Farquhar McLeod Part B

Immigrants gather at Gravesend ready to board their ship
Source: www.friendswbg.org.nz

Gone for Good

Farquhar’s two older brothers William and James had left for New Zealand in1855. I am sure from the time Farquhar lived with William at Backlass he would have heard talk of the idea of emigrating to New Zealand, and opportunities that were being publicised for those who made the move. There was certainly no opportunity to ever dream of owning land in Scotland with all the estates being owned by wealthy proprietors. At home at Rumsdale there would have long been talk of Uncle Alexander Sutherland, their mother’s brother, and his wife Elizabeth, who went to New Zealand in 1839 arriving in 1840 and were now, through hard work and enterprise established landowners.

Matoaka

Jane and Farquhar must have had their plans well in place as within a few weeks of their wedding, along with Esther McLeod Farquhar’s sister, they boarded the Matoaka and left Gravesend for New Zealand.

See Blog 10 December 2018 – Esther McLeod Part B Emigrate

Te Aro foreshore, 1850s-60s Wellington. 

Ref: 1/2-028493-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22789696

Newspaper reports on the arrival of the Matoaka

Arrival of The Matoaka

New Zealand Spectator & Cook’s Straight Guardian

The clipper ship Matoaka, Captain Stevens, from London, arrived on Tuesday morning last, after a very good passage of 92 days. She left Gravesend on 14^th June, [1859] and Landsend on 19^th, and has experienced very boisterous and unfavourable weather, or the passage would have been made in much shorter time. She brings 2 cabin and 81 intermediate and steerage passengers for Wellington, and 7 cabin and 209 intermediate and steerage passengers for Auckland, where she proceeds immediately after discharging her passengers for this place, the whole of her cargo being for Auckland. Two births and five deaths occurred during the voyage, the deaths being three women and two infants. The passengers have arrived in good health, and they speak very highly of the courtesy and attention of the Captain. Captain Stevens reports having spoken to the ship Alpine, from Glasgow bound to Otago, in lat 480 5’ South, and long 1600 50’ East, out 91 days. The ship Hastings left for Wellington the day before the Matoaka. The Matoaka is a fine large clipper ship of 1092 tons, and is fitted out with every convenience for passengers, having fine lofty between decks, and enclosed cabins the whole length of the vessel.

 http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~ourstuff/genealogy/ArrivalMatoaka1859%20-%20Wellington.htm

Arrival of The Matoaka

The New Zealander

The Flagstaff presented an unusually gay appearance on Saturday when three large ships were signalled almost simultaneously. The first to come into harbour was the Matoaka. She sailed from the Downs on 15th June and landed her pilot at Cowes on 17^th, from the Wight, down Channel, had light westerly winds, caught a light NE trade, passed inside of the Caneries and outside of the Cape de Verds to which she carried the trade. Crossed the equator on 17 July, having been then 30 days out. Got a strong SE trade. Passed the meridian of the Cape of Good Hope on 9 August, ran down her easting experiencing strong weather with a heavy sea, the wind veering and hauling from NNW to SSW. Passed to the southward of Tasmania, without sighting it, making the Snares on 10^th and arriving at Wellington on the morning of the 13th [September,1859] being 90 days from the Downs. …She is a fine roomy ship and has come into harbour in clean and orderly condition. She was built at St John’s, New Brunswick, measures 221 feet from tafrail to figurehead, is 38 feet beam overall, 23 feet deep, of hold, and is of about 1100 tons register. She brings 170 passengers for this place and was healthy and comfortable during the passage. Five deaths, three of grown-up females and two children occurred. There were also three births.

NEW ZEALANDER, VOLUME XV, ISSUE 1403, 28 SEPTEMBER 1859

Immigrants

On the arrival of the Matoaka, there was an advertisement placed by the Immigration Office of behalf of young immigrants looking for work. 

DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS, VOLUME XVI, ISSUE 1256, 30 SEPTEMBER 1859

But also, about the same there was discussion in the newspapers of the day about the arrival of hundreds of “Forty Acre Men” who were finding out when they got to New Zealand that the conditions around, and promises of, forty acres were changing considerably.

OTAGO WITNESS, ISSUE 416, 19 NOVEMBER 1859

My guess is that Farquhar and Jane had some support from and possible work with Uncle Sandy Sutherland in Wellington when they first arrived. 

Marion Cresswell a descendant of Farquhar and Jane published her research on them. She included the following documents about a possible land purchase by Farquhar but I have not been able to trace any further information on this.

Farquhar and Jane were still in Wellington in April 1860 when their first son Donald was born.