| Description | Written on board the "Queen of the South".
2 Nov: off Oporto: hope of being able to post letter from Malta: on Thursday [26 Oct], voyage started from Portsmouth, with stop at Weymouth for a few days because of the rough seas, with all the soldiers made sick: beautiful weather since leaving Weymouth, seeing large fish, grampus or small whales on the way: practice with revolvers: expectation of reaching Gibralter tomorrow or the next day: loads of ships seen: little to do but be officers of the day and taking watches: belief of going straight to Balaklava: no sight of land except light on coast of Portugal, and anxious for it to break the monotony. Monday [6 Nov]: at last in the Mediterranean, seeing small islands off Lisbon, the coast of Spain, the town of Cadiz, a small town called Tarifa and mountains on the African coast, including great rock opposite Gibralter: sketch of Gibralter drawn later from memory, seen through a telescope: being a third of the way to Malta from Gibralter: weather very calm but hot: his getting expert at cutting up and down ladders: no expectation of hearing anything until they get to Malta. Thursday [9 Nov]: very rough weather: heaving the log is a great amusement: passing the island of Pantaleria during his watch: expectation of arriving at Malta in the evening: no certainty of where they are going: letters to be addressed to the Royal Fusiliers, Light Division, British Army, Turkey: another letter to be sent from Constantinople. 4th sheet having a sketch of Gibralter, with note of its being the best he can give them with the motion of the vessel, and for it to be passed it on to Kathy.
Endorsed with being sent from Malta on the 11th and being received on 17 Nov.
4 sheets, with 10 pages of text, including cross-hatching on page 1, and sketch with note on back. |