Passengers to Natal: Medusa, Silvery Wave, Tirsah 1863

October 1863, Medusa, Silvery Wave and Tirsah arrivals, 

also departure of the Norman.

Passengers to Natal: Medusa, Silvery Wave, Tirsah 1863

Arrival of Medusa, Silvery Wave and Tirsah 

Departure of RMS Norman

Natal Mercury 3 November 1863

ARRIVED

Oct 31 - Medusa, barque, 260 tons

W Lancaster, from London, sailed August 14.

PASSENGERS

Cabin

Mr and Mrs Evans

Mr and Mrs Eastwood

 and five children

Mr and Mrs Moore

Mr and Mrs Jackson

Miss Onge

Messrs

Baker

Brandon

Edwards

Steerage

Mr and Mrs Tredwall

 and child

Mr and Miss Fuller

Mr Rait

General cargo.

AW Evans, agent.

Nov 1 - Silvery Wave, 201 tons,

C Warren, from London; sailed August 1.

PASSENGERS

Cabin

Mr and Mrs Tarbotton

Mr and Mrs Wilkes and family

Messrs

Lyne

North

Peace

Cundle

Second Cabin

Mr and Mrs Brooks

Miss Dyson

Messrs

Turner (2)

Wilson

Grice

Long

Scott

J Hardy

Mr and Mrs Brenken and family

General cargo.

Handley and Dixon, agents.

Nov 1 - Tirsah, 123 tons, T Richards, from London; sailed August 1.

PASSENGER

Mr WW Foster

J Brown, agent.

SAILED

Oct 28 - Elizabeth Anne, 147 tons, J Lewis, to Mauritius in ballast.

Gillespie and Co, agents.

Oct 31 - RMS Norman, 500 tons, RB Davies, for Cape Town, and intermediate ports.

PASSENGERS

For Cape Town

First Class

Messrs

Searle

Watermeyer

Van der Byl

W Dacomb

RJ Dill

Mrs Smith

Mrs Pope

Second Class

Mr Jno Smith

Mrs and Master Kermode

Algoa Bay

First Class

Mr E Marsh

Second Class

Mr Charles Williams

Mr McLeod

East London

Mr Fuller

J Brown, agent.

Oct 31 - Monsoon, barque, 296 tons, W Turnbull, for Mauritius, in ballast.

Gillespie and Co, agents.

Voyage of the Silvery Wave to Natal 1863: a passenger's account

Those who have come before us into this favorite colony [Natal] have felt the anxious looking forward to their arrival lately experienced by the voyagers in the Silvery Wave, and we venture to request space … for a short account of our journeyings.

We left London on the first of August, taking advantage of a fine north-easterly breeze, but alas! the uncertainty of the wind is too proverbial and when the Isle of Wight lay basking in the sunshine on our lee, the fickle breeze became a head wind, and short tacks and little headway the order of the day; so we put into Torquay and rambled amid the beauties of Devon, until favorite winds should blow.

On the morning of the 10th we once more spread our sails, and on the 12th were clear of the Land’s End and speedily our sea-sick bodies were exposed to the tender mercies of the Bay of Biscay, where a heavy swell was setting in from the Western Ocean, and for the first time we were reduced to close-reefed topsails. Here also were tested the sea-going qualities of the Silvery Wave, for this was her maiden voyage … buoyant as a cork, quick in stays, dry as terra firma, she is meet in all things to gladden a sailor’s heart.

On then we sped and caught the north-east trades, but they were light, and progress not being rapid we made efforts to pass the time as profitably and pleasantly as might be, and so it was proposed to commence a series of lectures under the auspices of the Silvery Wave Debating Society.

Mr Jenkins of Natal was the first to open the ball in a lecture on the colony to which we were hastening. As may be imagined this excited our interest in a great degree, all information on this head being of necessity valuable, and throughout our voyage this gentleman had been always read to give advice and counsel as to our future proceedings, and I believe we shall all be indebted to him for a clearer insight into colonial affairs than we could otherwise have obtained.

Mr Scott followed Mr Jenkins in a series of lectures on Poets and Poetry, interspersed with readings from Shakespeare, Tennyson and Byron. [An] accompanying prologue was also composed and read by him ...

Mr Walter Peace [Natal Immigration Agent] also entertained us well by an account of his Journey into Russia.

On the 18th September we crossed the line and gave Father Neptune a hearty welcome on board, we paid the penalty, scraped acquaintance with the barber, and became freemen of his august dominions; concluding the day with a pleasant party and dance on the quarter-deck. This gladdened our hearts after the three weeks of the doldrums we had the ill luck to encounter.

Singularly enough, the north-east trade winds deserted us … The south-east trade winds were very favorable but off the Cape we experienced baffling winds and for a week were detained by a strong easterly breeze.

But at last this voyage, though a pleasant one, drew to a close and as we hoped in two or three days to sight land, it was desired to testify to the well-deserved respect we bore to Captain Warren, by the presentation of a testimonial expressive of our high opinion regarding him as a seaman, a gentleman, and a Christian. Mr Peace took the chair, Mr Wilkes presented the Testimonial, and Mr Jenkins a Bible as an earnest of their high regard.

The Captain spoke in a most feeling manner, reciprocating the kindly wishes, and expressing his gratification at being held so well in their estimation. A very pleasant evening was then passed. After the usual loyal toasts, the health of the Lieutenant-Governor and Legislative Council of Natal was given, and several others followed, all responded to by various passengers.

So ended a pleasant passage, made the less tedious by the kind, unwearying attention of Captain Warren, by fine weather, and all the attendant advantages with which a kind providence saw fit to bless, and in a spirit of humble thankfulness to God for his almighty care and guidance, we desire to end this short notice of the

FIRST VOYAGE OF THE SILVERY WAVE.

[Source: The Natal Mercury, 1 November 1863; original spellings etc retained]

Finding more than passenger lists in SA newspapers

Newspapers, always a rewarding source, can provide a surprising amount of information if the family historian is prepared to go the extra mile, extract as much as possible on the topic being investigated, and carefully interpret the details.

An example is the arrival at Natal of the ship Silvery Wave in November 1863. The passenger list, with those of other vessels, appears in The Natal Mercury of 3 November.

Several pieces of information are evident in this report: first that it took the Silvery Wave three months to sail from London. Next, that she was a small vessel and consequently not carrying many passengers. We cannot be precise about the number of those on board, because ‘and family’ – a term used twice in the list – could mean anything from one to a dozen children. Applying a reasonable average, we could hazard a guess at 25 to 30 passengers, divided between ‘first’ and ‘second’ cabin, and an unknown number of crew. Whatever the true total of souls, the size of the ship wouldn’t have been conducive to a comfortable voyage. She was also carrying a general cargo. The passenger list is coy about initials, except in the case of ‘J Hardy’.

It’s possible that more about the passengers could be established by referring to the European Immigration Index at Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository, searching on the surname of your interest among the Silvery Wave’s passengers and then consulting the relevant original passenger register. In the early 1860’s the registers tended not to include as much detail as in later decades.

It would be a mistake to abandon the newspaper search at this stage. Searching forwards and keeping a lookout for further references to the Silvery Wave, the edition of 10 November 1863 offers the following:

Her tonnage is given here as 260. It seems the ship was British-built expressly for the Natal trade and is described as a ‘clipper brig’. To refer to a ship as a clipper meant she had forward-raking bows and aft-raking masts, that is, she was built for speed. Her cabin accommodation was considered ‘superior’ (by her owners, at least). The ship was busy discharging her current cargo and preparing for embarkation on the homeward journey.

Advertisements like this appeared regularly in the press. If you find one for the ship on which your ancestor sailed, it would make an attractive and appropriate illustration for the family history narrative.

Continuing the forward search, on 13 November a more substantial nugget emerges: an account of the voyage of the Silvery Wave ‘by a passenger’. Reports of this type aren't uncommon and are often combined with an expression of thanks to captains as well as ships’ surgeons for their skills in making the voyage as pleasant as possible for all on board. These ‘testimonials’ published in the press were a feature of successful mid-19th century voyages before the increase in sailings, and consequently in captains, made such personal expressions of gratitude obsolete.

To be continued ...