which
Services to be duly performed, the said Master hereby agrees to pay to the said
Crew as Wages the sums against their names respectively expressed, and to
supply them with provisions according to the annexed Scale: And it is hereby
agreed, That any Embezzlement or wilful negligent destruction of any part of
the Ship’s Cargo or Stores shall be made good to the Owner out of the Wages of
the Person guilty of the same: And if any person enters himself as qualified
for a duty which he proves incompetent to perform, his Wages shall be reduced
in proportion to his incompetency: And it is also agreed, That the Regulation
authorized by the Board of Trade, which in the paper annexed hereto are
numbered
From
One to Twenty Two Inclusive
are adopted by the
parties hereto, and shall be considered as embodied in this Agreement: And it
is also agreed, That if any Member of the Crew considers himself to be
aggrieved by any breach of the Agreement or otherwise, he shall represent the
same to the Master or Officer in charge of the Ship in a quiet and orderly
manner, who shall thereupon take such steps as the case may require: And it is
also agreed, That one shilling per ton is to be allowed and divided amongst
all persons employed taking in and stowing fuel, each Coloured Seamen or
Coloured Stoker to have only half the share of an European, one shilling per
week to be allowed as flue money to each European Stoker while steam is up,
seamen to pass as ???? coal from the Holds or Bunkers,
to the stoke hold or elsewhere if necessary, stokers to assist in making and
trimming Sails getting the Anchor &.c when required. Seamen and Firemen are
to clear out their Berths every morning and most thoroughly on Saturday, when
all Bedding, Bags, Chests, are ?????? be put out to air; and on Sundays all except those on watch
will appear clean at muster. Officers, Crew, and firemen are expected to attend
divine Service on Sundays, the Crew to appear in Blue and White clothing on all
occasions when required by the Officer in Command; with Black or Straw Hats
with the ships name thereon to be found by the Crew themselves; And the
Officers - hereby agree to share ?propostaniably? with the Commander in any liability which may be incurred to
the Company for loss or damage of any Cargo or non delivery as irregularity in
the delivery of any Cargo. No Advance or discharges given during the voyages.
In witness whereof
the said Parties have subscribed their names hereto on the days against their
respective signatures mentioned.
Signed
by John Goodall Master, on the 7th
day of December, 1853. (See addition annexed)’
‘Regulations for
maintaining discipline sanctioned by the Board of Trade - in pursuance of the
Mercantile Marine Act, 13 & 14 VICT. c 93, ss. 46,
79, 86.
THESE Regulations
are distinct from, and in addition to, those contained in the Act, and are
sanctioned, but not universally required, by Law. All or any of them may be
adopted by agreement between a Master and his Crew, and thereupon the Offences
specified in such of them as are so adopted will be legally punishable by the
appropriate Fines or Punishments. These Regulations are all numbered, and the
numbers of such of them as are adopted must be inserted in the space left for
that purpose in the Agreement, and a copy of these Regulations must be made to
correspond with the Agreement by erasing such of the Regulations as are not
adopted, and must be attached to, and kept with, the Agreement which the Master
of the Ship takes to sea with him. If the Agreement is made before a Shipping
Master, his signature or initials must be placed opposite such of the
Regulations as are adopted
For the purpose of
legally enforcing any of the following penalties, a statement of the Offence,
must immediately after its commission, be entered in the Official Log Book by
the direction of the Master, and must at the same time be attested to be true
by the signature of the Mate, or, if there is no Mate, by the Carpenter,
Boatswain, or one of the oldest members of the Crew. If the punishment is a
Fine, this entry must, upon discharge of the Crew, be shown to the Shipping
Master before whom the Crew is discharged, or, in the case of a Home Trade
Ship, to some Shipping Master at or near the place where the Crew is
discharged; and if he is satisfied that is has been properly and truly made and
attested, the Fine must be deducted from the Offender’s wages, and paid over to
the Shipping Master.
If, in consequence
of subsequent Good Conduct, the Master thinks fit to remit or reduce any Fine
incurred by any Member of his Crew which has been entered in the Log, and
signifies the same to the Shipping Master, the Fine shall be remitted or
reduced accordingly. If Wages are contracted for by the Voyage or by Share, the
amount of the Fines is to be ascertained in a manner in which the Amount of
Forfeiture is ascertained in similar cases under 7 & 8 Vict.,
c. 112. S.8.
|
|
Offences |
Amount of Fine or Punishment |
|
1. |
Not being on Board at the time fixed by the
Agreement |
Two Days’ Pay |
|
2. |
Not returning on Board at the expiration of
Leave |
One Day’s Pay |
|
3. |
Insolence or contemptuous language or
behaviour towards the Master or any Mate |
One Day’s Pay |
|
4. |
Striking or assaulting any person on Board
or belonging to the Ship |
Two Days’ Pay |
|
5. |
Quarrelling or provoking to quarrel |
One Day’s Pay |
|
6. |
Swearing or using improper language |
One Day’s Pay |
|
7. |
Bringing or having on Board spirituous
liquors |
Three Days’ Pay |
|
8. |
Carrying a sheath knife |
One Day’s Pay |
|
9. |
Drunkeness. First offence Drunkeness. Second offence |
Two Days’ half allowance of provisions Two Days’ Pay |
|
10. |
Neglect on the part of the Officer in
charge of the Watch to place the look out properly |
Two Days’ Pay |
|
11. |
Sleeping or gross negligence while on look
out |
Two Days’ Pay |
|
12. |
Not extinguishing lights at the times
ordered |
One Day’s Pay |
|
13. |
Smoking below |
One Day’s Pay |
|
14. |
Neglecting to bring up, open out, and air
bedding, when ordered |
Half a Day’s Pay |
|
15. |
(For the Cook) - Not having any Meal of the
Crew ready at the appointed time |
One Day’s Pay |
|
16. |
Not attending Divine Service on Sunday
unless prevented by sickness or duty of the Ship |
One Day’s Pay |
|
17. |
Interrupting Divine Service by indecorous
conduct |
One Day’s Pay |
|
18. |
Not being cleaned, shaved, and washed, on
Sundays |
One Day’s Pay |
|
19. |
Washing clothes on a Sunday |
One Day’s Pay |
|
20. |
Secreting contraband goods on Board with
intent to smuggle |
One Month’s Pay |
|
21. |
Destroying or defacing the Copy of the
Agreement which is made accessible to the Crew |
One Day’s Pay |
|
22. |
If any Officer is guilty of any act or
default which is made subject to a Fine, he shall be liable to a Fine of
twice the number of Day’s Pay which would be exacted for a like Act or
Default from a Seaman, and such Fine shall be paid and applied in the same
manner as other Fines |
|
Seven men are
shown to have found substitutes for themselves in Calcutta and Capetown (which indicates missing portions of List C
‘For a mess of
five men per week
Scale of
Provisions to be allowed and served out to the Crew during the voyage’
|
Bread: |
1 lb. daily |
|
Beef and Pork: |
‘8 & 7 alternatively’ - in ounces |
|
Flour: |
‘2 ½ on beef days’ - in pounds |
|
Peas: |
‘1 on pork days’ - presumeably
in pints |
|
Tea: |
‘1 ¼ daily’ in ounces |
|
Coffee: |
Apparently none (which was unusual - coffee
consumption of ships’ crews was actually far higher than of tea) |
|
Sugar: |
‘12 Daily’ - in ounces |
|
Raisins: |
‘12 oz. every alternate beef day’ |
|
Suets: |
‘4 every beef day’ in ounces |
|
????? |
‘4 per week’ - in ounces |
‘No regular
allowance of spirits, But to be served at the discretion of the Command
Vinegar, Sugar
and Lime juice as per Act
Water 7 pints
per man per day in Hot weather
- "- 6
pints per man per day in Cold weather’
In regards to pay,
this was shown as ‘Amount of Wages per Month, Share, or Voyage’ and would have
been per month. This differed greatly, the Chief Officer on £12 per month,
through £2 15s for ABs, to 5 shillings per month for the Boys.
Most of the crew
had a month’s pay advanced and an unusually high number of men had allotments
(of approximately half their monthly pay). This would seem to indicate married
men, regular employment and company policy.
None of the
legible ‘certificates’ on the reverse show anything untoward, They merely
record when the articles were deposited with the port officials in Cape Town
and Mauritius. Others have faded too much to read.
There were also
‘supernumeraries’ onboard:-
2
to join CONWAY, 1 for EAGLE, 2 for CLYDE and 4 for DEE. Apart from the 5th Engineer to join CLYDE
who remained onboard ORINOCO, all the rest were discharged to their new ships
in St. Thomas.
Source: BT
98/3871 - LA PLATA
List A -
‘Agreement for foreign going ship’
‘The several
persons whose names are hereto subscribed hereby agree to serve on board the
said Ship in the several capacities expressed against their respective names on
a voyage from the Port of Southampton, and to and from the different Ports
in Portugal, the British and Foreign West India Colonies, the Coasts of North
and South America, from New York to the River Plate inclusive, the Madeiras, Azores, Canaries, and Cape de Verde Islands, or
all or either of those places, at the option of the said Master.
And the said Crew agree to conduct themselves in and orderly,
faithful, honest, and sober manner, and to be at all times diligent in their
respective duties, and to be obedient to the lawful commands of the said
Master, or of any Person who shall lawfully succeed him, and of their Superior
Officers, in everything relating to the said Ship and the Stores and Cargo
thereof, whether on board, in boats, or on Shore: in consideration of which
Service to be duly performed, the said Master hereby agrees to pay to the said
Crew as Wages the sums against their names respectively expressed, and to
supply them with provisions according to the annexed Scale: And it is hereby
agreed, That any Embezzlement or wilful negligent destruction of any part of
the Ship’s Cargo or Stores shall be made good to the Owner out of the Wages of
the Person guilty of the same: And if any Person enters himself as qualified
for a duty which he proves incompetent to perform, his Wages shall be reduced
in proportion to his incompetency: And it is also agreed, That the regulations
authorized by the Board of Trade, which in the paper annexed hereto are
numbered
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 9. 11. 12. 14.
16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. & 22
are adopted by the
parties hereto, and shall be considered as embodied in this Agreement: And it
is also agreed, That if any Member of the Crew considers himself to be
aggrieved by any breach of the Agreement or otherwise, he shall represent the
same to the Master or Officer in charge of the Ship in a quiet and orderly manner,
who shall thereupon take such steps as the case may require: And it is also
agreed, That are adopted by the parties hereto, and shall be considered as
embodied in this Agreement: And it is also agreed, That if any Member of the
Crew considers himself to be aggrieved by any breach of the Agreement or
otherwise, he shall represent the same to the Master or Officer in charge of
the Ship in a quiet and orderly manner, who shall thereupon take such steps as
the case may require: And it is also agreed, That the said Crew severally
engage to serve on board the said Ship on such or any part of the voyage from
the Port of Southampton to any of the Colonies, Coasts and Islands above
mentioned and back to the Port of Southampton and for ten days after if required
to do so, proceeding in the said Ship if required until here
arrival at Portsmouth or London, and that they will upon all occasions
willingly and cheerfully assist in removing or trimming Coals on board the said
Ship, and they also agree to assist when required in Coaling the said Ship, to
be paid for such extra work at the rate of One Shilling per ton, whenever the said Crew convey on board, put below, and trim such
Coals at a rate of Expedition of One Hundred Tons in Twelve Hours, but if not
put on board, and stowed at this rate of Celerity, then the
said Crew consent to receive payment for such extra labour at the rate of Eightpence per Ton; or when Coaling is performed partly by
the Crew and partly by other hands then to receive such remuneration as may be
specially agreed upon for the occasion between the Crew and the Captain; not
exceeding, however, for Coals put on board by any person not belonging to the
Ship at the rate of Ten Shillings for every Hundred Tons.
In witness
whereof, the said parties have subscribed their names hereto on the days
against their respective signatures mentioned.
Signed by Chas.
G. Weller Master, on the 26th day of August, 1854.’
Signed on between
26th August and 2nd September 1854 at Southampton:-
Chief Officer, 2nd
Officer, 3rd Officer, 4th Officer, 5th
Officer, 1 Surgeon, 1 Purser, 1 Boatswain, 1 Carpenter, 1 ‘Carpenter’s Mate’ or
Joiner, 1 Master at Arms’, 1 Captain of Hold, 6 Q.M.s, 2 Boatswain’s Mates, 18
ABs, 12 OS, 1 ‘Yeoman of Closets’, 1 Ship’s Cook, 1 Captain’s Servant, 1
Officers’ Servant, 1 ???? Boy, 4 Boys, Chief Engr., 2nd Engr., 3rd
Engr., 4th Engr., 5th Engr., 6th Engr., 1
Boiler Maker, 3 ?Greasers? (best guess), 24 Firemen,
18 Coal Trimmers, 1 Engr’s Storekeeper, 1 Engr’s Servant, 1 Chief Steward, 1 ?? Waiter, 6 Waiters, 1
Fore Bar Room Steward and Waiter, 1 Aft Bar Room Steward, 1 Saloon Cook, 1
French Cook, 1 Scullion, 1 Butcher, 1 Baker, 1 ‘Boots’, 1 Storekeeper, 1 Pantry
Man, 1 Saloon Boy, 1 Stewardess and 1 Assistant Purser.
The Captain of the
Hold, 4 ABs, 2 OS, 2 Firemen and the Butcher ‘run’ (deserted) in Southampton
before sailing
There were also
three ‘Supernumaries to join any of the R.M.S.S.
Company’s Ships that may be required’ - discharged at St. Thomas 16th
September:-
Five similar to join
DEE - discharged at St. Thomas 16th September
Four similar to
join TEVIOT - discharged at St. Thomas 16th September
One similar to
join SOLENT - First ship - ‘Remained on board by order of Supt C. Engineer’
Similar landsman
to join WYE - discharged at St. Thomas 16th September
Similar landsman
to join CONWAY - discharged at St. Thomas 16th September
Similar Purser to
join EAGLE - discharged at St. Thomas 16th September
2 ABs and 2 OS
‘run’ at Jamaica 26th September
The Saloon Boy was
discharged at Jamaica 23rd September
1 AB was
discharged 11th October
There was also a
certificate to state that two men were discharged 1st October -
signed by the Acting Consul St. Thomas
‘Scale of
Provisions to be allowed and served out to the Crew during the Voyage
|
Bread: |
1 lb. per day |
|
Beef: |
1 ½ lbs. on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays
and Saturdays |
|
Pork: |
1 ½ lbs. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays |
|
Flour: |
¾ lb. on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays |
|
Peas: |
½ pint on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays |
|
Tea: |
½ oz. per day |
|
Sugar: |
2 oz. per day |
|
Suet: |
2 oz. on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays |
|
Rum: |
1 gill. per day |
‘While at Sea,
Salt Beef, or Salt Pork, being issued on alternate days.
Lime Juice and
Vinegar, while on Salt Provisions, ½ pint per man weekly.
In Harbour
Fresh Meat 1 ½ lb. per man daily with sufficient Barley and Vegetables to
thicken Soup, and 1 lb. of Potatoes or Yams.
When the Ship
is in Harbour abroad Fresh and Salt Meat will be served out on alternate days,
and where Vegetables are dear the Providore is not
required to spend more than four dollars per day on Fresh Meat days, in
purchasing Vegetables for the Ship’s Company.
Oatmeal 1 pint
per man weekly, and Extra to Engine-men when the Steam is up; at which time the
Firemen and Trimmers will be allowed half-a-gill of Rum extra daily’.