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Arthur Bowes- Smyth

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Experiences of men, women and children on the First Fleet voyage

Source: A Journal of a Voyage from Portsmouth to New South Wales and China in the Lady Penrhyn

Author: Arthur Bowes Smyth

Link: State Library of New South Wales

Source type: Primary source
Useful for: The experiences of men, women and children on the First Fleet voyage

About

Arthur Bowes Smyth (1750-1790) was the surgeon on the Lady Penrhyn, one of the First Fleet convict transports, and was responsible for the women convicts. His journal records daily life during the voyage from England to New South Wales and includes valuable observations about the health, treatment and experiences of the women convicts on board.

Voyage chapters

Overview - The First Fleet
Overview - The Voyage
Overview - The London Chronicle
Arthur Phillip - Commander
Watkin Tench -  Naval officer
John White Esq
Convict voices & Women
Arthur Bowes-Smyth - Surgeon
David Blackburn, Master of Supply

Selected excerpts

Accommodation

…That our accommodations on board Ship are far superior to what any on Shore (who has not experienced a Life at Sea) can form a just conception of; And tho' I must allow we are constantly in want of many Articles of Cookery wh. those on Shore can command, yet allowg. for the inconveniences we labour under I believe I may venture to say our Gates on board Ship will yield the palm to few tables on Shore: & we sometimes have the Superiority of producing Dishes at our Sea table wh. no fortune can command on Shore.

Medical events during the voyage

  • 31st May 1787. At 3 O'clock p.m. Isabella Lawson one of the Convicts was deliver'd of a Girl

  • 1st. July This day Mary Love, one of the Convicts aged 60 fell down the Steerage & broke two of her ribs & otherwise very much bruis'd herself. Cup'd her & administer'd the usual Medicines in such Cases & She perfectly recover'd. This day also Wm. Henderson, Sailor, bad wound on the head from the fall of a Block.

  • 5th July. Mr. White came onboard to enquire into the state of the Sick -- perfectly satisfied wt. the Acct. & pronounced the Lady P the most healthy Ship in the fleet… Many have died on board the Alexr. & some were dangerously ill on board the Charlotte.

  • llth July. This day Elizth. Beckford, a Convict on board us, aged 82 died of a Dropsy with which She had been long afflicted. She died abt. 9 in the Eveng. & abt. 10 her corpse was committed to the deep. The Burial Service was read by Mr. Ball 3d. Mate.

  • 14 October. Went wt. Leiut. G. Johnston on board the Alexander. Many of the Convicts & Marines dangerously ill of a kind of Putrid fever; whilst I was there Surgeon White came on board who had been very ill; he informed me that upwards of 30 had been very ill with a putrid fever & Dysentery onboard the Charlotte and that he expected the death of 3 of them this day.

  • 29th. This day the 2d. Mate of the Friendship (Patrick Vallance) being much intoxicated fell overboard & never came up again -- he was abt. 45 years of age.

  • November. 1st. Phebe Norton, a Convict on board us fell into the Sea, it was a remarkable calm day, therefore before she had time to go down, two men jump'd overboard & saved her.

  • 15th. This day Ann Morton one of the Women on board our Ship, deliver'd of a Boy.​​​​

Medicine

August 14th. (At Rio de Janeiro) ...Went on shore & purchased some Medicines for my use at sea. 

December 10th. "...A Box of Necessaries ... was sent on board for the use of the Sick amongst the Convicts &: under the care of the Surgeon. It consisted of the followg. Articles Abt. 40 Ib. of moist Sugar, 61b of Currants -- 6 Ib of Sagoe -- 1 Ib of Almonds -- a small quantity of Mace, Cinnamon &ca. 100 [weight] of fine Rice, a large quantity of French barley, a 10 Galln. Cask of red Port Wine, Some portable Soup, Tea, Lump Sugar, 10 tin Saucepans & mugs, two Caggs of fine Essence of Malt. -- The Provisions for the Convicts was also very good of their kind, the Beef & Pork in particular were excellent ... there are not less than 2000 Lw of Medicines of different kinds in the fleet.

NB. The “Box of Necessaries” was a special medical-diet supply box for sick convicts. It was used to make lighter, more nourishing food and restorative drinks for people who were ill, weak, injured, or unable to manage the standard ration of salted meat and hard biscuit.

What each type of item was for:

  • Rice, barley, sago: easy-to-digest food for sick people.

  • Portable soup: a concentrated stock or broth that could be turned into strengthening soup.

  • Tea, sugar, currants, almonds, spices, port wine: comforting and strengthening extras for invalid diets.

  • Essence of malt: used at the time as an anti-scorbutic, meaning something intended to help prevent or treat scurvy. Another First Fleet source notes that essence of malt was reserved for that purpose on the passage

Daily routine

-- As soon as breakfast is over I set abt. visiting my Patients first paying the Compt. to my own Ship's Company --
Then I visit the sick among the Convicts after wh. I put up such Medicines as are wanting -- then fill up this Journal to the moment; & lastly adjourn to the Round House or Poop, where I generally meet wt. Mr. James Smith... his being a very intelligent good disposed Man -- Mr. Alltree, late Surgeon to the Convicts generally makes up the Trio –

Treatment of convicts

"December. 1st. It is pretty extraordinary how very healthy the Convicts on board this Ship in particular & the fleet in general have been, during so long a passage & where there was a necessity of stowg. them so thick together, if I except the Alexr. where many of the Convicts were embark'd from the different Goals wt. malignant disorders upon them, & consequently had many died on board, not less than 30 -- The Scarborough where they were embark'd in a healthy state had not lost a single person during the passage.

But this phenomenon will not appear so strange when I inform my readers how very well Government have provided for the accommodation of the Convicts --
I believe I may venture to say, few Marines going out of England upon Service were ever so amply provided for as these Convicts are, & the Surgeons & Officers of the different Ships pay such strict attention to their keeping themselves & their Births well air'd & perfectly clean, together wt. the remarkably fine weather we have experienced during the whole of the Voyage. -- Therefore I must again repeat, (had the Convicts been all embarked in that perfectly healthy state wh. Government meant they shd. have been, & believed were) I firmly believe very few, if any wd. have died hitherto.

...I believe few Marines or Soldiers going out on a foreign Service under Government were ever better, if so well provided for as these Convicts are -- It is also asserted there are not less than 2000 Lw of Medicines of different kinds in the fleet."

Behaviour of convicts

"There was never a more abandon'd set of wretches collected in one place at any period than are now to be met with in this Ship in particular & I am credibly informed the comparison holds with respect to all the Convicts.

The greater part of them are so totally abandoned & callous'd to all sense of shame & even common decency that it frequently becomes indispensably necessary to inflict Corporal punishment upon them, and sorry I am to say that even this rigid mode of proceeding has not the desired Effect, since every day furnishes proofs of their being more harden'd in their Wickedness --

Upon any very extraordinary occasion such as thieving, fighting with each other or making use of abusive language to the Officers, they have thumb Screws put on -- or Iron fetters on their wrists of this form [see margin] and sometimes their hair has been cut off and their head shaved, which they seemed to dislike more than any other punishment they underwent.

At first 1 or 2 were flog'd with a Cat of 9 tails on the naked breech; but as there are certain seasons when such a mode of punishment cd. not be inflicted with that attention to decency wh. everyone whose province it was to punish them, wished to adhere to, it was totally laid aside. They were also whilst under punishment so very abusive that there was a necessity for gagging them – nor do I conceive it possible in their present situation to adopt any plan to induce them to behave like rational or even human Beings -- perpetually thieving the Cloaths from each other, nay almost from their backs may be rank'd amongst the least of their crimes (tho' it is the Crime for which most of them are in their present disgraceful situation).

The Oaths & imprecations they daily make use of in their common conversation & little disputes with each other by far exceeds anything of the kind to be met wt. amongst the most profligate wretches in London. Nor can their matchless Hippocracy be equalled except by their base Ingratitude; many of them plundering the Sailors, (who have at every Port they arrived at spent almost the whole of the wages due to them in purchasing different Articles of wearing apparel & other things for their accommodation) of their necessary cloaths & cutting them up for some purpose of their own."

Natural wonders

"15th June. Fine breeze at N.E: -- many flying fish abt. the Ship. This day We cross'd the Line & the Ceremony of Ducking the Ship's Company was performed on All who had not passed the Line (Tropic of Cancer).

"llth July. Abt. noon this day a very large fish was seen floating on the surface of the died. water supposed to be a Sea Devil, wh. it afterwards proved to be, being caught by the people of the Sirius. Abt. 12 o'Clock at night the Sea was cover'd for some miles round wt. Luminous bodies, wh. gave a most beautiful appearance; some of them I had taken up in a Bucket of Water & preserved in Spirits. There are a great many very large Porpnses abt. the Ship this Evening.

Sunday 22d July. Almost a Calm -- Abt. 12 o'Clock at noon a very large Whale rose abt. 20 Yards from the Ship's side, & blow'd the water very high wt. a great noise. I was standing on the poop with Capt. Sever & looking directly at the spot in wh. it arose & being the first Whale I had ever seen it startled me not a little, it was full as long as the Ship, spouted the water several times, swam majestically along by the Ship's side, cross'd the stern, blow'd Sc went down head foremost & its enormous tail a great heighth out of the water -- The value of this single fish in the opinion of several on board who had been employ'd in the Whale fishery at Davis's streights was at least £1000.

Travel and adventure

6th August. Anchor'd at Rio'Janeiro Abt. 5 o'Clock this Eveng. enter'd the harbour & the lofty conical hills, were exquisitely beautiful: abt. 6 o'Clock were opposite the Fort when the Commodore saluted with 13 Guns & the Fort return'd the same No. - Soon after two large Canoes, with painted red & white awnings wt. 3 Portugueze Gentlemen in Each paddled by 4 naked Negros went round most of the Ships.

...Every Ship was tow'd up by her Boats to within 1 mile of the City & there dropt Anchor. At night the Town was most beautifully illuminated & the Tops of the Churches & several Monasteries also, in honour of the Commodore who had some years ago been employ'd.

Drunkenness

…2d December. A discovery made of Thos. Kelly, a Convict, sent on board from the Alexr. to superintent the Governor's Horses having broach'd a puncheon of Rum between decks & drank & given to the Women a Considerable quantity. As it appear'd pretty clear that he was instigated by the Women to do it the Capt. did not get him punish'd..."

Christmas 1787

…This being Christmas Eve we all drank a chearful Glass to the health of our Friends in England (as indeed we do every Saturday night) I never call'd to mind my Relations & Friends with such Sensations as I now do -- being so many thousand leagues distant from them; nor did I ever more Cordialy drink to their health than now. 

Xmas. Day Deer. 25th. We are now abt. 2000 miles distant from the South Cape of New Holland. This being Xmas. day I gave a quantity of Currants out of the Box of necessaries to the 3 Marines on board to make a plumb pudding also to the Boatswain & Carpenter's Mess wt. the 2d. 3d. & 4th. Mates in them. The Capt. allowed them a reasonable quantity of Grog to chear their hearts & to distinguish this day as being the most remarkable in the year & which generally brings wt. it Mirth & Glee to the hearts of All, except the truly Misserable!

New Holland comes into view; arrival at Botany Bay

6th January... This day a Bird of a black plumage & in every respect like the English Crows flew over the Ship. At 2 o'Clock p.m. the Prince of Wales hoisted the signal for seeing Land (exactly 8 weeks this Day & this hour of the day from our weighing Anchor at the Cape of Gd. Hope) ... The Country is very hilly: thickly set wt. trees of a large size & many spots between the hills appear'd very green. At 9 o'Clock in the Eveng. saw a large fire on one of the hills. Tho' we did not mean to touch at this spot, yet, it being a part of New Holland, the destination of the fleet, as soon as we saw it we drank each 2 bumpers of Claret -- one Success to the Undertaking in general, the other to our safe Anchoring in Botany Bay

…The joy everyone felt upon so long wish'd for an Event can be better conceiv'd than expressed, particularly as it was the termination of the Voyage to those who were to settle at Botany Bay, & it is 10 weeks on monday since we left the Cape of Good Hope; the longest period of any we had been at Sea without touching at any Port. --

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