The First Day of the Rest of his Life

A New Start – With his wife and two small children he stepped on board the Princess Royal in Glascow.  The year was 1852 and  It was the first step into a new life in faraway Australia.  Glaud and Grace Pender had left Fauldhouse in West Lothian with 3 year old Mary Ann and 21 month old William.

Glaud was to keep a journal of the trip.  Here is a transcript of  some of the entries.  Those in italics have been added by Glaud  at some later date.

June 1852
22nd     Aboard  the  Princess Royal.   Clearing  away  from  Old
Scotland while Glascow is only to seen in the  distance.
It  now  seems  to  me as if all  the  former  scenes  ,
Circumstances   and  enjoyments  of  my  life   combined
together rush upon ….. with a force I will not attempt
to describe as I am borne away from my native Land and
from those dear friends Some of whom in all probability
I will never meet again. Hundreds of people assemble on
the banks of the Clyde to witness our departure, while
their hearty cheers are accepted and returned by the
Emigrants in the way of a kind Farewell.
23rd     After  a  rather  unpleasant  passage  we  arrive   at
Liverpool at 2 pm.  A River Steamer takes the  emigrants
across to the Birkenhead.  all is bustle and confusion.
Emigration   scenes  are  certainly  both  curious   and
interesting.
24th     In  the Depot very uncomfortable  quarters.   Some  are
crying bad meat, others bad beds, and many have occasion
to cry lousy bed.  PS it might not be out of place here
         from experience to Remark as my opinion that the great
         sickness on board the Marco Polo was in great measure to 
         to  be  attributed  to the very bad  treatment  in  that 
         Pandemonium  they  call  the Depot.   This  disease  was 
         planted in the constitutions of the young where (it) lay
         concealed but a few days.  There followed those awful
         scenes aboard our splendid ship which will never be
         erased from my memory.

The Marco Polo which brought them to Australia

28th     we have slept our first night on board the  Marco  Polo
and feel much more comfortable.  In my opinion she is  a
fine  ship and said to be a very fast sailer.   Some  of
the  Passengers  already begin to dispute how  long  she
will be in making to Australia.  One of the single women
is supposed to have lost her reason.  at night she leapt
out of bed and with one of the lights in her hand began
to dance naked on the deck.  I upon hearing the screams
of the women ran into their appartment and got    after
which the doctors conveyed her to the hospital.  it is
doubtful whether she will be allowed to proseed on her
voyage.
29th     We move out of the dock and anchor in the River.
30th     A  number of Gentlemen dine on board on the  poop  deck
with a fine Instrumental band in attendance. I observe
there is a good hospital on board.  I hope its use will
not be much required on the passage.
July 1   one of the Passangers gave birth to a child.
2nd      In the evening a dance by the Sailors and a few of the
Passangers on the Top Gallant Forecastle , a number of
Passengers on the rigging looking on.   Some of the
Sailors got up and tied a poor Highlander to the shrouds
amidst roars of laughter from Those on deck.
3rd      One  of  the  Sailors  fell  overboard.   The   Captain
discovering  it  instantly  leapt  into  the  water  and
succeeded in taking him out not much the worse.  In the
evening a farewell service on board.  text in the 16
Chapter of Proverbs.  wisdom is more to be desired than
Gold.   the  speaker addressed us in a  very  impressive
manner entreating as new scenes, new desires and new
hopes  were  before  us  not to  forget  the  one  thing
needfull
4        (Sunday) half past six AM  Weighed anchor.   A  Steamer
taking  us in tow we begin to move away  for  Australia.
The Steamer after taking us over the bar left us with a
fine breeze in our favour.  O may God be with us to
Protect and to Prosper us on The voyage.
5.       Beating up the Channel, a steady breeze ahead, …..
little speck
7.       I have seen for the first time what they say is whales
blowing sending the water up a great height.  I think
the hoes (?) of an ordinary fixed engine playing direct
up would much resemble the blowing of a whale.  There is
also a great many porpoises sporting about the ship.
sometimes  they leap 2 feet above the water so  that  we
can see them quite distinctly.  They are ugly brutes.
They  have a snout like a pig which gives them their name
of Sea pigs.
8.       Off the Bay of Biscay.  have been on watch  all  night.
The passengers taking it by rotation.  a child died last
night being the first death on board.  I fear there will
be  many such deaths before we get to Australia.   There
is  such a number of children on board.  O God  –  thank
and praise thee that we are all still in health and free
from  sickness and able to attend to our duties  and  to
our children.  six PM.  Spoke a French vessel bound for
England who will report us.
9.       at  7 AM.  The funeral ceremony of the child  Who  died
yesterday  took place.  A little weight being  put  into
the  box along with the corpse it still floated  on  the
water  untill  it  dissappeared in  the  distance  which
caused  great  dissatisfaction amongst  the  Passengers.
Light Northerly breezes.
10.      Off  Cape  St  Vincent   about  1200  miles  sail  from
Liverpool.

The Journal of this voyage with Captain “Bully” Forbes continued until July  25th and then ceased.  His son William died of measles on September 2nd. Measles and Influenza led to the deaths of 51 children and 2 adults on this voyage .

Glaud and  Grace went on to have six more chldren in Australia.

This photo taken lin Apollo Bay  c1908,after his wife Grace had died, shows five generations of his family,  Glaud in the centre, daughter Mary Ann Telford to the right, her son Walter Telford at the back, Walter’s daughter Julia Fricke to the left with her son Charles Fricke at her knee.

And for more examples of “Starting something new” check out the links on Sepia Saturday

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