Glossary of terms and editorial notes on James Smeal's Morning Light diary and his account of the Eliza shipwreck.
The glossary provides explanations of some of the terms and names used by James Smeal in the diary of his 1860-61 voyage on board the clipper ship, Morning Light, and in his account of the 1861 shipwreck of the cutter, Eliza.
Illustrative quotations from the texts are included. Those from the diary are preceded by the date or from which of the two testimonials or poems they were taken. Those from the shipwreck account are preceded by An unfortunate trip to the Feejee Islands. Some further terms have been included that do not appear in the diary, but provide further relevant explanations.
The main aim in editing the works of James Smeal has been to keep to the original way of writing. However, to facilitate reading of the texts, some alterations have been made. In places, long paragraphs have been divided into shorter ones where the subject matter indicates this is appropriate. Extra punctuation has been inserted where it makes the meaning clearer. The original spelling has been retained in most cases, but not when this might lead to confusion or where there are clear inconsistencies, e.g. knott has been changed to the more-often-used knot throughout. Changes have not been made to the style of capitalisation, which is not always consistent within the texts or with what is now current use, but is part of the character of the writing.
Merrilyn Serong, 2016
More terms are to be added in future. The full glossary is in the ebook, which was published on 7 January, 2017.
Illustrative quotations from the texts are included. Those from the diary are preceded by the date or from which of the two testimonials or poems they were taken. Those from the shipwreck account are preceded by An unfortunate trip to the Feejee Islands. Some further terms have been included that do not appear in the diary, but provide further relevant explanations.
The main aim in editing the works of James Smeal has been to keep to the original way of writing. However, to facilitate reading of the texts, some alterations have been made. In places, long paragraphs have been divided into shorter ones where the subject matter indicates this is appropriate. Extra punctuation has been inserted where it makes the meaning clearer. The original spelling has been retained in most cases, but not when this might lead to confusion or where there are clear inconsistencies, e.g. knott has been changed to the more-often-used knot throughout. Changes have not been made to the style of capitalisation, which is not always consistent within the texts or with what is now current use, but is part of the character of the writing.
Merrilyn Serong, 2016
More terms are to be added in future. The full glossary is in the ebook, which was published on 7 January, 2017.
Finding a term
In the alphabetical ordering of terms in the glossary and notes, the articles ‘an’ and ‘the’ at the beginning of an entry are ignored. For a word beginning with a particular letter, please scroll down to it on this page.
A
&c
et cetera is written as &c in the diary.
Meaning: and other unspecified things; and so forth
abeam
A direction relative to the middle of the side of a ship, perpendicular to a line from fore to aft.
24-11-1860: ‘...one [ship] abeam on the port distant 4 miles...’
See also: beam
B
beam
The port or starboard side of a ship. In the diary mention is also made of the lee beam, i.e. the downwind side.
The beam of a ship is the widest part of the vessel.
24-11-1860: ‘...three ships in sight, one a Brigantine homeward bound distant 8 miles on the starboard beam, the other two outward bound, one abeam on the port distant 4 miles...’
A beam is also a horizontal structural element, such as the beam to which a dangerous crew member was chained on 15-11-1860.
bell, ship's
The ringing of the ship's bell indicates the time in half-hour units, repeating every 4 hours, e.g. four bells indicates that the time is 2, 6, or 10 a.m., etc. The maximum number of bells is 8, rung at 4 and 8 a.m., midday, 4 and 8 p.m. and midnight.
4-11-1860: ‘When I went down just as 2 bells rung I found the place in a terrible mess.’ In the context this would be 5 o’clock in the morning with the above bell-ringing schedule being followed.
An unfortunate trip to the FeeJee Islands: ‘At 2 bells (9 p.m.) the wind again rose not so fierce at first but increasing in power every minute.’
The bell on the Morning Light was also rung on special occasions.
31-12-1860: ‘As all seemed to be going on quietly, I and my mate turned into bed, but at 12 o'clock the ship bell began to ring fearfully and the band struck up in the saloon. We were all obliged to get up again to wish each other a happy new year, and to see the new year in.’
berth
Sleeping place on a ship.
24-10-1860: ‘There are not many Scotch people on board, but in the next berth to mine there are a Scotch Lady and 2 daughters and a son, from Fraserburgh who are very agreeable people.’
27-10-1860: ‘On account of the rain, however, they are unable to get on deck so that the berths cannot get so well aired as I should like.’
4-11-1860 during a storm: ‘There was at the time a young man in the lower berth with a broken arm, and the oil fell through the boards of the upper berth and completely soaked him and his bedding.’
5-11-1860: ‘The rules are that the intermediate and steerage passengers shall be up at 6, and have all their berths cleaned out and be ready for breakfast at 8 o'clock. Then the tables must be cleaned, dishes washed and berths shut up, so that the scavengers may be able to commence their work of scraping and brushing the floors at 9 o'clock.’
9-11-1860: ‘...spread a good deal of Disinfecting Powder about the steerage as there seems to be some disagreeable effluvia about the berths...’
20-2-1861 on the way to Auckland after leaving Melbourne: ‘The ship is being cleared of all unused berths down stairs so as to be ready for receiving her cargo of Guano when she gets to Callao on the west coast of S. America.’
C
clipper ship
A sailing ship of the mid 1800s, with multiple square-rigged sails and a specially shaped hull designed for speed. The Morning Light was an outstanding example.
On the long voyage from Liverpool to Australia via the seas to the west and south of Africa, clippers were faster and more economical than steam ships. However, the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869 provided an advantage to steamers because fewer coaling stations were now needed while the Mediterranean and the Suez were not suitable for sailing ships.
See also Morning Light
23-10-1860: 'There are several fine vessels lying in the river at present, both loading and unloading, but every vessel looks small beside this magnificent specimen of naval architecture - "Morning Light".'
14-11-1860: ‘The "Morning Light" must be a beautiful sight at a short distance with her six thousand (6000) square yards of white canvas spread.’
course lights
Navigation lights that indicate the direction in which the vessel is sailing.
An unfortunate trip to the FeeJee Islands: ‘The Captain turned in at 4 bells (2 a.m.) after seeing that the course lights were all properly adjusted, and leaving instructions for the night.’
cutter
A single-masted sailing boat, designed for speed.
An unfortunate trip to the Feejee Islands opens with the lines: ‘At 5 p.m. of the 12th day of May 1861, the Eliza, a beautiful cutter of 30 tons, let go her moorings and proceeded to sea for Awalu, or Takanova,- the chief of the Feejees - a group in the South Sea Islands.’
F
Feejee
Fiji Islands, now the Republic of Fiji. Located in the South Pacific Ocean. Planned destination of the cutter, Eliza.
H
haulyard
Alternative spelling of halyard or halliard. A rope used for hauling a sail or other structure into place.
An unfortunate trip to the Feejee Islands: ‘The Captain, thinking he was not heard, roared in a voice like thunder, "Stand by the Throat haulyards, Brown."
"Stand by Throat haulyards," was Mr. Brown's reply at last.’
K
knot
One knot indicates a speed of one nautical mile per hour. This is equal to 1.15 statute miles per hour and 1.852 km per hour. James Smeal sometimes spelled it knott (corrected during editing) and often used the term ‘knots an hour’ (retained during editing).
At the time of the sailing of the Morning Light, the speed of a ship was calculated by throwing overboard a section of wood (the log) tied to a rope that was knotted at regular intervals and attached to a reel at the stern of the vessel. The log was designed to stay where it was in the water. The distance between adjacent knots along the rope was such that the number of knots that were reeled out in 30 sec was equal to the same number of nautical miles per hour. There are 120 periods of 30 seconds in an hour, so the distance between knots needed to be 1/120 of a nautical mile. In practice the distance between knots tended to be approximately 8 fathoms (48 feet) or 50 feet. For example, if after the log is thrown out, one knot appears when 30 seconds has elapsed, the ship has travelled 50 feet in 30 sec = 6000 ft in 1 hour and as there are ~6076 ft in a nautical mile, the ship is travelling at a speed of approximately 1 knot.
29-10-1860: ‘We are now sailing S.W. with all possible sail set, at the rate of 12 knots an hour.’
9-11-1860: ‘Heaved the log at 12½ pm and found the speed to be only 3 knots.’
30-11-1860: ‘In the evening rain fell like a Scotch mist killing the trades almost completely and at 12 o'clock p.m. we were only making 1 knot an hour, going S.W. by S.’
13-12-1860: ‘The storm increased in violence last night till about 4 this morning when we were running 13 knots, but steering E. ½ N.’
M
Madeira
A group of Portuguese islands in the north Atlantic; south-west of Portugal and west of Morocco.
27-10-1860: ‘At midday we fell in with a vessel bound for Fleetwood, so that now our 2 "kidnapped" as they have been styled are to be sent home by her. As we came near her, we found her to be the "Celeric" for Fleetwood from Madeira, a barque of about 900 tons register.’
&c
et cetera is written as &c in the diary.
Meaning: and other unspecified things; and so forth
abeam
A direction relative to the middle of the side of a ship, perpendicular to a line from fore to aft.
24-11-1860: ‘...one [ship] abeam on the port distant 4 miles...’
See also: beam
B
beam
The port or starboard side of a ship. In the diary mention is also made of the lee beam, i.e. the downwind side.
The beam of a ship is the widest part of the vessel.
24-11-1860: ‘...three ships in sight, one a Brigantine homeward bound distant 8 miles on the starboard beam, the other two outward bound, one abeam on the port distant 4 miles...’
A beam is also a horizontal structural element, such as the beam to which a dangerous crew member was chained on 15-11-1860.
bell, ship's
The ringing of the ship's bell indicates the time in half-hour units, repeating every 4 hours, e.g. four bells indicates that the time is 2, 6, or 10 a.m., etc. The maximum number of bells is 8, rung at 4 and 8 a.m., midday, 4 and 8 p.m. and midnight.
4-11-1860: ‘When I went down just as 2 bells rung I found the place in a terrible mess.’ In the context this would be 5 o’clock in the morning with the above bell-ringing schedule being followed.
An unfortunate trip to the FeeJee Islands: ‘At 2 bells (9 p.m.) the wind again rose not so fierce at first but increasing in power every minute.’
The bell on the Morning Light was also rung on special occasions.
31-12-1860: ‘As all seemed to be going on quietly, I and my mate turned into bed, but at 12 o'clock the ship bell began to ring fearfully and the band struck up in the saloon. We were all obliged to get up again to wish each other a happy new year, and to see the new year in.’
berth
Sleeping place on a ship.
24-10-1860: ‘There are not many Scotch people on board, but in the next berth to mine there are a Scotch Lady and 2 daughters and a son, from Fraserburgh who are very agreeable people.’
27-10-1860: ‘On account of the rain, however, they are unable to get on deck so that the berths cannot get so well aired as I should like.’
4-11-1860 during a storm: ‘There was at the time a young man in the lower berth with a broken arm, and the oil fell through the boards of the upper berth and completely soaked him and his bedding.’
5-11-1860: ‘The rules are that the intermediate and steerage passengers shall be up at 6, and have all their berths cleaned out and be ready for breakfast at 8 o'clock. Then the tables must be cleaned, dishes washed and berths shut up, so that the scavengers may be able to commence their work of scraping and brushing the floors at 9 o'clock.’
9-11-1860: ‘...spread a good deal of Disinfecting Powder about the steerage as there seems to be some disagreeable effluvia about the berths...’
20-2-1861 on the way to Auckland after leaving Melbourne: ‘The ship is being cleared of all unused berths down stairs so as to be ready for receiving her cargo of Guano when she gets to Callao on the west coast of S. America.’
C
clipper ship
A sailing ship of the mid 1800s, with multiple square-rigged sails and a specially shaped hull designed for speed. The Morning Light was an outstanding example.
On the long voyage from Liverpool to Australia via the seas to the west and south of Africa, clippers were faster and more economical than steam ships. However, the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869 provided an advantage to steamers because fewer coaling stations were now needed while the Mediterranean and the Suez were not suitable for sailing ships.
See also Morning Light
23-10-1860: 'There are several fine vessels lying in the river at present, both loading and unloading, but every vessel looks small beside this magnificent specimen of naval architecture - "Morning Light".'
14-11-1860: ‘The "Morning Light" must be a beautiful sight at a short distance with her six thousand (6000) square yards of white canvas spread.’
course lights
Navigation lights that indicate the direction in which the vessel is sailing.
An unfortunate trip to the FeeJee Islands: ‘The Captain turned in at 4 bells (2 a.m.) after seeing that the course lights were all properly adjusted, and leaving instructions for the night.’
cutter
A single-masted sailing boat, designed for speed.
An unfortunate trip to the Feejee Islands opens with the lines: ‘At 5 p.m. of the 12th day of May 1861, the Eliza, a beautiful cutter of 30 tons, let go her moorings and proceeded to sea for Awalu, or Takanova,- the chief of the Feejees - a group in the South Sea Islands.’
F
Feejee
Fiji Islands, now the Republic of Fiji. Located in the South Pacific Ocean. Planned destination of the cutter, Eliza.
H
haulyard
Alternative spelling of halyard or halliard. A rope used for hauling a sail or other structure into place.
An unfortunate trip to the Feejee Islands: ‘The Captain, thinking he was not heard, roared in a voice like thunder, "Stand by the Throat haulyards, Brown."
"Stand by Throat haulyards," was Mr. Brown's reply at last.’
K
knot
One knot indicates a speed of one nautical mile per hour. This is equal to 1.15 statute miles per hour and 1.852 km per hour. James Smeal sometimes spelled it knott (corrected during editing) and often used the term ‘knots an hour’ (retained during editing).
At the time of the sailing of the Morning Light, the speed of a ship was calculated by throwing overboard a section of wood (the log) tied to a rope that was knotted at regular intervals and attached to a reel at the stern of the vessel. The log was designed to stay where it was in the water. The distance between adjacent knots along the rope was such that the number of knots that were reeled out in 30 sec was equal to the same number of nautical miles per hour. There are 120 periods of 30 seconds in an hour, so the distance between knots needed to be 1/120 of a nautical mile. In practice the distance between knots tended to be approximately 8 fathoms (48 feet) or 50 feet. For example, if after the log is thrown out, one knot appears when 30 seconds has elapsed, the ship has travelled 50 feet in 30 sec = 6000 ft in 1 hour and as there are ~6076 ft in a nautical mile, the ship is travelling at a speed of approximately 1 knot.
29-10-1860: ‘We are now sailing S.W. with all possible sail set, at the rate of 12 knots an hour.’
9-11-1860: ‘Heaved the log at 12½ pm and found the speed to be only 3 knots.’
30-11-1860: ‘In the evening rain fell like a Scotch mist killing the trades almost completely and at 12 o'clock p.m. we were only making 1 knot an hour, going S.W. by S.’
13-12-1860: ‘The storm increased in violence last night till about 4 this morning when we were running 13 knots, but steering E. ½ N.’
M
Madeira
A group of Portuguese islands in the north Atlantic; south-west of Portugal and west of Morocco.
27-10-1860: ‘At midday we fell in with a vessel bound for Fleetwood, so that now our 2 "kidnapped" as they have been styled are to be sent home by her. As we came near her, we found her to be the "Celeric" for Fleetwood from Madeira, a barque of about 900 tons register.’
R
Reynolds, Miss Louisa
Passenger on board the Morning Light. According to Public Records Office Victoria (PROV), Louisa Reynolds was aged 44 in 1861.
Miss Reynolds is mentioned as a patient in James Smeal's Morning Light diary. There was another Miss Reynolds on board; her first name was Grace (PROV reported age 27). The Miss Reynolds mentioned as a patient could be either of them, but I expect it was Louisa.
Louisa and Grace Reynolds both appear on http://www.queenslandfamilytrees.com/descend.php?personID=I70&tree=51&generations=4&display=standard. They are shown as daughters of William Reynolds, farmer, and Elizabeth Trahair of Carnyorth, St Just in Penwith, Cornwall. According to the site they were born in 1813 and 1826, respectively. Assuming they are the same people who were on board the Morning Light in 1860-61, this would make their ages during the voyage 47 and 34, respectively.
The first wife of James Smeal was named Louisa Ann Reynolds. Her reported age on the marriage certificate was 41 in 1861. She was born in St Just Cornwall and her parents were William Reynolds, a farmer, and Elizabeth Trahair. Louisa Ann Smeal died in Ararat Hospital on 22 August, 1867. James Smeal was resident surgeon at the hospital at that time., This was reported in the Melbourne Argus, 9 Sept 1867, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5777361?afterLoad=showCorrections
Reynolds, Miss Louisa
Passenger on board the Morning Light. According to Public Records Office Victoria (PROV), Louisa Reynolds was aged 44 in 1861.
Miss Reynolds is mentioned as a patient in James Smeal's Morning Light diary. There was another Miss Reynolds on board; her first name was Grace (PROV reported age 27). The Miss Reynolds mentioned as a patient could be either of them, but I expect it was Louisa.
Louisa and Grace Reynolds both appear on http://www.queenslandfamilytrees.com/descend.php?personID=I70&tree=51&generations=4&display=standard. They are shown as daughters of William Reynolds, farmer, and Elizabeth Trahair of Carnyorth, St Just in Penwith, Cornwall. According to the site they were born in 1813 and 1826, respectively. Assuming they are the same people who were on board the Morning Light in 1860-61, this would make their ages during the voyage 47 and 34, respectively.
The first wife of James Smeal was named Louisa Ann Reynolds. Her reported age on the marriage certificate was 41 in 1861. She was born in St Just Cornwall and her parents were William Reynolds, a farmer, and Elizabeth Trahair. Louisa Ann Smeal died in Ararat Hospital on 22 August, 1867. James Smeal was resident surgeon at the hospital at that time., This was reported in the Melbourne Argus, 9 Sept 1867, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5777361?afterLoad=showCorrections
