The Outward Journey
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The first part of this journal records the outward journey of the East India Company ship Augusta from Deptford to Batavia. It is laid out very much like a Ship's Log, with hourly map readings being recorded alongside weather reports and notes of other events. This gives the impression that it has actually been written by the Captain of the Augusta himself, Augustus Townshend, who is listed alongside the names of some other members of the crew on the opening page of the volume. Unfortunately, the writer mentions a conversation with the Captain on 6 May 1745 ("Capt[ain] Low tould our Capt[ain] that he had sprung his foretopmast and got up another") making it difficult to confirm him as the author.
Despite the navigational nature of this part of the journal, it is still possible to chart some events on the journey and get an idea of life at sea.
From the start it is clear that there is a threat of French attack around the waters of Great Britain and even further afield, since the Augusta joins a convoy of 32 ships bound for the New Indies for safety. However she appears to have left this 2 months later and witnesses a less violent conflict in April to June 1745 when its last companion ship, the Walpole, desperately battles to save its maintopmast from collapse in the open sea.
The weather and the environment also play a major part in the journal such as the portentous appearance of a "Brough" or corona around the moon in July 1745, and the stifling heat preceding his arrival at Batavia on 19 August 1745.
Extracts
"Monday 25th February 1745
Moord at Spithead [and] came onboard a Pilot who told us
that the fleet we saw yesterday was Ad[miral] Medly with Sail
of Men of War of E[ast] India & about 100 other Merch[an]t Ships
found here about 20 Saill of English & Dutch Men of War"
"Friday 22nd March 1745
Since the 11th arived severall ships who have taken
Com[mande]r Lee's orders at the signall was made for sailing
a small breeze at N[orth]E[as]t When all the fleet got under sail
under convoy of the Sufolk Com[mande]r Lee a 70 & the Dread
=nought Capt[ain] Brodrick a 60 Gun ship the fleet concists
of about 32 sail bound for the W[est] Indies"
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"Sunday 28th April
At 8 am The Walpole made a signall to
speak with us we shortned sail & waited till
she came up At 10 the wind chan[ge]d about
to E[ast] B[y] N[orth] & continues to blow from that Quarter
we hope its the Trade Wind. As we are not
now 6 Degrees from the sun the weather begins
to turn very hott."
"28th May
…In the Night the Walpole made the
signall of Distress We bore Down to her
They tould us the Crosstrees of their maintopmast
head hade given way the Capt[ain] desired them to
show their light & he would follow them which
they Did all night at 11am having got
things to Rights they took their Station astern
again"
"10th June
…Keep'd a good light all night in the Poop
Lanthren In the morning we could not see the
Walpole keep a lookout still from the mast
head for her I suppose being taken aback when
we were [during an earlier storm] she hase gone about & Head to the
E[as]tward while we head to the w[es]tward"
"11th June
…We now dispair of Seeing the Walpole again".
"6th July
…In the Night
a Ring (or as some of the sailors call it a Brough)
about the Moon was seen larger than ever
had bein observed by any onboard…"
"Sunday the 18th August 1745
At 1 pm saw the island of Trowers
bearing West. At 3 D[itt]o Clam Island WBN
Dist[ance] 4 Leag[ues]: At 6 L[eague]s The Westermost part
Of Claps Island NBW1/2W Dist[ance] ab[ou]t 3 Leag[ue]s
At noon the 2nd Point of Java SNBW
The 3rd Point ENE Dis[tanc]e 5 or 6 Leag[ue]s
The Peake on Princes Island WBS -
At 5pm I went into the Goall together
with Messr Morton our Second Mate &
Mr Robert Walpole our 4th D[itt]o: having
provisions given us for four or five days &
six men to row the boat But had no
tent or any kinde of Covering to preserve us
from the Indecency of the Weather So that
when it Raind in the night it was excessivly
Disagreeable & the heat of the Sun next day
made it almost insufferable…"
The journal changes at this point to a less formal layout and suddenly jumps to 1761. No explanation for the writer's stay is revealed and perhaps even more curiously, there is no record of Captain Augustus Townshend's death, which is known to have occurred in 1746 on the island. At this time Batavia was Dutch-owned and like many forts in the Dutch East Indies, regularly came under attack by locals. One such attack occurred in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1761, and this is referred to by the writer. Click here for more details.