A Narrative Of The Expedition To Botany Bay By Watkin Tench























































































































 - 

Heavily in clouds came on the day which ushered in our arrival.
To us it was a great, an important - Page 28
A Narrative Of The Expedition To Botany Bay By Watkin Tench - Page 28 of 90 - First - Home

Enter page number    Previous Next

Number of Words to Display Per Page: 250 500 1000

"Heavily In Clouds Came On The Day" Which Ushered In Our Arrival. To Us It Was "A Great, An Important Day," Though I Hope The Foundation, Not The Fall, Of An Empire Will Be Dated From It.

On the morning of the 20th, by ten o'clock, the whole of the fleet had cast anchor in Botany Bay, where, to our mutual satisfaction, we found the Governor, and the first division of transports.

On inquiry, we heard, that the 'Supply' had arrived on the 18th, and the transports only the preceding day.

Thus, after a passage of exactly thirty-six weeks from Portsmouth, we happily effected our arduous undertaking, with such a train of unexampled blessings as hardly ever attended a fleet in a like predicament. Of two hundred and twelve marines we lost only one; and of seven hundred and seventy-five convicts, put on board in England, but twenty-four perished in our route. To what cause are we to attribute this unhoped for success? I wish I could answer to the liberal manner in which Government supplied the expedition. But when the reader is told, that some of the necessary articles allowed to ships on a common passage to West Indies, were withheld from us; that portable soup, wheat, and pickled vegetables were not allowed; and that an inadequate quantity of essence of malt was the only antiscorbutic supplied, his surprise will redouble at the result of the voyage. For it must be remembered, that the people thus sent out were not a ship's company starting with every advantage of health and good living, which a state of freedom produces; but the major part a miserable set of convicts, emaciated from confinement, and in want of cloaths, and almost every convenience to render so long a passage tolerable. I beg leave, however, to say, that the provisions served on board were good, and of a much superior quality to those usually supplied by contract: they were furnished by Mr. Richards, junior, of Walworth, Surrey.

Enter page number   Previous Next
Page 28 of 90
Words from 7519 to 7854 of 24415


Previous 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Next

More links: First 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Last

Display Words Per Page: 250 500 1000

 
Africa (29)
Asia (27)
Europe (59)
North America (58)
Oceania (24)
South America (8)
 

List of Travel Books RSS Feeds

Africa Travel Books RSS Feed

Asia Travel Books RSS Feed

Europe Travel Books RSS Feed

North America Travel Books RSS Feed

Oceania Travel Books RSS Feed

South America Travel Books RSS Feed

Copyright © 2005 - 2022 Travel Books Online