Private journal of a voyage to Australia 1838-1839

by James Bell, 1817-1840

Other authorsRichard Walsh (Editor), Anthony Laube (Introduction)

Hardcover, 2011

Status

Available

Call number

SHIP Planter 1839

Local notes

'On 19 November 1838 James Bell, then aged 21, set out in the sailing vessel the Planter from St Katharine Docks in London to travel to Adelaide, an infant colony half a world away and not yet two years old. He left behind family, good friends and the mysterious "C.P.", a young woman with whom he hoped one day to be reunited. 'The journey usually took 130 days, but due to the incompetence of the captain and the many misadventures encountered it took the Planter almost six months to reach its destination.

Genres

Publication

Crows Nest, N.S.W. : Allen & Unwin, 2011.

Description

Though intended only for the eyes of his beloved in England, this diary written by James Bell, sailor on the voyage of the good ship Planter to Australia in 1838, provides a unique insight into the experience of sailing to Australia in the middle of the Nineteenth Century. An invaluable addition to the history of the emigrant ships to Australia.