the voyage
The route
Below is a sketch of the approximate route that the Emigrant took.

timeline of the voyage
- 19 Mar Emigrant at Deptford Naval dockyard, on southern bank of the Thames, being fitted out for the voyage
- 14 Apr Emigrant received her passengers at Plymouth. The list of those granted a passage under the Bounty system was checked. 276 passengers were ferried out to the ship
- 17 April: sailed from Plymouth on 17 April 1850, bound for Moreton Bay, with 276 passengers.
- 23 April: A child born - son of Isaac Salisbury & Anne (nee Mudford)
- 2 May: A Baby died (William Frith, son of William and Emma) - 8 months old, of diarrhoea (was born 11 Aug 1849)
- 3 May: Passed island of Madeira
- 8 May: Catherine Maunsell (of Ireland) fell ill with typhus - Kemp attributed sickness to a change in the weather
- ? May: 2 more young women and Mary O'Meara fell ill
- 12 May: Off Cape de Verde : typhus broke out
- Mid-May - Hannah Hallett must have given birth to a son (he died on 18 June at age 1 month)
- 24 May: Mrs Hannah Hallett died (b. Somerset) of apoplexy
- 25 May: Mary Meara died at sea of typhus - leaving three children to the care of the father. (b. Tipperary, died at 32 yrs at sea)
- 10 July: Mary Waterson, mother of three infant children, died of typhus(a 'violent cold caught was the forerunner of the disease')
- 15 July: (or 18 July according to Mrs Kemp) James Chapple, father of 3, died ('violent cold caught was the forerunner of the disease')
- 22 July: Ann Gleeson died at sea (mother of 2, b. Newmarket, Clare, 29 years) ('violent cold caught was the forerunner of the disease')
- 24 July: (97 days out) entered Bass Strait - so much sickness they had to enlarge hospital; Wind became 'light and foul' - wild weather in July
- 26 July: Ann Charlton (aged 20) & George Hayward died at sea,
- 28 July: Sophia Brimble died at sea, age 17
- 29 July: (Mary) Ann Connor died at sea - wife of James Connor - Capt Kemp gives her name as Ann
- 31 July: James Lancaster died at sea - supernumerary. seaman, fever
- 3 Aug: Caroline Loder died (b. Salisbury, died at 16 yrs at sea) (sister of Maria Trowbridge and Martha Loder)
- 5 Aug: Fanny Bloxam died
- 8 Aug: Arrived in Moreton Bay - after variable winds and deaths 'almost daily'
- Boarded by Pilot; Ballow went down on customs boat Aurora to arrange quarantine
- 8 Aug: Mrs Euphemia Furphy (widow) died at anchor (b. Armagh, died at 67 yrs at sea)
- Dr George Mitchell fell ill in the 'latter part of the voyage'
- 10 Aug: Henry Waterson died on board (died at 30 yrs at sea); Dr Ballow visited the Emigrant 'to enquire into the state of health of the passengers & crew'. He wrote in his report the following day, 11 Aug, that there had been 64 cases of disease and there were at the time 15 under treatment and 12 convalescent.
- 11 Aug: Wickham wrote to Col Sec regarding arrival of the Emigrant and his decision to put it in quarantine; says he will proceed to the quarantine station tomorrow & try to get the sick off the boat asap; reports inadequacy of accommodation, discusses tents, sailings and awnings etc to be sent over; has appointed George Watson to act as superintendent of quarantine and 4 prisoners from the Bangalore to be guards - to keep 'natives' from the station to protect them from spread of illness; as chartered Aurora for communications and supplies; the Emigrant's mail was sent to Brisbane, with mail fumigated.
- 12 Aug: Entered Moreton Bay but could not reach quarantine station immediately due to strong 'contrary winds'
- 13 Aug: Anchored at Dunwich.
- 13 Aug: Daniel Gorman died on board while the vessel was anchored at the quarantine station.
PHOTOS OF PLYMOUTH TODAY
first- and second-hand accounts
The most useful and reliable first-hand accounts of the voyage were provided by
Passenger Jane T. Cullen, wrote a brief letter that appears on page 110 of the Emigrant's Penny Magazine
Passenger Joseph Howe wrote a highly inaccurate account of the quarantine many years after the event.
Mary Rhodes, the daughter of passenger Anne Fogarty (who was a child on board the Emigrant) recounted her mother's story in 1916.
- Captain William Henry Kemp, and his wife,
- Frances Sarah Kemp.
Passenger Jane T. Cullen, wrote a brief letter that appears on page 110 of the Emigrant's Penny Magazine
Passenger Joseph Howe wrote a highly inaccurate account of the quarantine many years after the event.
Mary Rhodes, the daughter of passenger Anne Fogarty (who was a child on board the Emigrant) recounted her mother's story in 1916.