Speech topic: The First Fleet.
Two hundred years ago only a few people in England lived happy and comfortable lives. Times were harsh and punishments severe. Many people convicted of crimes, sometimes quite minor, were transported to Australia. Convicts with certain skills were very useful in starting the new colony.
The First Fleet brought the Convicts and their gaolers from Britain to Australia in 1788, the voyage took about eight months. The ships were set out from Britain with seed, farm implements, and farm animals. More seed and animals were bought on the voyage at Rio de Janeiro and the Cape of Good Hope. The First Fleet took not only wheat but also other crops as coffee, cocoa, cotton, banana, orange, lemon, guava, tamarind, prickly pear, eugenia and the ipecacuanha. There were 500 farm animals taken on the Fleet included a bull, cows, sheep, but mostly poultry. Captain Arthur Phillip was the commanding officer of the First Fleet.
The marines and their officers volunteered to go to Botany Bay for three years. The officers were allowed to take their wives and families.
The voyage of the First Fleet fell into four stages. The first stage took the Fleet from Britain to the Canary Islands. Next, the fleet sailed from the Canary Islands to the Cape Verde Islands. The ships then sailed on to Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. Next they went from Brazil to the Cape of Good Hope. Finally, they sailed from the Cape of Good Hope to Botany Bay, in New South Wales.
The route was chosen for few reasons. It allowed the Fleet to pick up fresh water and also allowed Arthur Phillip to buy additional supplies, for both the voyage and for establishing a settlement in Botany Bay. The route also took advantage of the wind systems. Later Fleets used shorter routes.
Most of the officers were disappointed by what they saw in Botany Bay. 'I cannot say from the appearance of the shore that I will like it' wrote Clark.
Phillip immediately set out north to locate a new site. He found the entrance to Port Jackson and, at its head, Sydney Cove, with a fresh running stream and a natural harbour, well protected from the winds.
As Phillip began to move the rest of the Fleet to the new site, two French ships entered Botany Bay. Phillip left one of his war ships guarding the French while he made rapid work of raising the Union Jack on January 26. On 27 and 28th of January the male convicts and the rest of the marines landed.
During the first voyage to Botany Bay, many of the convicts and marines became seasick. Twenty three convicts died. Six children were born to convict women during the voyage, and only four survived.
Although enough food had been supplied, convicts were reduced to a starvation diet. They were hardly ever allowed up on deck to exercise. When the Second Fleet docked in Sydney Harbour in 1790, 267 of the 1, 000 convicts had died and another 488 were ill with fever, dysentery which is an illness affecting the bowels, and scurvy a disease caused by lack of the vitamins contained in fresh fruit and vegetables.
There were improvement though, and the death rate on convict ships declined, but even so, about 3 000 convicts died on the way to Australia.
Convicts on the Friendship
John Baughan was a carpenter who was convicted at Oxford, England, in 1783 as Baffen and sentenced to be transported for 7 years for stealing 5 blankets. He transferred to the First Fleet transport Friendship.John married Catherine Morgan on 14 November 1774 at Shipton under Wychwood, Oxfordshire. They had 3 children: Mary and her twin, Anne they were all baptised at Whichford.
Elizabeth Thackery is said to be the first white woman to set foot on Australia. She was from Manchester, Lancashire, England. She was sentenced to seven years' transportation for the theft of five handkerchiefs of a value of one shilling. She is the last-known female survivor of the First Fleet, and is said to have been the first ashore at Botany Bay when she arrived on January 26, 1788 on the Friendship.
She left England on the convict transport Friendship in May 1787. She was about 20 at the time.
Convicts on the Charlotte
James Squire was a convict transported to Australia. He was sentenced seven years transportation. In 1787 James was released from Southwark gaol to voyage to the British penal colony in Australia in April 1787. Though James began his journey on the Friendship, he transferred himself to the Charlotte in a reshuffle of the women passengers. On 18 January 1788, the First Fleet arrived at Botany Bay, Australia.
James Bloodsworth was a convict sentenced for the theft of one game rooster and two hens at Esher, Surrey. James was a master bricklayer and builder responsible for the construction of most of the colony's buildings between 1788 and 1800. James Bloodsworth was living at Kingstone upon Thames, England and been tried at Kingston on Thames Quarter Sessions on the 3 October 1785, when sentenced to seven years transportation.
Thursday, 16th of April 2009. Melbourne, Australia