Family History 1.6

Charles and Alice decided to leave for Auckland

The family eventually boarded their ship, Lord Burleigh, in the middle of November, 1859.

The ties to their life in London had weakened in the previous few years, because Charles's parents had both died, John in 1855, and Olive in 1858.

The reasons for choosing Auckland as their destination were never talked about in the family, but from what was happening, and one or two hints, it is clear that the news of the possibility of a war in the northern part of New Zealand offered opportunities for military contracts for Charles. The army was moving several regiments from Australia, and even India, to New Zealand; a painting in the Australian army archives shows two transport ships anchored off New Plymouth after dropping soldiers there in 1860.

In 1857, a book had been published in London, called New Zealand, the Britannia of the South, in two volumes, by Charles Hursthouse. It contained detailed arguments in support of emigration in general and in particular of New Zealand as a land of opportunity, along with pages of advice on what life was like here and what sort of equipment, clothes, and so on to bring.

Hursthouse, who had lived here for a few years, was a friend of, and related to the Atkinson and Richmond families who played a prominent part in this country in the second half of the nineteenth century. Hursthouse himself later decame a surveyor, who surveyed the road through Maori land past Parihaka, and thus precipitated the incident in 1881 which is so notorious.

Charles bought a copy of his book, which is still in the family.

His uncle Robert had previously emigrated to Sydney, in 1823, so there was some knowledge in the family of what this part of the world was like.

And in addition to the war rumbling on the horizon, there was a gum-digging craze, and a growing gold-rush, both of which might provide Charles with further opportunities.

Anyway, the first diary entry is for 17 November 1859, and it records the first impressions of the ship.

Lord Burleigh had a reputation. It had won the record for the fastest voyage from London to Sydney a few years earlier. So Charles must have thought he was choosing a comfortable, safe, fast trip.