Hosea Dudley

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This collection consists of 34 pages of an unbound diary documenting Hosea Dudley’s trip aboard the ship Pharsalia which departed Boston for San Francisco and carried 160 passengers and crew. Dudley begins his diary on February 2, 1849, and much of the diary describes the voyage and daily life aboard ship. Dudley concludes with two long passages summarizing his adaptation to California during 1850 and 1853; the final entry is incomplete. **Please note that historical materials in the Gold Rush Collections may include viewpoints and values that are not consistent with the values of the California State Library or the State of California and may be considered offensive. Materials must be viewed in the context of the relevant time period, but views are in no way endorsed by the State Library. The California State Library’s mission is to provide credible information services to all Californians and, as such, the content of historical materials should be transcribed as it appears in the original document.

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[centered] Ship, Pharsalia,. Feb [February] 2d 1849

lat [Latitude] about, 32° [degrees] N. ... Lon. [Longitude] 62° W. ...For the sake of relieving the tediousness of a long sea vorage, I determined when leaving Boston, to write a little every day, To keep a sort of a journal of matters and things that come under my observation during our voyage round Cape Horn, up to this time there has been so much confusion ... sea sickness &ca [et cetera] on board that I have been prevented from following out my intentions. But now as we have succeded in establishing some degree of order, (if one can call anything order, where on board a ship with 1 one hundred and sixty persons) and having in partialy [partially] got my sea legs on, I will try to cronicle [chronicle] a few lines. But I suppose I might as well begin at the beginning.

Having a dezire [desire] to see the Country which our Government had lately come in possesion of, through our treaty with Mexico, known as California, I determined to leave the business in which I was then engaged, at Lawrence Mass. in the hands of my partner Mr Colby, and take passage on board the ship Pharsalia which was then laying in Boston, nearly ready to sail for the land of which report[s] spoke so favorably. And I will not deny that the report of the vast wealth to be found on the banks of its rivers and, among its wild and ruggied rugged mountains; had some influence in determining my course of action. So after numerous delays and vexations I succeded in company with my friend, Mr. S. B. Emerson, of Harrison, Me [Maine], in getting my things on board. And on Saturday, January 27th at 12 o'clock we weighed anchor, and Passed out of Boston harbor, with a fine breeze, and a hearts full of these feelings, which none can feel but, those who who are leaving friends and home far behind, perhaps never again to behold them, [any] more

The Number of persons found to be on board including Oficers Crew and stewards, was not far from one hudred [hundred] and sixty, of whom one hundred and twenty one were steerage passengers, and about twenty Cabin

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The price of passage being $150, for steerage 2d [2nd class?] cabbins and $250 cabin passage from Boston to San Francisco ... It was found after getting to sea that where was one or two on board who had not paid But had concealed themselves onboard, but as they were in want of more stewards they made stewards of them, so that settled that business.

Such scenes of confusion and disorder as occured for on board for the first four or five days, would be difficult to immagine still less to describe; For between the sick ones and the grumblers time passed away anything but pleasantly. Almost every one knows that who has ever commenced a "life on the Ocean wave" that the feelings produced by seasickness are not of the most agreeable descriptions. And as to the grumblers they certainly had some cause for their dissatisfaction for in regard our provisions for the first few days for they were not half cooked, not enough of them were but brought on the table with any regularity as the black devils, that we had for cooks and stewards were either half drunk or did not understand their business; and besides all that the beef however sweet and easy to digest it might be in the stomach, was anything but sweet to the taste or pleasant to the smell.

This caused a general ferment among the passengers, between decks, which probably would have assumed a more serious aspect, had not so many of them been sea-sick, and consequently did not care a straw whether things went right or wrong, whether we went on our voyage or went to the bottom ... but who probably would rather have gone back than done either.

Some of the passengers entered a complaint to the Captain who finally looked into the matter and very impartially decided that the beef was ^ sweet and good enough for such a set of paupers, that if they attempted to impose uppon him they would find him a hard customer, talked about putting them on allowance and blustered round a good deal. But he soon found ^ that there was a change for the better ... we now have good beef and pork ... potatoes and salt fish with beans ... rice ... duff ... pickles ... beets and carrots. Plenty of hard bread which is rightly named, and

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Tea and coffee or what passes for such, to be sure one would be tempted to say if this is coffee give me tea if tea give me coffee if he had not tried them both and found there was but little choice

But now a few words about other matters ... Sunday Jan 28th we had a stormy N.W. wind carried us before it at a fine rate, had the pleasure of being sea sick all day. But I had what misery loves, i e company and a aplenty of it.

29 ... Tuesday Monday 29 went NW course East or about that, today I was better. Emmerson is very sick.

30. ... Tuesday 30th I turned out early, ^ wind fresh from NW the sea presented a very rough appearance there being no regular swell, but choped [chopped] and broken. Captain Allan coming on deck said that we were just entering the Gulf Stream ... found the temperature of the water to be 69° and a verry perceptable change could be felt in the atmosphere ... at noon temperature of the water 75°, the wind increasing rendered it nessecasary [necessary] to take in sail ^ before this could be accomplished in dooing which the fore top sail was torn to rags. The main topsail broke away from the yard. The Mizzen topsail was split and the crotchet guard was sprung, everything was at length made snug and away we scudded, before the wind.

Sometimes a huge wave would come combing down uppon us with its crest of foam and spray seeming to to threaten us with destruction, but as it nears us our noble ship she is carried upward by the buoyancy of the waters, and swaying far over to leward untill her yards are dipt in the bryne [brine]; the wave passes under her keel and goes foaming on its way to waste its force on some far distant shore; While our ship regaining her equilibri[u]m with a quick motion bounds onward as with a new impulse.

Towards evening the water twas found to be cooler by several degrees than it was at noon which led us to suppose that we had crossed the Gulf Stream which was, the captain stated, about 80 miles wide in this Longitude & Latitude

31. ... Wednesday morning we found the weather cooler still having a good wind from the West, our course being south east.

This morning soon after day light one of the sailors came up out of the forecastle and made for the gangway, and would have jumped overboard

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had it not been for the mate who sprang forward and caught him just as he was mak ready to make the fearful plunge; rum and dissipation was at the bottom and hadmade him prefer death to life. He was perfectly wild for several days so that they were obliged to confine him to save him from himself

March Feb 1 Thursday ... The wind light but favorable, had a grand Scramble today, the Captain having a barrell of apples on board ... in overhauling after provisions it was taken out of the hold ... Some one or two of the passengers took it and appropriated it to their own use, but as there was an inquiry made for it, they had to give it up, the Captain had to it hoisted on deck and after taking out a few, told the passengers to help themselves. There was probably 100 men on deck at the time and such a scramble as then commenced I never saw, had it been filled with the dust gathered from the banks of the Saccramento they could not have been more eager to obtain a share, the barrell was soon emptied and given to the mercy of the waves.

Friday Feb 2. ... wind westerly, weather pleasa[n]t course about south east

Saturday 3. ... wind west, so far we have had a verry fine run, the weather has been extremely fine nearly the whole time, and the wind favorable as could be wished. According to the reckoning we are over fourteen hundred miles from Boston which we have made in seven days ... Things now go on smooth and pleasantly, we have singing and dancing on board almost every day

Sunday Feb 4. ... weather fine and warm as summer ... we have no chaplain on board, so every one has to be his own minister. Good order and quiet has been observed and all seem to feel that although far away from the eyes of their fellow men still the eye of God is uppon them to mark their doings whether they be good or whether they be evil ... This after noon a squall came up which lasted but a short time, but as it passed away, the wind changed from N.W. to N.E. at first it was verry light but freshened up.

Monday Monday 5" [5th] ... Wind N.E. by and cooler, course South east half South, ever all sail was made on the ship and towards night the wind freshening up ... we go ahead merrily ... Lat 26° 32" [inches] ... we ar[e] now supposed to be in the no Northen trade winds, as they are usualy taken in from 25° to 28° North

[centered] Tuesday Feb 6th ...

Wind south east with frequent sho squalls, making but little head way being obliged to lay our course so close to the wind, that one or twice through carelessness of

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Mariposa ... Mariposa

the man at the wheel, she came up int in the wind and was taken aback, so they put her about and stood off ot the North for a number of hours ... We have had some sickness and and a number of deaths since we started among one class of passengers, viz. the pigs, of which there [are] quite a number on board, but I do not think that the sea life agrees with them such consumptive constitutions as they naturally possess.

Some difficulty occured today between one of the saliors [sailors] and one of the cooks, a black son of Africa which ended in a scuffle, and they being in the Galley at the time, pots pans and pokers flew about for a few minuets [minutes] in stat admirable confusion, but the mate soon put a stop to that and the Captain coming forward, poor Jack had to take a terrible cursing [?]; by the way I have not so favorable opinion of Captain Allen as at first, we see but little of him and when he comes on deck, he looks cross, and savage, his face red and eyes swolen, looking as I suppose a man would who was in the habit of drinking a good deal of brandy

[centered] Wednesday Feb 7th

Lat 22° 19" [inches] ... wind East ... squally, stearing south south East, ouer co our course is south east by east, but the wind will not permit it our keeping it, we have one man on board sick with the measles.

[centered] Thursday 8th

Wind south East steering nearly south, some great number of flying fish flying and skipping from wave to wave at noon ... weather clear and pleasant

[centered] Friday 9th

wind East, frequent showers

[centered] Sat 10th

Wind still same ... Lat 17° 00 Lon [Longitude] 45° 00

[centered] Sun 11th

East Wind still continues, Weather pleasant, this afternoon had at Old English service read, and a sermon read with singing

[centered] Mon 12th

Wind ^ from a point or two farther to the north, so that by laying close hauled, are able to keep our course. To day the mate got into a scuffle with one of the Cooks which ended in poor darkeys being lashed to the windlass and a ropes end applyed [applied] to his back

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