Passengers to Natal per Dane, Priscilla 1863

                                                      

                                                           Natal Mercury June 23 1863

Arrived:
June 20, RMS Dane, from Cape Town and intermediate ports. Cargo, general. 
PASSENGERS 
From Cape Town: 
Lieut Harrison 
Messrs 
P Milner 
Briggs 
Baumes 
Hofstedt 
From Algoa Bay: 
Messrs 
Schieffs 
Moreland 
Tomlin 
Mr Henry (Consul General Belgium) 
Mr and Mrs Botha and child 
Mr and Mrs Thornhill and three children 
From East London: 
Miss Driver 
Messrs 
R Walker 
Johnson 
Lieut Tolner (Tollner) 
Dr Tate 
Mr and Mrs McKay and two children 
Professor Hansen 
Report: 
Left Table Bay June 12 at 3 p.m., arrived at Algoa Bay on the 15th, at 1 p.m.; left Algoa Bay on the 16th, at 1 p.m., arrived off East London on the 17th, at 1 p.m., sea too high to land; left East London on the 18th, at 1 p.m. arrived at Port Natal and came to anchor on the 20th, at 10.30 a.m. 
- J Brown, agent.

June, Priscilla, barque, 253 tons, G Brown, from London, sailed 2nd April. General cargo. 
PASSENGERS: 
Messrs 
J Vincent 
Herbert 
Reginal Bowers 
Gadsden 
Mrs Greening, son and daughter 
- Handley and Dixon, agents.

June 21, Eleonore, barque, 302 tons, C Jonains, from Algoa Bay, sailed 10th June. 
PASSENGER: 
Mr Hugill

June 21, Eveline, schooner, 101 tons, G Murison, from Cape Town, sailed 16th June, 
PASSENGER: 
Mr HB Portland 
- McArthur and Co., agents.

Sailed:

June 18, Heathel [sic, Heather] Bell barque 257 tons, R Thomas, to Ceylon, in ballast. 
PASSENGERS: 
Mrs Eastwood and two children.

Passengers to Natal on the Umgeni, 1867

The Umgeni: arrival at Natal, 14 August 1867.

This barque of 365 tons under Capt J Stuart sailed from London on 15 July 1867, and was one of Rennie and Co's 'Aberdeen Direct' clippers which were frequent visitors at Natal. Others included L'Imperatrice Eugenie, Prince Alfred, Natal Star and Quathlamba.

Passengers per Umgeni from London, arriving at Natal
14 August 1867

Among the passengers were Captain Tollner, his wife Jessie (daughter of John Milne), and child (plus nurse). During the Crimean War Captain Tollner served with the Royal Horse Artillery at the Battle of Sebastopol. He had studied at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. During 1863/4 he was stationed at Fort Napier. Tollner also served during the Anglo-Zulu War. After the death of his first wife he married Mary Agnes (daughter of Alexander Gifford).


Capt and Mrs Fitzgerald may indicate a second military gentleman, plus spouse, on board. A well-known Natal name on the list is A E Runciman.

Testimonials to the Captain of the Umgeni
and a description of the voyage from Gravesend to Natal.
(Click on the pic for zoomed version.)

On this voyage, the Umgeni nearly lost one crew member overboard in a gale. The 46 passengers all expressed their thanks to the vigilant Captain Stuart via letters to the press.
A detailed account of the passage after Cape L'Agulhas mentions 'a very dangerous cross sea, which rose in pyramids...'. Note that the cabin passengers and those in steerage presented separate testimonials.