Mary McLeod 1828 – 1906 Part C

Mary and Donald Ross. 

The Ship Douglas

In 1873 Mary and Donald with eight of their family emigrated to New Zealand on the sailing ship ‘Douglas’. The Ross family was ‘Colonial Nominated Immigrants’ meaning they were nominated by someone already living in New Zealand.  This was probably Mary’s uncle Alexander Sutherland as Donald worked for him at his Lyall Bay farm for a short while after arrival.

Daughter Christina Ross stayed behind – I will blog her story later. 

The family paid 20 pounds for the voyage, with the Government paying 106 pounds. The ship ‘Douglas’ left London 14 June 1873 and arrived in Wellington on 26 September 1873.

There were 314 government immigrants on board.

The Douglas was originally a screw steamer,

 afterwards converted into a ship

Donald had tuberculosis before leaving Shetland. It was said he was only allowed to travel because his eldest daughter was a nurse. Helen is on the passenger list as a nurse. Donald’s age on the shipping list was given as 48 years - likely to comply with an age restriction for nomination as he was really 52.  Donald died of Phthisis on 17 Feb 1874 about four months after arrival.

It seems strange that such a sick man could be accepted as an immigrant and I note that the following year the surgeon from the Douglas' 1874 voyage sent a report to the government condemning the insufficient care taken in the selection of persons suitable for emigration also complaining about the number of sick, old and defective people allowed to emigrate. In the case of the Rosses the rest of the family were all clearly suitable immigrants.

The following is an extract from Sutherlands of Ngaipu pgs 67-68:

The Ross family arrived in New Zealand early in 1873. They consisted of Mr & Mrs Donald Ross and a family of eight, four girls and four boys – Jessie, Elizabeth, Esther and Ellen [Helen], Alex, Donald, John & William. One daughter remained in Scotland (Christina).

Sometime in 1871 or early in 1872 Donald Ross with his wife and some of the sons and daughters went to a position in the Shetland Islands. His health which was never of the best, did not improve there. The climate was bleak with many fogs, and after remaining there for twelve months Mr and Mrs Ross decided to come out to New Zealand. Preparations were made and the family was taken from the Shetlands by an Aberdeen boat, which also called at Kirkwall in the Orkneys, where the remaining members of the family were taken on board. From Aberdeen another boat brought them to London. Mrs Ross already had three brothers and one sister in New Zealand. They were William, James, Farquhar and Esther McLeod.

From London this family of ten sailed with three hundred passengers on the ship Douglas. On the whole voyage out to New Zealand, which took four months, they were never in sight of land. When rounding the Cape of Good Hope the ship sailed many miles further south. Most of the sailing boats did this so as to catch a favourable current and wind which helped considerably. The same occurred when passing Tasmania. The boat passed some sixty miles off land further south.

The Douglas arrived in Wellington early in 1873 and on arrival there all passengers were put in quarantine on Somes Island, where they remained for eleven days. From there the passengers were landed at Queen’s Wharf which, I understand, was then about the front entrance of the present General Post office.

Somes Island 1903

Because of the quarantine of the Douglas’ passengers on Somes Island there were reports in the newspapers of the day. The public at large were keen to protect themselves against such diseases as smallpox, scarlet fever and typhoid and wanted to know what was going on with the Douglas' crew and passengers. 

The newspaper reports tell of fumigation of passengers which apparently involved sitting in a smoke house, in chlorine, potassium nitrate and sulphur fumes for 10 minutes. Gear and belongings were also fumigated. I won’t post all the reports as they are available in Papers Past. Please refer to the sources below to read the articles.

The Somes Island lighthouse in 1886. The Lighthouse was erected in 1865 along with a six room lighthouse keeper’s house. It burnt rapeseed oil and shone a white light down the centre of the channel and a red or green light at either side.

There are also on-line the reports of the Immigration Commissioners re the Douglas 1873 voyage to the Government. A couple of items of interest mention:

• The outbreaks of small-pox and scarletina and the control of those.

• The ship was not ready when the passengers embarked, the fittings not being completed, dead lights and ventilators not provided, until we reached Gravesend … likely to promote dissatisfaction amongst emigrants at the commencement of their voyage.

Some recommendations in the AJHR report which give clues about the voyage were:

• The emigrant’s luggage should be carefully searched on embarking. Many had spirits with them and most of the single men revolvers.

• In the married quarters there should be .. a head constable to keep order.. suppress swearing, quarrelling and card playing after a reasonable time.

• Emigrants, before embarking, should be examined to see if they are clean. Several came on board in a dirty condition, and it makes it most uncomfortable for other emigrants.

• Prizes should be offered to those who keep their bunks in the neatest and cleanest manner during the voyage out..posting in a conspicuous place the names of those...in best order and those in the greatest disorder.

So after finally disembarking the Ross family went to Lyall Bay in Wellington to Mary’s Uncle Alexander (Sandy) Sutherland. Sandy Sutherland’s first wife Elizabeth had died and his second wife had probably left for Australia. Alex Ross, one of the Ross sons went straight to work at his uncle's Pahaua property.

I will blog the story of the Ross family in New Zealand next blog. 

Sources: 

 AJHR reports on Douglas

http://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1874-I.2.1.5.3

Patricia and Donald Ross Archives

The photos at the top of Mary and Donald are in the album of Mary Doyle, Martinborough 

so I presume they were taken after the Ross family arrived in New Zealand in 1873.

Sutherland, Alex, Sutherlands of Ngaipu. AH & AW Reed, Wellington, 1947, Pgs 67 & 68

1886 Lighthouse on Somes Island, Wellington. Williams, Edgar Richard, 1891-1983 Ref: 1/1-025715. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23194862

1903 Somes Island. Ross, Malcolm 1862-1930 : Ref: 1/2-004049-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22333502

A selection of newspaper articles from Papers Past: 

Untitled

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3911, 26 September 1873, Page 2

THE DOUGLAS.

Evening Post, Volume IX, Issue 193, 27 September 1873, Page 2

Untitled

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3912, 27 September 1873, Page 2

THE SHIP DOUGLAS.

Press, Volume XXI, Issue 2545, 1 October 1873, Page 2

SHIP DOUGLAS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3917, 3 October 1873, Page 2

THE SHIP DOUGLAS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3922, 9 October 1873, Page 2

THE SHIP DOUGLAS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3912, 27 September 1873, Page 2