In 1886 Alexander and Jessie along with their four
remaining children, Jessie, Margaret, John and Matthew left London on the ship Melbourne bound for Melbourne,
Australia. There were 62 passengers on board – a lot less than was often the
case with a big immigrant sailing ship. It was a very comfortable and well appointed ship.
I have no doubt that leaving Bristol and the remains of
their four little children buried there was sad for them all.
Ship Melbourne
The Sydney Morning Herald
ran a story about the
Melbourne (aka Macquarie aka Fortuna)
Wednesday 11 February 1953
Last Days Of The Old Clipper Ship Macquarie
By A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
"FOR sale by tender.
Floating mechanical coaling plant Fortuna . . . as she lies."
This advertisement, which appeared recently in the "Herald,"
marked the last chapter in the story of one of the most celebrated of the old
wool and passenger clippers. The Sydney Harbour coal hulk Fortuna, in the days
of her prime when she was called the Macquarie, was a great name on the
England-Australia route.
Her story began on a June morning in 1875, when the firm of R. and H.
Green, of Black-wall on the Thames, launched an iron ship for their own use.
Into it they had put the finest materials, including plates originally
stockpiled for a South American man-of-war. The new ship bore upon her bow and
stern the name "Melbourne," after the port with which she was to
carry on most of her trade.
Her dimensions proclaim her to have been a really big ship as wind-ships
went - 1,852- tons register, 269 feet long, and 40 feet in beam. In comfort she
was a great advance on her pre-decessors. Her cabins and saloon, panelled in
cedar, were larger, better lit, better furnished and more adequately ventilated
than was the general custom of those days.
She carried a surgeon, and with her one-time consort "Sobraon
" later H.M.A.S. "Tingira," was known, as a "hospital ship" because the men of Harley Street and Macquarie Street so often prescribed for
their patients a sea voyage in one of these comfortable vessels.
Until 1887 "Melbourne" traded to the Victorian capital. In
that year Greens sold her to Devitt and Moore, who placed her in the Sydney
trade.
On her arrival on December 27, the shipping and ship-loving community
turned out in force to admire the big iron Blackwaller towing up to Central
Wharf, Miller's Point. They noted her splendid appearance, the long line of
painted ports, and the heavily gilded gallery of imitation windows, painted on
the stern, indicative of her direct descent from the East lndiamen of seventy
years and more earlier.
Most of those frigate-built ships were of teak construction, and three
only were fashioned in Iron. "Melbourne" was the third and last.
In 1888 her name was changed to "Macquarie." She was
undoubtedly best known in Australia under this name.
‘Inquiry Into the Loss of Life on Board the Ship Melbourne’
We don’t know a lot about the 1886 voyage but there was one big crisis
that resulted in an ‘Inquiry Into the Loss of Life on Board the Ship Melbourne’
 |
| http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-title13 |
In November 1886 the Melbourne arrived in Melbourne, Victoria. The archives show the following:
Index
to Unassisted Inward Passenger Lists to Victoria 1852-1923
This
is an index to Unassisted Inward Passenger Lists for British, Foreign and New
Zealand Ports 1852-1923
Family
Name First Name Age Month Year Ship
Port Fiche Page
MCLEOD
ALEX 44 NOV 1886 MELBOURNE B 474 001
MCLEOD
JESSIE 39 NOV 1886 MELBOURNE B 474
001
MCLEOD
JESSIE 16 NOV 1886 MELBOURNE B 474
001
MCLEOD
JOHN 7 NOV 1886 MELBOURNE B 474
001
MCLEOD
MARGARET 9 NOV 1886 MELBOURNE B 474
001
MCLEOD
MATTHEW 5 NOV 1886 MELBOURNE B 474 001
It is interesting that the family were unassisted
as it indicates Alexander had been in a situation financially comfortable
enough to pay for what was a highly regarded ship and the most comfortable trip money could buy at that time.
Working in Melbourne
According
to the Cyclopedia of New Zealand Alexander emigrated to Melbourne from Bristol
in 1886, where he was for two years in Messrs Rollins (sic Roelins) and
Burdetts, and for one year with Messrs Smalley and Harkness.
Smalley and Harkness
 |
Roelens and Burdett, 14 Brunswick Street,Fitzroy
EBC (European Boot Company) was formed by Francis Burdett and Julian Roelens in
Fitzroy in 1872. Initially called Roelens & Burdett. Both were experienced
boot makers. They soon built a three storey building in Brunswick St to
manufacture high quality boots and shoes. They exhibited at the Great Melbourne
Exhibition in 1880 and thus took on that business name. In 1891 Burdett bought
out Roelens. The business thrived with advertisements for staff.
To Martinborough, New Zealand
In 1888 or 1889 Alexander and Jessie, Jessie, Margaret, John
and Matthew left Melbourne, Australia and sailed to New Zealand. They moved
immediately to Martinborough to be near their kin.
 |
| Standing Janet, John, Matthew, Margaret seated Janet, Alexander |
To be continued…
 |
The Macquarie Leaving Sydney Heads by John Alcott
Macquarie: A magnificent ship built for the Blackwall line and their Australian trade. Claimed to be the strongest sailing ship ever built, her maiden voyage was to Australia in 1857. She was one of the most profitable ships of her time. She was originally named Melbourne as she was intended to trade from that port. She would take passengers out to Australia and return with a cargo of wool.
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