SA General - Excerpts from newspapers from 1843
| The Register -
Adelaide,
Saturday, January 28, 1843 [ADVERTISEMENT] TREATMENT OF PASSENGERS ON BOARD THE "ARAB" Cabin and Steerage Passengers' Protest THE undersigned, Cabin and Steerage Passengers (there being no Intermediate ones), by the Temperance barque Arab, of Fraserburgh, N.B., Joseph Dalgarno, commander, from London to Adelaide and Port Phillip, cannot permit that vessel to leave this Port without publicly and emphatically expressing their sentiments upon the treatment which they have experienced during the passage: insasmuch [sic] as, irrespective of all personal considerations, they do not desire to be parties to any transaction which might hereafter subject others to similar insults, annoyances, and impositions. Another, and an equally important reason why they deem it right to expose the conduct of Captain Dalgarno to public animadversion is, that they are convinced of the great injury which has already accrued to the cause of emigration by the selection of irresponsible, inexperienced, or incompetent individuals as commanders of passenger ships in the Australian trade; and they hope by this and other means specially to draw the attention of ship-owners, brokers, and agents (and probably of the Government itself) to the subject. With these prefatory remarks, they proceed at once to enumerate their several grounds of complaint against Captain Dalgarno, leaving it for their friends and the public in England, as well as their fellow colonists, to judge betwixt them, should Captain Dalgarno or any other person think proper to impugn their statements. Indeed, they wish it distinctly to be understood that they court inquiry into every allegation, pledging themselves, if called upon to substantiate each one before any competent tribunal. 1st - That the provisions were of inferior quality* and very deficient in quantity to those usually placed on board vessels trading to the Australian colonies, besides many ordinary requisites, to say nothing of delicacies, being wanting; a circumstance which, as they have learnt from the admissions of Captain and Mrs Dalgarno, the brokers (Messrs. Hancock and Gull) and the officials of the ship, is mainly attributable to the characteristic but unjustifiable parsimony of the first-named individual; particularly as he gave his passengers and their agents on the shore every assurance to the contrary, both by written agreements and by word of mouth. Indeed, it appears that the Custom-house Officer, who was in charge of the vessel from the time of her loading till she left Gravesend, repeatedly stated that he never saw a passenger ship so badly victualled, and expressed his conviction that her passengers would be "hal-starved" before they reached their destination. 2dly - That although the Arab had not been out more than six-and-thirty days before Captain Dalgarno was apprised by the steward of the extent of the deficiency (there being at that time but a six weeks' supply on board), he, nevertheless, made no attempt to reach Rio Janeiro or the Cape of Good Hope either of which ports he could easily have made, and where he could have taken in supplies - his avowed reason being the expense of the port charges. 3dly - That although, when 50 days out, we spoke, and for some days were in company with the whaler Candace, of New London, U.S., Captain Reid, Captain Dalgarno neglected to avail himself of repeated offers to supply the Arab with anything she might require; save that he accepted as a present a few dried apples, some onions and potatoes. 4thly - That after "making" the island of Tristan d'Achuna [sic] (sixty-one days out), where some few necessaries might have been easily (if not cheaply) produced, Captain Dalgarno did not use ordinary exertion to effect a landing or to communicate with the shore. 5thly - That after we had been 86 days out, Captain Dalgarno's conduct with regared to the Indiaman Duke of Argyle (the Candace and the Duke of Argyle were the only vessels with which we communicated by boats) was highly reprehensive; inasmuch as, although we had then only seven daya' provisions on board, no live-stock save one small pig (two sheep and three pigs, besides poultry, were all the live-stock put on board) and were without preserved or dried fruits, pickles, milk, suet, and yeast, and nearly out of butter, pease, &c., and the Indiaman handsomely offered to supply us with everything we might be short of, except live-stock, Captain Dalgarno's answer, made in the hearing of several of the passengers, was, that "he had plenty of everything on board". † 6thly - That on "making" the Island of St. Paul's, being then 89 days out (although of little consequence to the passengers, inasmuch as nothing but fresh fish could be got there), Captain Dalgarno's conduct was extremely vacillating and unseamanlike [sic]. 7thly - That the remonstrances [sic] of the passengers, individually and collectively, couched in gentlemanly terms and with all proper deference to Captain Dalgarno's station in the vessel, were invariably met by sullen taciturnity, abusive language, or threats of personal violence. 8thly - They by uniformly absenting himself from the cabin table, Captain Dalgarno offered an insult unmanly to his female passengers and uncourteous to the gentlemen. 9thly - That by refusing to redress a single grievance, and by permitting familiarity and in some cases insolence towards himself from servants of the vessel, he prevented the passengers from obtaining that civility and attention to which they had a right. 10thly - That by setting a flagrant example of indolence, Captain Dalgarno was the immediate cause of neglect of duty on the part of some under his command. 11thly - That by permitting the fore-hated close to the galley, to be almost constantly open, the door of communication between the steerage and 'twixt decks unsecured, whilst smoking was going on day and night from stem to stern, and suffering hammocks to be slung 'tween decks, the lives of forty persons were imminently perilled [sic], and the ship and cargo most flagitously disgarded [sic], since the 'tween decks, and only protected by other cargo and ship's stores, there were more than two-hundred-and-fifty packages of gun-powder! 12thly and lastly - The passengers furthermore desire to express their firm conviction that the presence of Mrs Dalgarno (in what capacity they know not, as in the early part of the passage * From the Arab's log, it appears that on the 2nd of November, thirty-one tins of preserved meat wer thrown overboard in such a high state of putrefaction as to endanger the ship's health. On the 11th of the same month, two more tins of preserved meat and fourteen of preserved milk (only sixty tins of milk were put on board for one hundred and twenty day's passage) shared a similar fate; besides some few others subsequently; and a barrel of Scotch herrings. For further testimony in proof of the inferior quality of the ship's provisions, see also the adjoined "Particular Statement of the Steerage Passenger's Grievances." † In proof, if proof were needed, of the truth of this and the foregoing paragraphs respecting the ill-conditioned manner in which the Arab was victualled. It is only necessary to state, by way of note, that for twenty days before making Port Adelaide the invariable dietary of the cabin passengers was fresh pork, potatoes and rice; and that on her arrival, after a passage of 115 days only, she was not only without fresh and preserved meat (having been obliged to kill a valuable passenger pig for sustenance) but also of dried salt fish, herrings, cheese, butter, milk, suet, yeast, currants, pease, apples, onions, pickles, preserves, and preserved fruits, &c.
WEEKLY REPORT OF VESSEELS IN THE HARBOUR ARAB (barque), 269 tons, Dalgarno, master, at McLaren Wharf, discharging cargo. A. Young & Co., agents [Note: - other vessels in port at the same time included Albatross (at Queen's Wharf), Alpha (smack at Queen's Wharf), Countess of Durham (barque at McLaren Wharf), Courier (steamer 120 tons - in the stream), Fortfield (ship 286 tons McLaren Wharf), Hero (cutter 37 tons - Queen's Wharf), King Henry (brig 200 tons McLaren Wharf), Mary Ann (cutter 13 tons - in the stream), Sir Charles McCarthy (hulk - hove down), Sophia Jane (cutter - in the stream), Ville de Bordeaux (ship 900 tons lying in the stream), Vixen (schooner 124 tons at Playfair's yard) and Victoria (schooner - laid up).
[Research Notes:- There is a report in The Register - Saturday, February 11, 1843, headed RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT, Friday, February 3rd THE LATE SMUGGLING CASE, in which some of the players in the preceding statements were taken to court and required to explain the existence of several extra boxes of tobacco taken aboard the Arab when she spoke with the Candace. In this report, several crewmen, passengers and other dignitaries are mentioned by name - they being R.R. Torrens - Collector of Customs, Mr Richman - for the prosecution, Mr Fisher - for the defence, Captain Dalgarno - master of the Arab, Richard Dennis - passenger on the Arab and the defendant in this case, Mr Young - agent for the Arab, Mr Hulke [note: Hulkes is correct spelling] - passenger on the Arab, Henry Kitson - the mate of the Arab, Mr Henry Simpson - SA Company Wharfinger at Pt Adelaide, James King - steward of the Arab. The case was transferred to the Supreme Court. On the following Wednesday, being February 15th, 1843, before His Honor Judge Cooper, Mr Fisher for the defence, appeared Ex Parte (meaning without his client being present) and entered an application for the removal by writ centiorari the record of the case from the Magistrate's court where it had been forwarded to the Supreme Court. A lengthy discussion between Judge Cooper and Mr Fisher with regard to the legitimacy of the claim against his client of smuggling under the Act was recorded. The main gist of the argument being that the Act had changed at the same time as the alleged offence had occurred and the parts that appeared to be smuggling occurred prior to the actual changing of the Act, and as such couldn't legally be called smuggling, (although by anyone's view it clearly was). After what seems likely to have taken several hours to get through, the Judge decided to sleep on his decision, after which the case was dropped because no date was fixed for its further hearing or for the decision of the Judge.]
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Captain Dalgarno declared she was no one's servant on board) has materially added to their inconvenience, since talebearing [sic] and backbiting appear to have been her almost daily occupation: and it can be proved that she invented falsehoods of many of the cabin passengers and of several of the steerage, by the wily dissemination of which she had nearly succeeded in putting strife and distrust between parties otherwise disposed to be courteous and agreeable. JOHN STEPHENS,
JOHN WATSON, ______________ Statement of particular aggrevated or minor Grievances and personal Insults, of which the Cabin Passengers, collectively or individually, complain - 1st - That, after being three weeks out, Captain Dalgarno refused the cabin passengers (nine in number, exclusive of himself and wife) any light, save one dim lamp, to work and read by, and ordered that to be extinguished at 10 p.m.; and, upon being remonstrated with for such an infringement of their rights, he called them "a set of scamps," and threatened, if anything further were said upon the subject, to throw all the candles overboard. 2dly - That subsequently, when the passengers were again obliged to have recourse to the ship's candles (the cuddy lamp not giving sufficient light), Captain Dalgarno again churlishly withdrew them, and they were driven to the necessity of purchasing some from a fellow-passenger. 3rdly - That on the first occasion of the cabin passengers complaining of the dietary (October 21st 1842), Captain Dalgarno was very abusive, coolly telling them that they were only "intermediate passengers", and that "they were victualled according to their passage money." 4thly - That, on the second occasion of their protesting against the cabin fare (Nov. 5, 1842), particularly against salt junk being put upon the table, Captain Dalgarno threatened to leave them at the nearest Port, and proceed to Adelaide without them. 5thly - That, on Mr. Hulkes's complaining to Captain Dalgarno of the steward's neglect and impertinence, he (Captain D.) told Mr H. that, although unable to leave his state-room at the time, "he had no business to send a message to him on the subject," and that, if he talked to him of not understanding his duty, "he would have him tied to the mizen-mast [sic] and give him a round dozen."† 6thly - That, on one occasion, Captain Dalgarno meditated putting Mr Stephens in "irons" for an alleged attempt to excite mutiny in the ship (that is, for openly and fearlessly expressing his sentiments to his fellow passengers respecting the fraudulent way in which they - and not the crew - were victualled); and, on another he called Mr S. a liar on the quarter-deck, and told him he would not believe him on his oath. 7thly - That, although the Arab professed (and still professes) to sail on teetotal principles, Mr Dennis, one of the cabin passengers, at Captain Dalgarno's request, put wind, spirits, and malt liquors on board, for sale, Captain D. (a long-pledged teetotaller or Reckabite) signing the excise bond, besides carrying a part cargo of ale for sale in the colonies. Scarcely, however, had we put to sea, before the Captain and his wife sought every opportunity to denounce all alcoholic drinks and drinkers, and to foist their particular opinions upon the passengers. 8thly - That moreover, besides the "fetching and carrying" and private scandal, complained of in paragraph 12 of their public protest, the cabin passengers were one and all, at some one period or other of the passage, anathematized, or had something said to them personally offensive or insulting to their private judgements, by Captain Dalgarno or his wife, for presuming to differ from them on the subject of teetotalism. On one occasion, Mrs Dalgarno told Mr Dennis (the gentleman before alluded to) that "an eternal curse would rest upon his head" for drinking fermented liquors; and, on another, seeing one of the passengers taking a bottle of ale on the quarter-deck, she flew into a violent passion, alleging it was setting a bad example to the crew, and vowing that the next time she saw a bottle of ale or spirits on deck she would throw it overboard. Afterwards she went below to her husband, and stormed and raved for a considerable time, insisting, forsooth, that he ought to interpose his authority to prevent the cabin passengers drinking on board. 9thly - That on Sunday, the 20th November, 1842, when Captain Reid, of the American whaler Candace, dined on board the Arab, Captain Dalgarno, wishing to keep up the appearance of the ship;s being a teetotal vessel, ordered the steward to put lime-juice† † on table, and not, as usual, to bring any passenger malt liquor, wine, or spirits, if called for. Captain D., however, was defeated in this act of meanness and duplicity, for the passengers happened to have in their state-rooms as much of each as was requisite to enable them to reciprocate the hospitality which they had previously experienced on board the Candace. 10thly - That because, on New Year's Eve, 1842-3, Mr Dennis and Mr Badcock searched the lockers and the steward's pantry, to try to find something for supper (none being put upon the table, and the steward having "turned in"_, Mrs Dalgarno denounced their conduct as "un-gentlemanly," and told Mr Dennis, at the breakfast table the next morning, that had she been a man, she would have beaten him black and blue for it. 11thly - That, notwithstanding the notorious scantiness and inferior quality of the provisions, Captain Dalgarno never once condescended to offer any explanation or apology to his passengers, but treated them, when set down to sale meat (often stinking), rice, and potatos [sic], without any of the et ceteras enumerated in their public protest, with as much swaggering haughtiness and independence as if he were fulfilling, to the very letter, the contract which he had entered into with them, namely, "that the provisions should be equal in quantity and quality to those put on board similar ships for cabin passengers to Australia." 12thly - That the cook, steward, and cabin boy were notoriously filthy in their persons and utensils, and the cuddy and state-rooms were not properly and thoroughly cleansed during the passage, nuisances of the existence of which Captain Dalgarno's eyes and nose must have informed him, but which he never attempted to remove. JOHN STEPHENS, A particular Statement of the Steerage Passengers' Grievances on board the "Arab," bound to South Australia and Port Phillip. 1st - That although one of us (John Wood) agreed with Captain Dalgarno that on and after the 24th of September, 1842, the day fixed by the agents for his being on board, he should be victualled at the ship's expense, from that time, till October 1st (the day the Arab left the docks) the said John Wood had to maintain himself and family (seven in all), nothing being served out to him but meat three several times. 2ndly - That although we were promised by the Captain and the brokers a patent portable commode, no such necessary convenience was put on board; nor, although the Arab carried a ship's carpenter, was any substitute constructed after she put to sea, thereby subjecting the inmates of the half-deck (particularly the females), surrounded as they were by several of the crew, to great personal inconvenience and annoyance. Indeed, it is matter of surprise and thankfulness that no infectious disorder was the result, especially during the prevalence of sea-sickness, the filth at that time lying on th floor for days together unremoved by ourselves or others. 3rdly - That although, before we left the docks, we were promised a person to assist in performing offieces * The majority of the passengers paid the whole sum demanded by the brokers for a cabin passenger. † Vide the annexed circumstantial narrative of that affair. † † This necessary in tropical climates, of which only twelve bottles were put on board, had been previously withheld from the passengers, they being told that it was for the Captain's own private use.
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which landsmen are never expected to perform at sea Ia fact since admitted by the cook), no attendance was given us; indeed; our dinner-things were often left on deck (sometimes all night), the cook telling us that he did no know whose place it was to wash them; and on Sunday, January 8, 1843, he refused Mrs Wood a little hot water to wash up her tea-things with, and because she contrived to get some by stealth, he flew into a passion, and said it was not allowed. Indeed, he frequently displayed similar ebullitions of temper towards others of us when going to the galley, threatening to scald one, to strike a second, and to "do" for a third. 4thly - That such was the want of proper discipline on board, that no rules and regulations were issued for the half-deck, and no officer was appointed to enforce order and cleanliness amongst us. In fact, the Captain allowed the ship's crew, even in the presence of himself and officers, to take what liberties they chose with us, thereby oftentimes causing discord and quarrelling. We were, besides, in continual fear of fire (250 packages of gun-powder being on board in an unprotected state), owing to the men's smoking at all seasons, the sliding door from the half-deck to the 'tween-decks being for the most part left open (particularly at night, hammocks being slung there), and sparks from lighted paper frequently lying on the floor; and though the Captain was spoken to on the subject, he never forbade one of us, in the dead of night, complain that he saw a light from a pipe which one of the men was smoking. 5thly - That we had no scales and weights, and the cook (who, by the bye, was disgustingly dirty in his person and utensils) gave us what meat and in what quantities he thought proper, until we complained (often inferior pieces and for the most part bone); and, on one us (John Watson) remonstrating with the Captain, he peremptorily ordered him off the quarter-deck, telling him not to come there to insult him! Sometimes, for ten persons, the allowance of meat, after being cooked, was so small that it was a mere farce to send it down, never averaging more, during the passage, than from three to four ounces, instead of half-a-pound, for each individual. 6thly - That although, according to the printed dietary annexed, given to the steerage passengers, and by which they were to be victualled, they were to be allowed half-a-pound of "preserved meat each, twice a week, soup and bouilli [sic] of the worst kind, and consisting chiefly of carrots, was served out to us instead.* 7thly - That the Scotch beef, forming part of our dietary, was tainted before we left the docks, so much so, that we could not touch it, and by mutual consent threw it overboard. For so doing one of us (John Wood) was grossly insulted by Captain Dalgarno (the Captain claiming what rations were not consumed for the ship's use), and threatened with personal violence if he repeated the offence! † We, however, considered, as there was no stipulation to the contrary, that when our rations were served out to us, whether of meat, flour, biscuit, or anything else, we were at liberty to do what we liked with them -- if wholesome to eat them or save them -- if un-wholesome to cast them away. In fact, it is our firm conviction that, had the Arab been under the surveillance of the Emigration Commissioners or the Government, the Inspecting Officer would have condemned the greater part of her meat. 8thly - That although, on the 19th of December, 1842, we unanimously gave up our allowance of stinking beef, and on the 22nd of December of the salt junk, being unable any longer to eat them, nothing was offered us in their stead, and twice a-week ourselves and little ones went dinnerless. 9thly -That although, according to our printed dietary, we were each to receive six ounces of suet and six ounces of butter weekly, the supply of suet was stopped on the 2nd of December, 1842, and nothing but the rancid skimmings of the galley offered us instead; and no butter was served out to us after December 28th, but its value in money, or half-a-pound of currants and three-quarters of a pannican [sic] of flour weekly, for each adult, with potatos [sic] for each daily, offered in exchange. As we had no alternative we chose the latter. N.B. Having no butter, our allowance of rice was of little use to us, and even the ship's stores of currants and raisings were exhausted before we reached Port Adelaide. 10thly - That although, before we left the docks, the Captain and the steward repeatedly assured us that we should want for nothing, as there was plenty of everything on board (thereby deterring us from laying in a few private stores, which we should otherwise have done), we were deprived of even the least article likely to contribute to our personal comfort † † or convenience (since Christmas even a little brickdust with which to clean our knives, although there was plenty on board); and at the time the females amongst us were suffering from sea-sickness they were left destitute of necessary drinks and refreshments for days together: included, serious apprehension were entertained that one of us (a married female), who was ill for five weeks, would not recover, and yet scarcely anything was sent her from the cabin table. So reduced was she from the want of nourishment that, on two occasions, a fellow-passenger begged a piece of soft bread and a slice of ham for her from the cabin passengers. In a word, throughout the passage, we were treated by the Captain, the cook, and the other ship's servants more like Russian serfs than British freemen, every indignity being heaped upon us, and not only taunts and jibes, but threats of personal violence, and language fit only for Leith Walk, Mussleburgh, or Wapping Old Stairs, being repeatedly, and on the slightest provocation, addressed t us. Evn so late as Sunday, January 8th, 1843, in consequence of some trifling altercation between one of ous and the carpenter (the carpenter having placed his tool chest in Mr Watson;s way), the Captain denounced the whole of us as "a set of blackguards not worth his men's notice," and ordered them to hold no further intercourse with us! JOHN WOOD, * A detained account of Mr and Mrs Wood's conversation with Captain Dalgarno respecting the soup and bouilli [sic] is annexed. † Vide Mr Wood's certified statement annexed. †† The only indulgence we had, during the passage, was half-a-pound of ham each, and an extra quantity of flour, currants, raisins, and spice on Christmas Day. SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE ARRIVED Monday, January 23 - The barque Arab, 269 tons, Joseph Dalgarno, master, from London, having left the Downs on 3rd October. Passengers - Mr and Mrs John Stephens and four children, Mrs mary Ann Harrison, Miss Sarah Liddon, and Messrs. R. Dennis, W.P. Horton, H.S. Hulkes, and P. Badcock in the cabin; and J.G. Wood, wife, and family. John Harvey and wife, John Watson, Chas. Knight, Geo. Knight, H. Smith, and Geo Hinchliffe in the steerage. Cargo - 10 trunks, J Hagen & Co,; 3 ditto, T. Shepherd; 2 bales, 6 tins, 2 jars, 1hhd., 1 case, H.W. Phillips; 4 half-barrels powder, 4 kegs, 20 hhds., 15 cases, 2 puncheons, 2 tierces, 3 casks, 1 bag, 60 deals, 60 battens, R. Dennis; 3 bales, 2 cases, R. Stuckey; 1 cask, 2 bundles, 1 case, 1 grind-stone, 1 dray, H. Giles for G.F. Davenport; 8 casks, Geo. Young; 1 case, Gorton & Andrews; 1 ditto, Order; 200 qr-barrels powder, H.W. Phillips; 1 box, R. Gouger; 1 case, J. Bishop; 9 cases, Jas. Walsh; 1 ditto, J.A. Bingon; 1 dressing machine, 21 cases, J. Schwonberg; 1 box, Chas. Calton; 1 case, 2 boxes specie, Edward Stephens; 1 case, W. Prescott; 3 butts, 3 bales, 11 casks, 3 bundles, W. Blyth & Sons; 2 cases plants, G.A. Anstey; 3 cases Hagen & Co.; 1 box A.L. Elder; 2 bales, 1 cask, The Royal Sappers and Miners; 17 casks, 1 dray, 2 wheels, 7 cases, 1 box, 60 deals, 10 packages, H. Giles; 1 case W. Innes; 1 plough, 1 hamper, H. Simpson; 1 case, T.Q. Stowl 1 box, Capt. O'Halloran; 1 case, H. Duncan; 1 case, 1 box, J Morphett; 1 case, 1 bundle, 1 box, G. Dean; 1 box, R. Bell; 1 case, Miss Blunden; 1 ditto, A.W.T. Grant; 1 ditto, Wilson; 1 ditto, G. Faulkner; 1 ditto, W.T. Esthorpe; 7 ditto, John Stephens, 8 cases, 13 bales, T. Shepherd; 2 pipes, 6 cases, 34 casks, J&S Bennett; 12 casks, 4 hhds., A.L. Elder; 40 casks, Order; 36 packages, 2 cases, 70 tons coal, Captain Dalgarno; 60 hhds., 65 cases, 1 box, C. Beck & Co.; 7 cases tobacco, R. Dennis.
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