Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

The Parramatta Journal written by children on board the ship, 1882
MLMSS 2716 / Item 3

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"The Parramatta Journal"
"At home"
Before I set out on my long journey to Australia, I lived in Bradford in Yorkshire. I lived in Manningham Lane, the lane behind that Lumb lane up where I went to school. The lady who taught me was very kind to me, & I liked her very much. I must now go back to Manningham Lane if you go up Manningham Lane you will come to a nice park, the

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lodge is a very pretty one, & everything else very nice - FK.

"We are going towards Sydney"
We are going towards Sydney,
We are going towards home,
On the great ocean the large ship doth roam
Rocking up & down, from side to side,
On the broad ocean far & wide,
Seldom in a storm.
Sometimes in a calm,
Rocking about,
Seldom an alarm. FQ.

"Australia"
To enliven our voyage to Australia, we are going to publish a journal for children. We will now say a few words about the sunny clime to which we are bound. We will allude first to ferns. The most beautiful ferns grow there, the maiden hair grows wild, the tree fern grows wild, the parsley fern is a most lovely, delicate, fragile little thing, it grows in rocks, there is one

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place to where I would advise our readers to go, it is Buffalo it is a most enjoyable place, where the ferns grow luxuriantly. There will be a few words about the Australian scenery in our next number. FA

"Where I lived."
Well I am going to tell you a story about where I lived, well I lived in a town, it was the last house in the town. It was a very old house & it was not a pretty house, but still we were very fond of it, we had a large piece of grass at the back & at the front, there were two pieces of grass & railing all round. And one of the next door houses was across a little street, & that house was the first in Manningham Lane. & I went up Manningham Lane to school, or up Bowland Street & up Lumb Lane, & and the school house was in South Field square, & our teacher was very good and kind to us. And she had two nieces and two nephews, the eldest was a girl called Margaret, and she

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was a very great friend of mine, & the next was a boy and his name was Fred, & he was a very great friend of Regie’s, & one day he was playing with the pen knife, & it sliped & went into his eye, & he cannot see with it now. And the next was a little girl, & she was such a little dot, she was five years old I think, & her name was Mary, & the next was a little boy called George, & he was such a manlyfide boy & he was such a very little dot, and he was four years old, & this is the end of my first chapter about "Where I lived". MQ

"A Comic Song"
I am a sailor of the Parramatta,
And the Captain Mizzen Mast,
The top yard is the Crossjack,
& the next three headed spin
Our Captain is a jolly fellow
This tis what the niggers sing. FK.

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"Sydney Exhibition"
Sydney exhibition or else the Garden pallace was very nice it had a large dome & four towers up one was a lift, the other steps three had steps going round and round. I have been up two or three, I don’t know whether I have been up all or not. I have been up the lift &: one, two, or three of the others. I have a medal from the exhibition with the exhibition on one side & Captain Cook on the other. There were a great many other nice things there. But while we were in England, it was found in the newspaper that it was burnt to the ground. A very sad ending to the beautiful Garden pallace. FQ.

"Parramatta alphabet"
A for the anchor so large,
B for the bullwarks so strong
C for the Captain who is so good,

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D for the deck on which he stood,
E for the eatables we all enjoy so prime,
F for the forecastle, where sailors minute the time,
G for the galley where cooking is done so dirty,
H for the hat of old Gertie,
I for Irene pretty as I am told,
J for the jacktar, oh so bold,
K for the many knots that we go by day,
L for the ladies that on this good ship stay,
M, for the midshipmen, brave lads are they,
N, for the noblest, but here let me stay.
O, for the officers, three in number.
P, for the poop on which there’s is no lumber,
Q, for the quarterdeck on which the sheep do live
R, for the rudder which is at the stern,
S for the sailors, who the ropes do learn
T for the topsail the third on the mast
U for the urn which the tea does holds fast

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V, for the ventalators that let through the air
W, for the wheel, but what do I care?
X – for X’mas that soon will be hear
Y for the yard on which the sail is set
Z for the zebra, that is to be let. FA.
F.A. Gertrude Brooks
FQ. Mabel"
MQ. "Maffey
FK. Regie"

No 2.
The Parramatta Journal
Sydney Exhibition
Once a little girl, my sister Gertie, & I were in the exhibition. I had sixpence to spend, we went away from our friends, we bought something & then we went to look for the others & we could not find them & then we were looking about in the gallerys and in other places

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but could not find them, it was getting late & the bell rang for all the people to go out we did not know what to do, so we asked some people wether they had seen them going out, or seen them anywhere, but they had not. So we looked on at one side, and they looked out at the other side to see if they could see them, at last we did & were very glad.
The exhibition so grand,
In Sydney did stand,
In sunshiney showers,
And fine weather too
I liked going up the towers
Would not you?
With dome so high,
Neath such a blue sky,
With garden’s so gay,
Wouldent you say
Hip, hip, hurrah. BFQ.M Brookes

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"The Parramatta Tale"
The Parramatta is a very good ship,
Her bakers are so good,
They make our daily food,
I’ll eat it up, I should.
And she was loaded well,
And her sailors were so good,
I loved to go aboard,
And her Captain was so good
Her butcher also was a very good man
He keeps his cow so well
And his sheep as well – FK. R Maffey

"A Riddle"
My first is an animal, my second an article of dress, my whole a flower. (If anyone can find out this riddle, please to tell the editoress, & the answer will be put in our next number. FA – G Brookes
"Fun"
Since I’ve joined the Parramatta,
I’m sure I’ve grown a good deal fatter. Billy Dubbs.

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"Where I lived" Chapter 2.
As I told you in my last chapter that we could go to school up Manningham lane or up Lumb lane, & as I told you the school house was in South Field Square. Well I was very fond of my teacher, & she was very kind to me. I used to go to school at nine in the morning, & at half past two in the afternoon, we used to learn our lessons in the afternoon at the school for the next day, & if we did not get our
Lessons done at school, we used to take what we had not learnt home with us, & when we got them learnt we used to draw one day, & the other day we used to sew, & every Friday we used to have a french teacher, & I did not like Friday to come, for, I did not like french. Well now I will go back to Manningham lane well if you went up Manningham lane for about a mile from our house, you would come to a beautiful

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Park, & about in the middle of it there was a beautiful lake, with white & black swans & ducks. And when the Princess and Prince of Wales were at Bradford at one of the gates, there was an arch, & it was not taken down when we came away. And this is the end of my second chapter. M.Q.M Maffey.

A riddle
My first is an animal, & my second is a number. My whole a flower. FA G Brookes
"La Hogue".
I went to England in the La Hogue
A very good ship is she
When there came a strong wind,
She went very much to the lea.

She was loaded lighter than this ship
Perhaps she was heavier than some
But I’m sure I cannot tell you,
I know she was lighter than this one

She had some boats, I that need not
have told you.

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She had officers, yes officers too
She had a Captain
Of course you knew.
Now I will leave off talking about
This noble ship
The Parramatta is a nice one too
Oh what will rhyme with ship
Nip or lip,
Oh I need not have asked you.
FQ. M Brookes

"At Home" Chapter 2.
I am going on with my story about where I lived about at home. By the side of the park; there was an avenue, it was a very pretty one it had a lot of trees & a long sloping hill..Now I will leave off talking about the avenue. FK R Moffey.
"Australian scenery"
The scenery up the blue mountains is very beautiful, between some of the mountains there are pretty gulleys. Sydney harbour is pretty, not much

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Unlike Plymouth harbour The Lane Cove river is very pretty with nice little hills & bays. Hunters Hill is between the Lane Cove & the Parramatta rivers. On this hill some pretty little spots may be found. I will now say no more about the scenery for you will have more pleasure in seeking out for yourself pretty spots. FA. G Brookes
Notice Messes Papers & Pens have broken up the ‘free lending libery".

The Parramatta Journal No. 3. Christmas Number
A Merry Christmas Greeting from Old Mother Carey
At day break yesterday morning, a little speckled bird pecked thrice at the window of a Saloon Cabin, on the port side of the Ship Parramatta; at the same time he peeped with one of his bead-like eyes, at a drowsy man inside, who was lying in his berth wishing it was breakfast time. "Hallo! who are you?" said the man, as he rubbed his sleepy eyes open, and looking rather scared, for he thought it was a ghost, "Who are you I ask? Why don’t you speak?"

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The bird replied in a peculiar chirp, like a swallow with a grasshopper in his maw, "My name is Joey Spray. I am one of Mother Carey’s chickens." "Ugh! then you had better fly back to your old Mother; and tell her, from me, that she ought to know better than to rear up her chicks to brew bad weather, and frighten poor sailors. I suppose it was you who tried to upset our Ship and to "blow the man down" on last Sunday morning? You wicked bird!" "O no Sir; that wasn’t my doing. I never blew a man down, so please don’t blow me up. I am a messenger of peace; and I wish to see the young Editress of the "Parramatta Journal". She won’t scold me I know." "Well, she does not live in this Cabin. And let me tell you, Master Joey, that it is not good manners for a sea bird to be tapping at a young lady’s window with his beak. Pray what do you want with the Editress so early in the morning – before her Newspaper Office is open?" "My Mother has sent a verse for the Christmas Number of the "Parramatta Journal". She is going to send a Christmas Card to each good boy and girl on board the Ship. The parcel is too big to go into my pocket, so my big Cousin Molly Hawk, will bring it to the Editress before Christmas Eve. My dear

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Mother told me to give her love to everybody I meet, as this is Happy Christmas time". "Oho! that’s your errand is it, Joey Spray? I wish you could fly all over the World with your message of love. You may push your message thro’ the chink in my port, and I will give it to the Editress. I dare say it will please her." "I am sorry I misjudged you my pretty birdie". Joey wagged his little tail, and said "Chippy, chippy, chip", which no doubt he meant for his compliments for the Editress. Then he pecked a leaf of sea weed from a feathery pocket in his left wing, and pushed it thro’ the port. On the leaf was written in legible bird language, the following verse (stanza)

Ship Parramatta, ahoy!
To every soul on board, I say in rhyme,
I wish you a right merry Christmas time!,
I send each boy and girl a Christmas Card,
I token of my loving-kind regard.
God speed your ship along her watery way!
And safely land you all on New Year’s Day.
Mary Carey.
My "Rocky Lair"
Island of Desolation,
Southern Ocean
Christmas 1882.

The Prince of Wales’ Visit
The Prince and Princess of Wales paid a visit to Bradford on the 24th June last. Well, shall I go on with my story. Well, we had a grand procession such a lot of carriages and horses. The wool

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merchants they had a cart with the wool packs, and the butchers with their carts with cows in, and they had another cart with sheep, and one for pigs. Now I think I have told you all about the butcher. Then the Brewers came, with their red caps and funny suits on. We had a lot of people to lunch. Well I am going to tell you about the carriages and horses. There was the Prince of Wales’ carriage drawn by four dapple-grey horses; & the Lord Mayor of London’s carriage looked like gold, drawn by two brown horses. There were a lot of grand stands and we had one. F.K.

The Pretty Kitten
I love my little kitten,
Her fur is like soft silk,
I will not hurt my kitten,
I’ll give her some warm milk.
O I know how her I love,
And grieved should she die,
She is dear as little dove,
I trust she may not die. F.K.

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The Pretty Kitten
I love my little kitten
Her fur is like soft silk
I will not hurt my kitten
I’ll give her some warm milk.
O how sorry I should be if she was hurt,
She is a dear little thing
O how I hope she won’t die. F.K.

Christmas in Australia
Christmas in Australia is not like Christmas in England. You don’t see the white snow lying on the ground. But you see the bright sun shining forth and it is very nice. Perhaps you will feel the heat when you first get there, but I am sure

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you will like it in a little while. Do you like warm weather? I think that you would like it better than freezing cold. F.Q.

English Flowers
The double red rose has a sweet smell and is very pretty. The Sun-flower grows very tall, it is not half so pretty as the rose. The violet is a small flower, but a pretty blue. There is the dog daisy, and the usual daisy, and the buttercup. F.R.
Christmas at Home
The snow falls heavy upon the ground. Sometimes people are blocked in their houses. Some of my cousins were blocked in the houses & couldn’t get anything to eat. F.K.

I wish you a merry Christmas,
And a Happy New year,
Oh please will you remember,
That Christmas is near.
And when you see, a Christmas tree,
Will not I hear you say,
Oh I remember when I was at sea,
On Christmas Day.
F.Q.

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A maid on deck once went for a walk,
And with her mamma began to talk
About Christmas that soon will be here,
When all little girlies shed never a tear,
When all little girlies boys have never a fear,
And joyfully the sailors, the Parramatta steer.
Well this pretty maids name was Lear
And this dear maid had never a fear
And this sweet maid shed never a tear
And this little maid did the good ship steer
Right to Australia, the land
to which we’re bound,
Oh if she would steer you
Wouldn’t you give her a hundred pounds
F.A.

A merry Christmas may you enjoy,
And a most happy new Year,
May Santa Claus with many a toy
Make glad the heart of both girl and boy.
I wish you a Merry Christmas,
A little girl said to a dove,
Sweetly said the dove "coo coo"
The same to you my pretty love.

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Father Christmas thee I hale,
Said the schoolboy gladly;
With many an enchanting tale,
Pass the time not sadly.
F.A.

Christmas will soon be here,
And new Year too,
Bringing good cheer,
To me and you.
New Year is coming near,
With its joy and fun
Christmas is nearly here
My darling little one.
F.Q.

Where I lived. Part 3.
As I told you in the last chapter there was an arch at one of the Park gates. There was a gala in Lister park, there were some Fireworks and there were two balloons as fireworks; and there was a fountain in fireworks as well. And a likeness of the Prince and Princess of Wales in fireworks and the Queen too & it must have been a grand night & so it was. There was a shooting gallery and as this is the last journal I am going to tell you that the Prince & Princess of Wales said that the decorations were the prettiest they had seen. And as I told you in the first chapter I was very fond of my home & of the place where I lived.
M.Q.

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G E M Brookes
Regie W H Maffey
Mabel Clements Maffey
Mabel D Brookes

[Transcribed by Pat Moore for the State Library of New South Wales]