From the Departure, to the Arrival of the Fleet at Teneriffe.
Governor Phillip having at length reached Portsmouth, and all things
deemed necessary for the expedition being put on board, at daylight
on the morning of the 13th, the signal to weigh anchor was made in the
Commanding Officer's ship the Sirius. Before six o'clock the whole
fleet were under sail; and, the weather being fine and wind easterly,
proceeded through the Needles with a fresh leading breeze. In addition
to our little armament, the Hyena frigate was ordered to accompany us
a certain distance to the westward, by which means our number was
increased to twelve sail: His Majesty's ships 'Sirius', 'Hyena', and
'Supply', three Victuallers with two years stores and provisions on
board for the Settlement, and six Transports, with troops and convicts.
In the transports were embarked four captains, twelve subalterns,
twenty-four serjeants and corporals, eight drummers, and one hundred and
sixty private marines, making the whole of the military force, including
the Major Commandant and Staff on board the Sirius, to consist of two
hundred and twelve persons, of whom two hundred and ten were volunteers.
The number of convicts was five hundred and sixty-five men, one hundred
and ninety-two women, and eighteen children; the major part of the
prisoners were mechanics and husbandmen, selected on purpose by order of
Government.
By ten o'clock we had got clear of the Isle of Wight, at which time,
having very little pleasure in conversing with my own thoughts, I
strolled down among the convicts, to observe their sentiments at this
juncture. A very few excepted, their countenances indicated a high
degree of satisfaction, though in some, the pang of being severed,
perhaps for ever, from their native land, could not be wholly
suppressed; in general, marks of distress were more perceptible among
the men than the women; for I recollect to have seen but one of those
affected on the occasion, "Some natural tears she dropp'd, but wip'd
them soon." After this the accent of sorrow was no longer heard; more
genial skies and change of scene banished repining and discontent, and
introduced in their stead cheerfulness and acquiescence in a lot, now
not to be altered.
To add to the good disposition which was beginning to manifest
itself, on the morning of the 20th, in consequence of some favorable
representations made by the officers commanding detachments, they were
hailed and told from the Sirius, that in those cases where they judged
it proper, they were at liberty to release the convicts from the fetters
in which they had been hitherto confined. In complying with these
directions, I had great pleasure in being able to extend this humane
order to the whole of those under my charge, without a single exception.
It is hardly necessary for me to say, that the precaution of ironing the
convicts at any time reached to the men only.
In the evening of the same day, the Hyena left us for England, which
afforded an early opportunity of writing to our friends, and easing
their apprehensions by a communication of the favourable accounts it was
in our power to send them.
From this time to the day of our making the land, little occurred worthy
of remark. I cannot, however, help noticing the propriety of employing
the marines on a service which requires activity and exertion at sea, in
preference to other troops. Had a regiment recruited since the war
been sent out, sea-sickness would have incapacitated half the men from
performing the duties immediately and indispensably necessary; whereas
the marines, from being accustomed to serve on board ship, accommodated
themselves with ease to every exigency, and surmounted every difficulty.
At daybreak, on the morning of the 30th of May we saw the rocks named
the Deserters, which lie off the south-east end of Madeira; and found
the south-east extremity of the most southerly of them, to be in the
latitude of 32 deg 28 min north, longitude 16 deg 17 1/2 min west of
Greenwich. The following day we saw the Salvages, a cluster of rocks
which are placed between the Madeiras and Canary Islands, and determined
the latitude of the middle of the Great Salvage to be 30 deg 12 min
north, and the longitude of its eastern side to be 15 deg 39 min west.
It is no less extraordinary than unpardonable, that in some very modern
charts of the Atlantic, published in London, the Salvages are totally
omitted.
We made the island of Teneriffe on the 3d of June, and in the evening
anchored in the road of Santa Cruz, after an excellent passage of three
weeks from the day we left England.