Harriet Marshall’s travel journal, 14-16 February 1847

by Anna-Maria Hajba, Archivist

Join us on a journey from Calcutta to the Island of St Helena through the pages of a journal kept by Harriet Marshall between 9 January and 4 April 1847 on her way from Allahabad to County Tyrone. A weekly blog post series, running 10 January to 4 April 2025, presents transcriptions from her journal for the preceding week.

 

14th [February] Sunday This morning after sending the children bathed & dressed out, I had Mrs Mason to fill up the Tub for me, and enjoyed a bath of sea water, how deliciously cool it was[.] it was a very hot morning[.] Prayers were read on deck but as it was so hot the Ladies could not go up, but sat & listened in the cuddy[.] I should like to have seen the sailors all dressed in their best[.] it is such a time since I saw this sight that if some of the other Ladies would have come, I should have liked to accompany them, how pleasing to see so many rough weather beaten faces of these gallant sons of Neptune all joining in words of Prayer to our Almighty Maker with nothing in sight but the boundless Ocean & sky reminding us of the vastness of the Almighty’s mercy in allowing such small beings to cross & traverse the Mighty Deep in fragile peices [sic] of Timber as a ship may well be termed in comparison.

 

Coloured aquatint entitled Prayer at Sea, 19th century. © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, object no. PAD3879.

 

After Prayers I came down to my cabin wrote & read till the Dressing Bell rang[.] After Dinner read again then went to Lady Littler’s1 cabin, & then on Deck where there was a delightful breeze, how strangely one hears of a friend.  I little thought there were two people on board who came out in the same ship as our old favorite [sic] Miss Harriott now Mrs Reddie,2 Mr Consitt & Mr Pope the 1st & 2nd Officers were on Board “The Walmer Castle”[.] in the voyage Miss Harriott came out[.]3 it was Mr Consitt told me about this in joining Eliza4 & I, who were walking up & down taking a constitutional after Tea.  After putting the children to bed at ½ past 7 O.C. I went to Prayers again in the cuddy, after which I went & sat on deck enjoying the delightful breeze till near 10 O.C. when I came down to bed I read my own Prayers out for the benefit of Mrs Mason.  I feel a responsibility in this having a christian servant & make a point of reading Prayers & a chapter out of the New Testament every night.  Tomorrow will be Baggage day, I must my Trunk up to take out some clothes for the children & to put by some dirty linen as Monday fortnight will be the next Baggage day.

 

15th February 1847.  Monday.  A most unsatisfactory day hot & close all day.  I did not get my box till a short time before the dressing bell rang, & was made very fidgetty [sic] by being thus delayed, for I had made up my mind to be busy taking out the clothes that were not required for the present & putting in the lighter ones into my Drawers, but when my box was brought in, I had to do the thing in such a hurry that it put me quite in a fever, what made this delay so provoking was that my box was near the Midshipmen’s berth & so easily to be got at, whilst those whose boxes were at the bottom of the Hold got theirs before 12 O.C. however I do hope to manage for a month now without wanting another box out. Whilst we were at Dinner the eldest of Mrs Fisher’s5 boys of about 14 or 15 years old,6 ran into the Cuddy & hurriedly told Mr Oakes a Midshipman that Mr Masters had fallen overboard, but that he was up, all right, again.

 

Coloured aquatint entitled A Man Overboard, 1810. © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, object no. PAF4993.

 

Mrs Berrill my left side neighbour was so startled that she left the Table looking very interesting & hysterical[.] after we rose from Table I went into her cabin laughted [sic] & talked with her & then went into Mrs Henning’s7 cabin to listen to some music.  Of course the news of Mr Masters fall overboard was a subject of conversation Captain Henning8 did not know of it before so he went upstairs to give the Young Gentleman a whipping I afterwards learnt that they were amusing themselves by climbing hand over hand some ropes & so Mr Masters fell overboard but he was up again almost inordinately well!  It seems the young gentlemen surrounded young Fisher for having given the news in the cuddy & gave him a scolding so down he comes to his Mother like a great Baby & complains to her, up she flew in a tremendous rage, abusing poor Captain Henning & all the Young Gentlemen & called them a set of cowards, for having abused her boy, I learnt all this from Eliza & Mrs Reid when I went on deck at sunset, fancy what a trifle to cause such a noise, I hear also! a great many of the Passengers joined in abusing Captain Henning some about one thing & some about another I was in Mrs Henning’s cabin all the time, but it is only from such stupid trifles that all these quarrels arise on board a ship.  Lady Littler is highly indignant at Mrs Wintle who complains of the former’s children for having thrown some of her children’s playthings overboard, then Lady Littler says she took a dislike to Mrs Wintle’s personal appearance from the first.  The truth is that their children are always squabbling each go & tell their mother’s a different version of their quarrels but how stupid to quarrel with each other on such trifling pretences[.] I keep out of all these paltry bickerings by coming down to my cabin shortly after Breakfast & remaining there till Dinner time[.]

My children9 are very quiet I am thankful to say, & are too young to join in the play & quarrels of the elder ones.  I have my guitar books & works to amuse me & then the children bring in a few of the little ones & shew them all their toys till 12 O.C. my boy is engaged at his books this is the greatest comfort I have.

For the first time for years I saw the beautiful Posphorice [sic] light which dances on the sea in the back of a ship it was not a very dark night but it was only star light so we watched this light for a long time.  Shoals of fish & Porposes [sic], & flying fish were jumping about all round the ship this afternoon so the Ocean looked perfectly alive with creatures of the Deep.

 

Flying fish by Richard Bridgens, c. 1836. From the British Library archive, shelfmark 789.g.13.

 

16th February 1847.  The Twenty first anniversary of my natal day, I wonder if dear Robert10, Mary11 & Mamma12 have thought of me as much as I do of them during the day, oh! how I wish I was with them instead of on board a ship surrounded by a lot of people who are strangers to me & mine the Kennedy’s excepted, the first time I was ever late in dressing for Breakfast happened today tho’ I was up a little past 6 O.C. Yet I know not how it was I allowed the time to pass, but the Breakfast Bell had rang for full 10 minutes before I was ready, on making my appearance at the Table a number wished me many happy returns of the day, Robert was marching into Furozpore [sic] this time last year13 and I had 3 little treasures to prize above all others in the World, & now The Almighty has been pleased to give me only two “His will be done”[.]14

 

Bridge over Sutlej by Sir Henry Yule, 1846. The image depicts British troops crossing the Sutlej River during the First Anglo-Sikh War. From the British Library archive, shelfmark WD 1039.

 

After dear Bobby had said his lessons he came to me cross & peevish, & complained that his eyes were hurt by the light from the Port, I jumped down from my elevated day couch & felt his head[.] found to my grief that the poor little dear’s head & skin were burning[.] instantly I laid him on my bed, took off his frock & shoes, & put a cloth wet in Rose water, plain water is too precious on board[.] fanned him till our dressing Bell rang, I gave him no Dinner but as he complained of hunger let him have the remains of Eliza’s Baby’s15 Arrow root & only gave him a cup of milk & water at their Tea hour, Dr Welsh gave me a powder of Calomel16 & scamony17 [sic] which as soon as he had swallowed he threw up again so then the Doctor mixed up another dose of the same kind himself & gave it to the boy who after a little dinner took it & went to sleep, the Doctor told me not to give him any more medicine in the morning, I was awoke twice during the night by Bobby, I sincerely hope & trust that he may be quite well during the voyage after this little touch of an old complaint[.] the Doctor is a very kind person & a very clever medical man.

 

The Sick Child by Charles Compton (1828-1884), 19th century. Image courtesy of Ewbank Auctions

 

Towards evening the signs of a storm appeared, so the dancing that had been promised by Captain Henning in honour of my natal day was obliged to be postponed, indeed I was rather glad of it then, otherwise, as my boy’s illness had put me into low spirits & had no heart to enter into the spirit of gaiety.  I came into my own cabin remained till the children were comfortably in bed, then went up & tried to get my accustomed walk on deck but the Rain came on so I came down again[.] brought up The life of Queen Elizabeth by Agnes Strickland18 & read for a little time, but finding the cuddy hot I came down to my own cabin before 9 O.C. undressed & sat down to continue reading, however I was nearly fast asleep when Eliza came down to bed.  So ended the anniversary of my 21st Birthday.

 

Harriet’s journal has been digitised and is available to read in full on the UL Digital Library.

  1. Helen Olympia née Stewart (c. 1809-1855), daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Stewart and Louisa Colebrooke and wife of Major-General Sir John Hunter Littler.[↩]
  2. Sarah Abbott Reddie née Harriott (1821-1892), wife of George Burd Reddie (1809-1880); the couple had married in November 1846.[↩]
  3. Coming out = making her debut into society as eligible to marry.[↩]
  4. Eliza Madelina née Turner (1820-1890), wife of Captain James Don Kennedy (1806-1898).[↩]
  5. Lucy Fisher née Vincent (b. c. 1805), widow of Captain John Fisher (1802-1846).[↩]
  6. John Frederick Lane Fisher (1832-1917); he later became a Major General in the Indian Army.[↩]
  7. Melina Henning née Smith, wife of Commander Alexander Henning (c. 1792-1871).[↩]
  8. Commander Alexander Henning (c. 1792-1871), captain of The Alfred.[↩]
  9. Robert (‘Bobby’) George Swayne Marshall (1841-1915) and daughter Harriett (‘Harry’) Susan Marshall (1842-1926).[↩]
  10. Her husband, Dr Robert George Marshall (1813-1857), an army surgeon.[↩]
  11. Mary Swayne (1831-1872); she married Charles Mordaunt FitzGerald in 1850.[↩]
  12. Harriet Maria Swayne née Johnstone.[↩]
  13. She is referring to the first Anglo-Sikh war, fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company between 11 December 1845 and 9 March 1846 in the Ferozepur district of Punjab.[↩]
  14. Harriet’s third child, Mary Sophia Marshall (b. 26 November 1843), had died of whooping cough on 9 April 1846.[↩]
  15. William Turner Kennedy (1846-1890), child of Captain James Don Kennedy and Eliza Madelina Kennedy née Turner.[↩]
  16. Mercurous chloride, used as a purgative.[↩]
  17. Scammony = a gum resin obtained from the tuberous roots of the plant Convolvulus Scammonia and used in medicine as a strong purgative.[↩]
  18. Presumably one of the volumes in the 12-volume series Lives of the Queens of England (1840-48) by the historical writer Agnes Strickland (1796-1874).[↩]