![Thomas Keir diary - 5 January 1864 entry [National Library Micro-MS-0837]](http://mermaid1864.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/29-18640105-ViewScan_0120-k.png "7-18631126-ViewScan_0098-k")
Tuesday 5th – Dull & foggy, with an occasion
al drizzle of rain, wind right aft, in the evening
changed a little farther west. The vessel is rolling
more than she has done since we entered the
Tropics, the motion does not now affect us any
and were all in good health & spirits. A great
many birds of four kinds are hovering about
the vessel all day, including the beautiful albat
tross. We are within a few miles of Tristan du Cunha
but owing to the fog we could see no appearance
of land, but it accounts for the great number
of birds which have been seen. In the morning
a quarrel arose between an English[1] & Irishman
which ended by the latter /former\ getting a blue eye
& the latter threatened to be put in irons by the
Captain.
STANDARDISED
Tuesday 5th
Dull and foggy, with an occasianal drizzle of rain. Wind right aft, in the evening changed a little farther west. The vessel is rolling more than she has done since we entered the Tropics, the motion does not now affect us any and we’re all in good health & spirits. A great many birds of four kinds are hovering about the vessel all day, including the beautiful albatross. We are within a few miles of Tristan du Cunha but owing to the fog we could see no appearance of land, but it accounts for the great number of birds which have been seen. In the morning a quarrel arose between an English and Irishman which ended by the former getting a blue eye and the latter threatened to be put in irons by the Captain.
HENRY SCHOFIELD DIARY
Jan[uar]y 5th dull
Burrell & an Irishman fighting & a Scotchman too. Saw a great many Cape pidgeon hens Albatross & Florihawk birds. Copsey[2] knocked a Cape pigeon of yard arm into the sea & one was shot. Commenced eating my ham. For dinner beef. 7 knots per hour. Sow pigged 12 very fine pigs!
Notes
1. From Henry Schofield’s account we can guess the Englishman was the Burrell who was part of Schofield’s mess group (mentioned in his 26 December entry), and possibly James Burrill in the list of assisted emigrants, a 20 year old farm labourer from Yorkshire.
2. Copsey doesn’t appear in the list of assisted emigrants, the cabin passengers or the crew – unless it’s a nickname for someone, they are likely another passenger paying their own way in steerage.
![Wandering albatross - photograph taken by Craig Adam 200 miles off the coast of Namibia, 29 May 2011. The wandering albatross have the longest wingspan of any bird, up to 3.4 meters (11 feet ). They are rarely seen on land and gather only to breed. [Flickr]](http://mermaid1864.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/wandering-albatross-craig-adam-flicker.jpg)
Wandering albatross – photograph taken by Craig Adam, 200 miles off the coast of Namibia, 29 May 2011. The wandering albatross have the longest wingspan of any bird, up to 3.4 meters (11 feet ). They are rarely seen on land and gather only to breed. [Flickr]
