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could hardly get up the ship's side, and was nearly drowned by the swell. My school has an
accession of four to-day; so that now all the disposable children attend. Many of the parents,
who considered themselves of the bettsr sort, would not hear at first of their children attending,
alleging that by contact with the others they would catch bad manners and vermin. I studiously
abstained from pressing the matter, knowing what must take place. And now, when the people
find that the school children are dean, well-behaved, and fast advancing into the regions of good
writing and good reading, whilst theirs are obstreperous, disobedient, daily forgetting what they
once leamt, troublesome, picking up bad language, and continually meeting with accidents, they
are glad to allow them to join the class. I cannot express the satisfaction which 1 feel at having
formed my school on board. Nothing can be more ruinous to a child than to be on board an
emigrant ship for 180 days, as we were, without some scholastic control.
'27 March: A hot sun with a refreshing breeze. The sun vertical at noon. All the people puzzled
to know how it was that they were shadowless. in Latitude 2°22"N. The thermometer is 30° in
the cuddy; 31° in the steerage; and 122° in the sun. Got into SE trades, which will carry us
towards the South American coasts. Caught a very small shark, a grim, repulsive-iooking fish, it
was speediiy cooked and eaten - not, however, without much pepper. Had four candidates for
the Holy Communion next Sunday (Easter).
'23 March: At half-past eleven in the forenoon we crossed the Line. Some absurd person
having raised a report that the Line was in sight, many of the people, men, women, and children,
came tumbling hastily up on deck to see it. Examined strictly the four candidates for the
Communion. Ons is most unexceptionable in every way. The three others answered all my
questions satisfactorily. Unfortunately, two are Wesleyan Methodists, and the other is a
Presbyterian... But the mere fact of their wishing to receive the Communion was virtually an
enunciation of their previous religious belief, and an embracing of ours. Moreover, views of
expediency prevented me from rejecting them, Every one who receives the Sacraments at my
hands aboard ship thus guarantees his good conduct during the voyage. He places himself in my
power, as it were, and gives me a right to "teach and premonish" him, to correct and rebuke him
whenever I may think it right so to do; and also to "use both public and private monitions and
exhortations," whensoever necessity may require it.'
After passing the Cape Verde islands, on latitude 15°, the Lady McNaghten had approached
the Equator, latitude 0°. A ceremony known as Crossing the Line was usually enacted on every
ship when this happened, except when it was banned by the Captain or curtailed. No such
ceremony apparently took place on the Lady McNaghten, possibly because the presence of so
many young men among the passengers would have resulted in an excess of lewd and crude
behaviour, drunkenness, and vice. Mereweather would certainly not have approved. Nor was
the ceremony to everyone's liking.
John Fenwick: 'In the evening a gruff voice haiied the ship. Soon the owner of it came on board
- a hoary-headed old man attended by a "barber" and a lot of wretches armed with handspikes.
They made s progress round the ship and held a paiaver with the Captain. They welcomed him
into Neptune's
62
dominions and Old Nep himseif promised to take us safely across the Line that night. There was
a fine chorus of "Rule Britannia". Some of the men got groggy and there was an end of stupid
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