John Saunders diary of a voyage from Liverpool to Sydney, 25 May - 25 August 1853

MLMSS 9903

fonds

1852

1001664

0.2 m of textual material (1 volume in box) - manuscript

Internal references in the shipboard diary indicate that John Saunders was from the town of Chester, England.

The diary was bought by a Western Australian private collector in London ca. 1980

Octavo size ledger book containing a diary written in ink, occupying 154 pages; a further approximately 30 leaves which contained earlier accounting entries have been excised, and a few leaves at front and back also contain accounting notes; the diary is illustrated with 5 pen and ink sketches. A later manuscript title on the cover (probably in the hand of Saunders’ nephew, Stephen Brafield Hobbs) reads ‘Diary of voyage from Liverpool to Sydney kept by John Saunders brother of Susannah Moore Hobbs mother of Stephen Brafield Hobbs 25 May to 25 August 1853’. The diary is housed in an early custom made box.

The daily entries in the diary record in great detail events on board the emigrant ship ‘David McIver’ under the command of Captain Robert Bailey, on its voyage from Liverpool, England, where John Saunders and his wife embarked, to Sydney.

Copyright status:: In copyright
Research & study copies allowed: Author has been deceased for more than 50 years