Log of the Passages of the Sailing Ship ‘Thermopylæ’ from London to Melbourne, thence to Newcastle (N.S.W.), thence to Foo-chow-foo, and thence to London, 1868-69.
| London to Melbourne. | ||||
| Date. | Lat. | Long. | Distance. | Remarks. |
| N. | W. | |||
| Nov. 5 | .. | .. | .. | 5.30 P.M. at Gravesend. |
| ” 6 | .. | .. | .. | |
| ” 7 | .. | .. | .. | 5 A.M. left Gravesend. |
| ” 8 | .. | .. | .. | 6 P.M. Lizard, N. 20 miles. |
| ” 9 | 48·30 | 7·2 | 168 | Var., moderate. |
| ” 10 | 45·38 | 13·16 | 274 | S.E., N.W., fresh. |
| ” 11 | 43·13 | 15·38 | 213 | Var., moderate. |
| ” 12 | 41·11 | 19·24 | 194 | S.S.E. Lost Peter Johnson overboard, ship hove-to for an hour, without success. |
| ” 13 | 39·44 | 22·10 | 138 | S.S.E. strong gales. |
| ” 14 | 38·40 | 22·58 | 69 | Var., moderate. |
| ” 15 | 35·12 | 21·54 | 213 | North-westerly, strong. |
| ” 16 | 30·39 | 22·55 | 279 | North-westerly, fresh. |
| ” 17 | 29·9 | 23·43 | 99 | N., S.E., moderate. |
| ” 18 | 27·38 | 26·5 | 200 | South-westerly, moderate. |
| ” 19 | 26·45 | 24·12 | 112 | South-westerly, light. |
| ” 20 | 26·32 | 24·39 | .. | South-westerly, light. |
| ” 21 | 25·14 | 24·32 | 68 | Easterly, light. |
| ” 22 | 21·39 | 26·5 | 228 | E., fresh. |
| ” 23 | 17·18 | 26·25 | 268 | North-easterly, fresh. |
| ” 24 | 13·18 | 25·32 | 250 | E., fresh. |
| ” 25 | 10·6 | 24·33 | 210 | Easterly, moderate. |
| ” 26 | 6·53 | 23·32 | 202 | South-easterly, moderate. |
| ” 27 | 4·27 | 24·3 | 140 | South-easterly, heavy squalls. |
| ” 28 | 1·23 | 25·50 | 228 | South-easterly, moderate. |
| S. | ||||
| ” 29 | 2·13 | 29·0 | 271 | South-easterly, fresh. |
| ” 30 | 6·30 | 21·8 | 288 | South-easterly, strong. |
| Dec. 1 | 11·22 | 31·28 | 293 | Easterly, variable. |
| ” 2 | 16·14 | 31·25 | 294 | Easterly, strong. |
| ” 3 | 20·24 | 30·26 | 256 | Easterly, moderate. |
| ” 4 | 23·0 | 29·0 | 176 | Easterly, light. |
| ” 5 | 24·32 | 27·39 | 118 | Easterly, light. |
| ” 6 | 25·53 | 27·8 | 81 | Northerly, light. |
| ” 7 | 27·22 | 26·28 | 96 | Northerly, light. |
| ” 8 | 29·4 | 25·10 | 123 | Northerly, light. |
| ” 9 | 32·24 | 22·35 | 240 | North-westerly, fresh gale. |
| ” 10 | 26·26 | 18·51 | 224 | South-westerly, blowing a gale. |
| ” 11 | 38·34 | 13·2 | 303 | South-westerly, strong. |
| ” 12 | 39·38 | 6·34 | 314 | W.S.W., strong. |
| S. | E. | |||
| ” 13 | 40·34 | 0·25 | 324 | S.W., strong. |
| ” 14 | 40·51 | 6·33 | 280 | Var., moderate. |
| ” 15 | 41·51 | 11·19 | 230 | Northerly, fresh. |
| ” 16 | 42·29 | 17·30 | 282 | North-westerly, moderate. |
| ” 17 | 43·6 | 23·41 | 278 | North-westerly, strong. |
| ” 18 | 43·9 | 28·29 | 211 | North-easterly, fresh. |
| ” 19 | 43·44 | 34·56 | 284 | North-easterly, strong. |
| ” 20 | 43·57 | 40·30 | 240 | Northerly gale. |
| ” 21 | 43·35 | 47·34 | 305 | Northerly gale. |
| ” 22 | 43·45 | 54·18 | 290 | Northerly gale. |
| ” 23 | 42·57 | 61·17 | 310 | Northerly gale. |
| ” 24 | 43·6 | 67·21 | 266 | Northerly, strong. |
| ” 25 | 42·57 | 74·26 | 312 | Northerly, strong. |
| ” 26 | 43·22 | 80·28 | 265 | Northerly, fresh. |
| ” 27 | 43·15 | 85·41 | 229 | Northerly, fresh. |
| ” 28 | 43·22 | 90·40 | 222 | Easterly, fresh. |
| ” 29 | 43·40 | 94·55 | 185 | N.E., light. |
| ” 30 | 43·11 | 102·11 | 320 | S.W., gale. |
| ” 31 | 43·4 | 106·43 | 200 | N.N.W., moderate. |
| 1870 | ||||
| Jan. 1 | 43·10 | 111·54 | 228 | N.N.W., moderate. |
| ” 2 | 43·7 | 117·14 | 248 | N.N.W., fresh. |
| ” 3 | 42·7 | 124·36 | 330 | Northerly, strong. |
| ” 4 | 40·39 | 131·18 | 326 | Northerly, strong. |
| ” 5 | 39·48 | 136·14 | 225 | South-westerly, moderate. |
| ” 6 | 38·41 | 140·18 | 202 | S.E., Percy Island. |
| ” 7 | .. | .. | .. | Cape Otway, N. ½ W., 12 miles. |
| ” 8 | .. | .. | .. | Calm and light. |
| ” 9 | .. | .. | .. | 7 P.M., came to anchor in Port Phillip Harbour. |
| Newcastle to Shanghai. | ||||
| Date. | Lat. | Long. | Distance. | Remarks. |
| S. | E. | |||
| Feb. 10 | 7·30 | A.M. | .. | Left the harbour. |
| ” 11 | .. | .. | 60 | E.N.E. to S.E., calm. |
| ” 12 | 32·46 | 156·3 | 152 | N.E. and E., very unsteady. |
| ” 13 | 32·13 | 158·26 | 125 | N.E. and N., Passed Lord Howe’s Island. |
| ” 14 | 28·30 | 160·55 | 250 | N., strong, squally. |
| ” 15 | 23·32 | 162·16 | 300 | N., clear. |
| ” 16 | 19·47 | 161·58 | 230 | N.W., clear. |
| ” 17 | 15·36 | 162·11 | 251 | N. ½ E., heavy, squally. |
| ” 18 | 13·31 | 163·24 | 145 | N.N.E., thunder and lightning. |
| S. | ||||
| ” 19 | 12·16 | 163·17 | 75 | N., heavy rain. |
| ” 20 | 8·35 | 164·0 | 224 | N., heavy rain and thunder. |
| ” 21 | 4·16 | 165·24 | 262 | N. and E., lightning. |
| ” 22 | 1·35 | 166·48 | 180 | N.N.E., heavy squalls. |
| ” 23 | 0·19 | 166·50 | 75 | N.W. by W. Off Pleasant Head, got quantity of jugs and cocoa-nuts. |
| N. | ||||
| ” 24 | 1·14 | 165·5 | 130 | N.W. |
| ” 25 | 3·24 | 162·25 | 200 | N.W. ½ W., squally. |
| ” 26 | 6·47 | 159·58 | 250 | N.W. by N., clear. |
| ” 27 | 10·28 | 156·35 | 297 | N.W. by W., fresh. |
| ” 28 | 13·28 | 152·4 | 298 | N.W. by W., fresh. |
| Mar. 1 | 15·54 | 148·25 | 256 | N.W. by W., squally. |
| ” 2 | 17·14 | 146·2 | 160 | N.W. by W., passed between Faraltan and Guguants. |
| ” 3 | 19·56 | 142·35 | 255 | N.W. by W. ½ W., squally. |
| ” 4 | 21·46 | 139·48 | 200 | N.W. by W. ½ W., light. |
| ” 5 | 22·23 | 138·19 | 82 | N.W. by W., light. |
| ” 6 | 23·32 | 136·43 | 110 | N.W. by W., light and variable. |
| ” 7 | 25·23 | 133·34 | 202 | N.N.W., passed Golden, Sydney to Shanghai 59 days. |
| ” 8 | 26·57 | 129·26 | 239 | W.N.W., passed Fok Island. |
| ” 9 | 29·30 | 126·11 | 230 | W. by N., heavy squalls, thunder, and lightning. |
| ” 10 | 31·20 | 124·0 | 200 | W.N.W. Off Vido. Got pilot. Passage pilot to pilot 28 days, quickest on record . |
| ” 13 | .. | .. | .. | Shanghai. Thick and calm. |
| Foo-chow to London. | ||||
| Date. | Lat. | Long. | Distance. | Remarks. |
| N. | E. | |||
| July 3 | .. | .. | .. | 5 A.M., proceeded down in tow. |
| ” 4 | .. | .. | .. | Pinnacle Island, W. by N. |
| ” 5 | .. | .. | .. | 3 P.M., passed Adams Point. |
| ” 6 | 23·6 | 126·32 | 174 | South-westerly, fresh. |
| ” 7 | 23·2 | 126·1 | 48 | Var., moderate. |
| ” 8 | 21·13 | 123·59 | 157 | South-easterly, squally. |
| ” 9 | 19·13 | 120·28 | 233 | South-easterly, fresh. |
| ” 10 | 18·36 | 118·37 | 115 | South-westerly, light. |
| ” 11 | 18·16 | 116·2 | 148 | South-easterly, fresh. |
| ” 12 | 17·37 | 112·38 | 200 | Southerly, fresh. |
| ” 13 | 16·43 | 109·49 | 176 | Southerly, fresh. |
| ” 14 | 15·43 | 109·5 | 63 | South-easterly, light. |
| ” 15 | 14·6 | 110·7 | 114 | South-westerly, light. |
| ” 16 | 12·37 | 109·29 | 96 | South-westerly, light, Cape Varella, 6 miles. |
| ” 17 | 11·47 | 109·30 | 50 | South-westerly, light. |
| ” 18 | 8·16 | 109·49 | 212 | Westerly, strong and squally. |
| ” 19 | 5·9 | 109·21 | 191 | South-westerly, strong and squally. |
| ” 20 | 4·16 | 109·17 | 53 | South-westerly, moderate. |
| ” 21 | 3·28 | 109·22 | 48 | South-westerly, light. |
| ” 22 | 2·40 | 109·54 | 58 | South-westerly, light. |
| ” 23 | 2·6 | .. | .. | Var., light. |
| ” 24 | 0·51 | 108·40 | .. | Boorang Island, E. by S., 10 m. |
| S. | ||||
| ” 25 | 0·45 | 108·34 | 96 | South-easterly, light. |
| ” 26 | 1·28 | 107·48 | 63 | Var., light. |
| ” 27 | 3·15 | .. | .. | Spoke Achilles, 10 days out from Foo-chow. |
| ” 28 | .. | .. | .. | 6 A.M. Anger Light, S.S.W., 8 miles. |
| ” 29 | 7·54 | 101·56 | 223 | South-easterly, fresh. |
| ” 30 | 9·22 | 97·21 | 284 | South-easterly, squally. |
| ” 31 | 10·59 | 93·10 | 267 | South-easterly, fresh. |
| Aug. 1 | 12·42 | 88·43 | 290 | S.S.E., strong. |
| ” 2 | 14·31 | 83·28 | 318 | E.S.E., strong. |
| ” 3 | 16·5 | 79·44 | 236 | South-easterly, moderate. Spoke Leander. |
| ” 4 | 17·30 | 76·33 | 203 | S.E. moderate, Leander, 10 miles. |
| ” 5 | 18·45 | 72·58 | 217 | S.E., fresh, Leander, 14 miles. |
| ” 6 | 19·16 | 71·26 | 97 | S.E., light. |
| ” 7 | 19·4 | 68·28 | 170 | S.W. to S.E., heavy gale, and sea washed away head rail. |
| ” 8 | 21·11 | 63·53 | 249 | S. by E., under topsails and courses. |
| ” 9 | 23·4 | 59·0 | 295 | S. by E., strong. |
| ” 10 | 24·30 | 54·55 | 246 | S. by E., all plain sail. |
| ” 11 | 26·9 | 51·23 | 216 | S. by E., var., plain sail and port studding-sails. |
| ” 12 | 27·25 | 48·30 | 185 | E.N.E., moderate. |
| ” 13 | 29·7 | 45·24 | 192 | E., light. |
| ” 14 | .. | .. | 170 | W.S.W., var. |
| ” 15 | 30·23 | 38·29 | 200 | S., strong gale with squalls. |
| ” 16 | 31·20 | 35·0 | 198 | E., light. |
| ” 17 | 34·20 | 33·35 | 110 | S.E., steamer astern like Achilles; sunset, breeze increasing, leaving her out of sight. |
| ” 18 | 34·2 | 29·39 | 270 | N.N.E., fresh. |
| ” 19 | 35·6 | 24·0 | 240 | S.W. by S., fresh, strong current to S.W. |
| ” 20 | 35·8 | 20·4 | 196 | N.E., fog and calm at noon. |
| ” 21 | 34·45 | 18·10 | 100 | W.S.W. increasing, rounded Cape of Good Hope, heavy sea. |
| ” 22 | 31·53 | 13·26 | 302 | S., all plain sail set. |
| ” 23 | 29·9 | 9·29 | 262 | S.S.E., all plain sail set and studding sails. |
| S. | E. | |||
| ” 24 | 26·14 | 5·19 | 284 | S.E., all possible sail. |
| ” 25 | 23·13 | 1·50 | 264 | S.E. by S., all possible sail. |
| ” 26 | 20·44 | 0·53 | 212 | N.E., and backing to S.E. |
| W. | ||||
| ” 27 | 19·9 | 2·49 | 146 | S.E., light. |
| ” 28 | 17·29 | 4·58 | 158 | S.E., light. |
| ” 29 | 15·36 | 7·33 | 187 | S.E., light. |
| ” 30 | 13·19 | 10·5 | 201 | S.E., light. |
| ” 31 | 11·16 | 12·16 | 190 | S.E., light. |
| Sept. 1 | 9·6 | 14·8 | 164 | S.E. by S., light. |
| ” 2 | 7·11 | 16·0 | 158 | S.E. by S., light. |
| ” 3 | 5·9 | 18·2 | 172 | S.E. by S., light. |
| ” 4 | 3·19 | 19·51 | 156 | S.E. by S., light. |
| ” 5 | 1·10 | 21·46 | 172 | S.E. by S., light, strong current to W. |
| N. | ||||
| ” 6 | 0·55 | 23·4 | 146 | S.E., light. |
| ” 7 | 2·57 | 25·4 | 174 | S.E. by S., light. |
| ” 8 | 5·51 | 26·7 | 184 | S.S.W., fresh. |
| ” 9 | 10·0 | 27·6 | 257 | S.W., very squally. |
| ” 10 | 12·16 | 27·16 | 140 | S., light var. |
| ” 11 | 13·10 | 27·0 | 60 | N.N.E., var., squally. |
| ” 12 | 16·33 | 30·9 | 273 | N.E., trade winds. |
| ” 13 | 20·5 | 32·58 | 270 | N.E., trade winds. |
| ” 14 | 24·0 | 35·23 | 272 | N.E. by E., trade winds. |
| ” 15 | 26·45 | 36·15 | 172 | E. by N., light. |
| ” 16 | 27·39 | 36·18 | 54 | E. by N., light and calm. |
| ” 17 | 28·0 | 36·23 | 21 | E. by N., light and airy. |
| ” 18 | 28·56 | 36·5 | 58 | S., light. |
| ” 19 | 30·18 | 35·45 | 52 | S., light. |
| ” 20 | 32·37 | 35·5 | 144 | S., light. |
| ” 21 | 33·45 | 34·18 | 85 | W., light rain. |
| ” 22 | 36·4 | 34·4 | 140 | W., light breeze. |
| ” 23 | 39·18 | 33·30 | 200 | S.W., squally, rain. |
| ” 24 | 42·37 | 30·17 | 245 | W., squally, heavy sea. |
| ” 25 | 44·10 | 26·16 | 200 | W., light and variable. |
| ” 26 | 45·14 | 22·59 | 158 | S.W. to N.W. |
| ” 27 | 46·8 | 18·34 | 200 | W., bar falling rapidly. |
| ” 28 | 47·15 | 14·0 | 202 | S.W., bar falling rapidly, very low. |
| ” 29 | 48·30 | 9·13 | 200 | S.W., bar falling rapidly, very low. |
| ” 30 | .. | .. | 200 | S. by E., noon Lizard, N., 8 miles. |
| Oct. 1 | .. | .. | .. | Beechy Head, E., 20 miles at noon, 5 P.M., Dungeness, got pilot. |