8 December 1863

Thomas Keir diary - 8 December 1863 entry [National Library Micro-MS-0837]

Tuesday 8th Dec[embe]r 1863

A strong breeze the ship going very rapidly
about eleven knots. the whole of the sails
are set and she is going on beautifully.
my day on the [scrubing?] at which
I was engaged most of the forenoon
had salt beef and preserved potatoes
for dinner, which was very good con-
sidering. a sail was seen on the horizon
in the morning, but it soon disappeared
at noon our latitude was 24° 32’ north
the time with my watch was 1.30 P.M.

STANDARDISED

Tuesday 8th December 1863

A strong breeze, the ship going very rapidly about eleven knots. The whole of the sails are set and she is going on beautifully. My day on the [scrubing?] at which I was engaged most of the forenoon. Had salt beef and preserved potatoes for dinner, which was very good considering. A sail was seen on the horizon in the morning, but it soon disappeared. At noon our latitude was 24° 32’ north, the time with my watch was 1.30pm.

HENRY SCHOFIELD DIARY

Dec 8th v fine

Had a very good wind going about 11 knots per hour. Saw 1 ship a way to leeward. For dinner preserved potatoes & salt beef & spice pudding. Reading Chambers Journal[1], playing at Fox & Geese[2]. Was about 1400 miles from the line, got into the trade winds.

Notes

1. Chambers’s Journal: Chambers’s Edinburgh Journal was started by William Chambers in Edinburgh in 1832, with his brother Robert joining him soon after. A weekly 16-page magazine, it covered topics such as history, religion, language and science. In 1854 it became Chambers’s Journal of Popular Literature, Science and Art and later that decade the production moved to London. In 1897 the title changed to Chambers’s Journal. It ceased publication in 1956. [Wikipedia]

2. Fox & Geese: a game of strategy for two players

The rules of play for Fox and Geese are simple: one player controls the fox, while the other controls the geese. The fox can move in a straight line in any direction and, as it jumps over geese, the geese are removed from the board. To win, the fox must break through the entire line of geese. The geese are only allowed to move forward or sideways. To win, they must corner the fox so it cannot move.

“Fox and Geese Game Board“, National Museum of American History

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