Friday, 5th October.—Crossed the equator.
Monday, 15th October.—Lat. 24° 7′ S., long. 29° 59′ W. Distance 255 miles. Ship sweeping along at the rate of 14½ knots.
Tuesday, 16th October.—Lat. 24° 5′ S., long. 25° 50′ W. Distance 225 miles. About 9 a.m. a considerable portion of the false bow on the larboard side was suddenly carried away.
Sunday, 21st October.—Lat. 36° 4′ S., long. 24° 52′ W. Distance 238 miles. At 5 p.m. sighted a large ship on our weather quarter, sailing under double-reefed topsails, and we apprehend they must have taken us for the Flying Dutchman seen occasionally in these latitudes, for notwithstanding the strong breeze we would be observed carrying our skysails with studding sails ’low and aloft.
Monday, 22nd October.—Lat. 38° 24′ S., long. 19° 21′ W. Distance 300 miles.
Tuesday, 23rd October.—Lat. 39° 22′ S., long. 12° 32′ W. Distance 325 miles. At 9 a.m. during a sudden squall, carried away our starboard fore topmast stunsail boom—a splendid Oregon spar, which was carried right over the larboard bow.
Saturday, 17th November.—Lat. 48° 00′ S., long. 121° 15′ E. Distance 324 miles. The wind changed during the night to W.N.W., still blowing a fresh breeze with every sail set.
Sunday, 25th November.—Sail was shortened at midnight and Bowman Head Lighthouse sighted at 3 a.m. Shortly afterwards hove to for a pilot and as his boat came near, at 4.30, every glass in her was levelled in astonishment at the bare ribs of our false bow. After getting inside the Heads, we again hove to and landed the Geelong mail. At 10 a.m. met the James Baines homeward bound and hove to to communicate with her. Captain McDonald came on board and we had the pleasure of sending letters and papers home. At 1 p.m. we were at anchor with sails furled and the Melbourne mail landed. We had the misfortune to come into port with a broken bow which impeded our progress not less on the average than 3 knots an hour for upwards of 9000 miles. On the last voyage we were going 17 knots, on the present with the same wind only 14—owing to the accident.
Third Voyage—Melbourne to Liverpool.
Friday, 28th December.—At 8 a.m. we got outside the bar at Port Phillip Heads, when the agents and a few friends left in the pilot boat. From the captain of the latter we learned the sad intelligence of the loss of the Schomberg, off Cape Otway. The clipper ship Blackwall was sighted right ahead of us at the same moment, and at 10.30 we had the satisfaction of overhauling her. At 7 p.m. she was barely visible on the horizon. (The Blackwall was one of Green’s frigate-built Indiamen.)