The Ship Augusta

This month’s featured item is a journal from the Garden of Troup Family Collection and details the sea voyages of an unknown writer in the mid eighteenth century. Starting from Deptford in the South of England, the writer details events and sightings on journeys to the island of Batavia (now Jakarta) and back to Holland between 1744 and 1761.

Encounters with Dutch Warships, sighting a lunar corona, ships in distress, an emotional flight from Batavia, and death at sea - for all of these and more tales of the High Seas click here …

Private Journal of a voyage to Batavia by an unknown writer (DD21/2/7)

The journal is contained in a large leatherbound volume which is part of the Garden of Troup Family collection (ref. DD21).

It covers 2 periods; 1744-45 and 1761. These were both turbulent times for Great Britain, since the country was at war with France, first of all in the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748), and later in the Seven Years War (1756-1763). Evidence of both these Wars can be found throughout the journal, from events such as a gathering convoy in February 1745 to the report of the capture of Belle Isle in 1761.

Despite these fascinating snippets though, there is a conspicuous lack of contextual information linking the journal to the Garden of Troup family. There is no mention of the author’s name in the volume, and no other information within it to link him to the family. Similarly there is no information in the rest of the collection or in the family history that appears to link the family to Batavia.

However, the volume remains a fascinating account of life at sea, made all the more exciting by the questions that it raises.

The Outward Journey

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"


"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 writer’s departure

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.

The new layout of the journal is less organised, almost like the writer is hurriedly noting down a stream of consciousness in a stressed state of mind. He is clearly upset at being forced to leave his slaves and family against his will, having received orders to board ship and presumably leave Batavia.

On the journey away from there the writer notes reports of food shortages and armed fighting in Ceylon. His last note before setting out for the open sea reports that he has received a letter from Mr Van der Veurt to be passed on to the “new Directors”, presumably of the Dutch East India Company that ran the area.

The journey back on an un-named vessel seems to have passed relatively uneventfully until August 1761, when the writer notes the death of someone on board their ship. Later he describes a rather tense encounter with the Fame, a Royal Navy Man of War commanded by Captain Byron (possibly Lord Byron’s grandfather who was in the Royal Navy at the time) and notes a report of a major event in the Seven Years War, the British capture of Belle Isle by Admiral Keppel early in 1761.

The last entry was on 16th October 1761 where the writer notes that they expect to be in sight of Holland by nightfall. Here the journal ends, leaving us with many still unanswered questions. Who was the author? Why did he leave Batavia? What became of him once he arrived in Holland? And why did his journal end up in the hands of the Garden of Troup family in Aberdeenshire?

Extracts

May 1761

"The Time is at Length come When I must put my hand to the Continuance of my
Journall the 21st of August 1745 I arived at Batavia where after Varios fortune for near
the space of fifteen years and nine full months I have got together what I hope will
be suficent to Enable me to live in peace in my Native Country for the rest of my life
for which I thank God; However disagreeable the Country, climate, Maners it was to
me at first by Long use I finde myself extreamly concerned at leaving the place
My slaves who have served me faithfully I having given free & provided for them
as far as possibly lay in my power the young children many born in my house
their Tears and Lamentations are ready to breake my heart inspite of my outmost
endeavers I canot help Joining Somtimes with them notwithstanding I tell myself
that I may soon see my Brothers & Sisters who are as dear to me as Life as all my
other friends and Relations & Laying Europe out in the most advantagious Light all canot
give me ane moments relaxation from Sincere Sorrow at the sight of such distress
and Sincere Grief about me having allwise endeavoured rather to appear like the father than the
Master of my family. Malleys [Malays] Moors [North West Africans] & Chineas [Chinese] Whom I have often aided and many
of them preservd from Ruine Join to augment my present Distress. The 28th May
1761 We received orders to get Onboard Immediatly apointed Dr Ian Anthony Trembley
a native of Geneva ane honest & capable man my attorney Thursday the 29th luck have
of as many of my Batavia friends as I possibly could and the thirtyth being
Assention Day With unspeakable trouble thrust myself into a Country Boat
attended by my friend Trembley, my faithfull Slave Capido now calld
Ian Pectro from Bengall Whom I could not prevaile on to remain behinde
& Francesio the Boy that allwise Served me as Vallet I got onboard
by 9 oclock & at 7 in the Evening We came to ane anker near Pulo Pan Jang,
the 31st of May We Weighd & at Noon Saw two Ship at anker in The Bay
of Anzer having ane Mr Van der Veurt on board who have orders to open all
Letters for the Councill especially from Cilon [now Sri Lanka] and to write to the Directors
We came in the afternoon to ane anker very near them and found
The ane from Cauchin [South Vietnam] & had the Comodore D. Young & his family
Onboard the other from Columba [Columbo in Sri Lanka] with 200 Bales of Cinemon & a large
parcell of Peper which had bein shipd this last on the Malabar lot wise
They have bein very clere concerning the Cituation of affairs however
this far we heare that they were everywhere in the outmost distress
for Provisions that the Ciloneas were every where in arms had
done them much damage killd numbers of people & that Pumtegall [Galle]
was hardly beset & in great hazard of falling into the Enemys hands
Capt. Louis came onboard the rest of that affair I forbeare mentioning
The second of May was employd by the Ships People in Wooding &
Watering [taking on wood and water] & Mr Van der Veurt in Writing to the new Directors in Europe
The 3rd at Brake of Day got up our anker & there was not ane
Breath of Winde the Current horsed us away down the Straights
at a Great Rate as about a half past 9 before & a fine Breeze Sprung
up which Cophd till Six in the Evening When it fell little Windy westerly
When we came to ane anker about Midd Way between Crozatere Island
& Princes Island Mr Van de Veurt having given us a Letter for the
Directors in Europe left us at 5 Oclock & Returned with the Sloop which had
accompanyd us along for that purpose"

"Friday 28th August 1761
…One of our people dyed this day & was two
hours afterwards thrown overboard without any ceremony."  - skull and crossbone pic


"Monday 28th Sept 1761
Cloudy weather with strong gales the first part in the
afternoon We saw a small vessel from the Topmast head
bearing nearly N[orth] N[orth] W[es]t & at 5pm saw a ship towards
the close of the evening it was heavy weather & little wind
at 1/2 past 8 We observed the ship which we had lost
syht of bearing right down on us She soon spoke
with us as we immediatly at their Command Brought to
it is the Fame Man of War of 74 Guns Capt[ain] Byron
on a Cruise he told us of Belle Isles being taken by
Admiral Kepell & says that the Place is negosiating
he soon left us to pursue our Voyage…"

“Friday 16th October 1761
Cloudy weather in the day time in the Night
Clear Moon shine with a Brisk Gale of wind from
the S[out]h W[es]t We continued under saill all Night [and] fired
severall Guns to make them light the fire at the Forland
Which at length they did in the morning we found
ourselves in the North Sea & at Noon had a Grand
Observation by which our Run we judge ourselves
near the Coast of Zealand [Holland] & expect to have it in
sight before Night if our wind continues…

[Originally Published as Document of the Month in February 2009]