| Description | The first three volumes of the journals describe the writer's experiences during her stay at her uncle's house in Brompton, near Chatham in Kent. She begins by giving details of her journey from Brixham, leaving home on 28 September 1840 and travelling by steamer between Torquay and Southampton. From there she travels 'in the railroad' to London, by steamer to Gravesend, and finally by omnibus to Brompton. She stays here with her uncle and aunt, and her cousin Mary until May 1841, and describes the activities she takes part in while she is there. These include helping Mary with her charitable work, which includes teaching at Sunday school, attending the Dockyard church and St John's Chapel, attending meetings of the Dorcas Society and other associated work, which includes a distribution of garments to the poor on 29 October 1840, and attendance at a blanket and clothing meeting on 2 November 1840 'to write down the wants & wishes of the poor who subscribe' to the society. She also spends time bible reading with Mary, and going to visit 'some of her poor old people as she calls them' on 24 December 1840, distributing food for Christmas.
Leisure activities include going for walks, calling on Mary's friends, and receiving visits at which Mary plays the piano. Mary celebrates her seventeenth birthday on 24 November, and invites 'school fellows' and friends to tea. The writer mentions that they are studying chemistry on 3 February 1841 and they read a lecture from 'Herschel's Natural Philosophy' on 15 February. Excursions include a walk 'near a very prettily situated village called Gillingham' on 13 October 1840, and a visit to the museum at Fort Pitt with Mr Elliott, a friend of her uncle and aunt, on 24 October 1840. She writes that she is 'highly pleased with the various curiosities, almost too numerous to mention'. The collection also includes birds, snakes and 'flies in beautiful colours'. On 4 December 1840 she takes a walk to see the marine band 'playing delightfully..the soldiers were drilling outside the Barracks', and mentions watching the soldiers engaged in a 'sham fight' on 10 May 1841. The writer also describes going with Mary to Miss Elliott's school 'to see the dancers....the master which was a French gentleman & the little folks afforded us great amusement' on 8 December 1840. Rochester castle is described as 'a very old building but prettily situated' after a boat trip there on 8 March 1841, and she also gives a detailed account of a visit to the dockyard with her uncle, who takes her 'on board the convict hulk the abode of more than 7 hundred convicts', mentioning the work done by the prisoners which includes shoemaking and rolling lead for pipes.
On a visit to Rochester with her aunt and her cousin Mary on 6 October 1840, she meets 'the Parsees Hirjeebhoy & Jehangeer they were very intelligent young men they are from Bombay & are here for the purpose of learning the art of shipbuilding'. She remarks on their costume and that she is impressed by their skills in English. The Indian gentlemen visit the family regularly during the winter, and the writer is invited, with her uncle and Mary, to take tea with them on 16 January at which 'Hirjeeboy amused us very much by reading and translating a short Persian tale & reciting a piece of Hindostanee poetry...the language was very soft and musical'. In return 'Mary read & translated some French with which they appeared quite pleased & thought the language exceedingly pretty'. She remarks again on their dress which she seems to find fascinating. Her uncle takes them to the dockyard on 23 January and they exchange gifts before they leave Kent for London and then Bombay. They visit to finally take their leave on 10 February, but her uncle accompanies them on a trip to Windsor castle, among other places, and returns alone on 1 April. The family read the published journal of Hirjeebhoy and Jehangeer on 30 April, and the writer remarks: 'how sorry they seem to leave happy England as they call it, the account given in the book is very interesting & amusing'.
The writer begins to pack some of her things on 18 May, in preparation for returning home. At the beginning of the fourth volume of the journal she writes that she gets up early on 24 May, with her uncle and aunt, and Mary, 'making ready to start for sweet home'. They travel on a steamer through London and 'passed under all the bridges...we had the pleasure of seeing the new houses of parliament; and also the present ones at a short distance'. At Southampton, after taking the train from Vauxhall, they embark on the 'City of Glasgow' steamer for Torquay and surprise the writer's family with their arrival at Parkham cottage. In Brixham the writer describes participating in similar social activities to those mentioned in the volumes written at Brompton. These include visiting cousins and other relations, including her cousin Ann who is suffering from a long illness, going for walks, attending church and Sunday school, Dorcas society meetings, and lectures given by the Arts and Sciences society in Brixham. Among these is a lecture on Phrenology on 20 August 1841 and one on the Fine Arts on 8 October 1841 which features a discussion of 'The Last Supper' by Leonardo da Vinci.
The writer gives an account of an excursion on 3 June when, because 'the afternoon was very fine, we could not think of going without a couple of donkeys, and a laughable affair it was. I mounted one & found him rather incorrigible notwithstanding I kept my seat, Uncle mounted the other & after riding a little way thinking Mary would like to mount was about to get off when shocking to relate the saddle gave way & the rider was stretched on the ground!' Other outings include picnics, a visit to Dittisham on 8 June, which takes in a viewing of Sir John Bullar's Lodge and Greenway Lodge on the way, and a steamer trip up the river Dart to Totnes on 12 June. Mary and her parents leave Brixham on 17 June. The writer and her sister Priscilla watch the progress of their steamer across the bay and 'tied a white pocket handkerchief on a pole that was our flag but I can hardly thinkg they saw it'.
More routine activities are described after the departure of her visitors. She helps her mother with washing days, baking and other domestic chores, visits the sick in the neighbourhood and attends meetings for Sunday school teachers. One of her responsibilities in this area is to help organise the Sunday school treat which takes place on 29 July 1841. This consists of a church service and a walk to 'Sounderlay bottom' for hymns and cake and coffee, 'amusement & singing'. Other church events include a visit by the Bishop on 2 August 1841.
The writer occasionally gives details of her illnesses, which seem to centre on dental problems. She is confined to her bed with toothache on 24 January 1841, and the following day Mr Weeks comes to carry out an extraction, 'but in attempting to do so broke it off, therefore I must learn to be patient and bear the pain a little longer'. She visits the dentist on 12 February 1841 and has two teeth extracted, but she reports that her toothache has returned on 3 August, and suffers intermittently after this. She also mentions illnesses of other family members, including that of her small cousins[?] Johnny and Frank who she describes as suffering from measles on 9 August. She goes to act as nurse for them, but this appears to be a difficult task, and she writes that she was 'obliged to exercise all my patience' on 13 August.
Family members mentioned in the journals include a sister, Priscilla, who she corresponds with while staying at Brompton, as well as her mother and father. She also receives letters from 'brother Robert', and mentions 'sister Mary' on 6 November 1841, who is possibly the mother of Johnny and Frank. 'Brother John' is mentioned on 20 November 1841 when he calls on his way from Marseilles to Antwerp. Robert and John are possibly in the navy.
Local and national events are occasionally mentioned. The writer notes on 17 July 1841: 'Brixham..in great confusion the whole of the day, Newton & Totnes Banks having stopped payment. Many will be great sufferers in consequence, not only in this place but many miles around'. She also mentions the narrow escape of a local party on their way to Guernsey in a smack which ran into a Dutch brig in the fog on 18 August 1841. She looks after the children of Mary and William Lamzed when they have to go to Exeter castle as witnesses in the trial of Nancy Down, 'a person who they found on the 2 of August last, in the shop robbing them....she was prosecuted by the county her sentence was 4 months imprisonment 2 weeks of it solitary confinement.' The writer's opinion on this is clear: 'I hope it may do the poor unfortunate creature good'. National news is also occasionally mentioned, as on 30 August 1841 when she writes: 'today the Whig ministers turned out!! & the Tories are in office. Sir Robert Peel is premier to her Majesty'. She also writes of 'the painful intelligence...that the Tower of London was on fire, but we could not learn any particulars' on 2 November 1841, and remarks on 22 November 1841 that she 'omitted to mention that on Tuesday the 9th of November our gracious Queen presented old England with a prince and heir apparent to the crown'.
The journal entries are characterised by detailed information about church sermons attended, descriptions of the countryside on the walks the writer takes, information about the weather, and character sketches and impressions of people she meets. She also occasionally gives details of reading matter she studies. |
| Administrative History | The visitors from Bombay, Jehangeer Nowrojee and Hirjeebhoy Merwanjee were the son and nephew of the master builder at the East India Dockyard at Bombay. They were sent to England to receive instruction in ship-building at Chatham, particularly in steam propulsion. They later published an account of their visit on 'Journal of a residence of two years and a half in Great Britain', [London: Wm. Allen, 1841]. |