1842-Ship Sidney lying in the port of Liverpool.

Friday Sept. 16 M. [morning] commenced with fresh breezes from the southward cloudy sky. At 4 p.m. hauled down to the dock gates.

Saturday 17 At 9 a.m. hauled through the gates down the pier head. At 10, set the fore & mizen topsail, & dropped off into the river, & called over the passengers' names & found three secreted & sent them onshore & proceeded down the river - at 11 the wind to the west, northwest. Weather looking very bad & rainy, returned up the river again some 10 miles.

Sunday 18 Commenced with strong breezes from the west northwest & rainy. At 1 p.m. came to in the river, 2 miles below Liverpool. Middle part moderate & pleasant. At 10 a.m. hove up anchor, took steam & towed down the river ending with light breeze from the north.

Monday 19 Commenced with light from the north & pleasant. At 2 p.m. steamboat left us 14 miles from town, set all sail by the wind. At 4 set fore topsail & topgallant stud sail. At 8 p.m. the light on point lines bore by compass west, southwest 10 miles. At 10 saw Skariee [UNCLEAR] Light, bearing by compass west. At 12 it bore southwest west 7 miles. First the wind hauled south, southeast. Cloudy weather, Holyhead Light, been southwest at 3 it bore east by north 2 south. At 8, Bordsey [UNCLEAR] Light, bore southeast 12 miles. At 11 a.m. tacked ship to west southeast ending with gentle gales & passing clouds.

Tuesday Sept. 20 Commenced with moderate gales & rainy. At 4 p.m. passed Bordsey Island Lighthouse, bore by compass southeast by north, tacked ship to the west, northwest. At 1 a.m. tacked ship to south, southwest. Moderate gales & cloudy. At 4 to west, northwest at 6 to southwest. [p. 1]

[Ship Sidney from Liverpool towards New Orleans, Robert Cowen, Master IS WRITTEN AT THE TOP OF THE PAGES OF THIS DOCUMENT.]

Tuesday Sept. 20. Flattering winds, ends with moderate breezes & cloudy all sail set by the wind.

Wednesday 21 Commenced with fresh gales & cloudy & frequent squalls of rain. At 2 p.m. saw St. David's Head, bearing by compass southeast of west bearing head sea at 8 p.m. At 6 the head bore southeast by east, at 7 the Smalls Light bore by compass south by east from which took departure 8 miles distant. Middle part strong breeze & heavy head sea. At 2 a.m. got the anchors on bow & secured them. At 4 put one reef in the fore & mizen topsail, and furled the topgallant sails, spanker & spencer. At 11 set the reef from the mizen topsail. Ends with fresh breeze & heavy cross sea. From noon 20th to noon 21st 142 knots. Latitude 50.-16. Longitude 7.-57.

Thursday 22 All these 24 hours strong gales & squally. Saw an English man of war steering up the channel & one brig. Ends with strong breezes & passing clouds. 207 knots. Latitude 47.-28. Longitude 11.-11.

Friday 23 All these 24 hours strong gales & squally with rain ends squally with rain. 168 knots. Dead reckoning. Latitude 45.22 Longitude 13.-54.

Saturday 24 All these 24 hours strong & squally with a very rough sea, ends with strong gales & squally with rain all prudent sail set. 140 [knots]. Dead reckoning. Latitude 43.27. Longitude 15.-30.

Sunday 25 First part of these 24 hours strong gales & squally. At 2 p.m. took in top gallant sail. At 5 took one reef in the main mizzen topsail. Heavy sea running at 7. Reefed the main sails. Last part more moderate. Ends with all drawing sail set. 158 [knots]. Latitude 40.52. Longitude 17.51.

Monday 26 All these 24 hour pleasant gales & clear weather. 161 [knots]. Latitude 38.48. Longitude 20.-26 [p. 2]

Tuesday Sept. 27 All these 24 hours gentle gales & pleasant weather. Ends with all drawing sails set. 100 [knots]. Latitude 37.47. Longitude 22. 07.

Wednesday 28 These 24 hours begins with light winds & pleasant. Middle part, the same. Last part, gentle gales & passing clouds. 97 [knots] Latitude 36.48. Longitude 23.45.

Thursday 29 Commenced with strong breeze & cloudy weather. Middle part variable winds & rain. At daylight saw St. Mary's Island, bearing by compass northeast. Ends with gentle gales & pleasant. Near St. Mary's took a [-] departure. Latitude 36.20 Longitude 25.36. 132 knots. Calm 3 hours.

Friday 30 All these 24 hours pleasant gales & passing clouds. 181 [knots] Latitude 34.21. Longitude 28.00.

Saturday Oct. 1 Commenced with gentle breezes from the north & pleasant weather. Middle part squally with rain. Ends with light air from the eastward warm & sultry. 118 [knots] Latitude 32.56. Longitude 29.41.

Sunday 2 For the first & middle part of these 24 hours light airs & calm. At 2 a.m. a light breeze from the westward too in stand sails - ends with moderate gales & pleasant. 89 [knots]. Calm 10 hours. Latitude 32.16 Longitude 31.25.

Monday 3 All these 24 gentle gales & clear weather. At 4 a.m. wind began to howl to the northward. Ends with all drawing sail set. 103 [knots]. Latitude 30.48. Longitude 32.26. [p. 3]

Tuesday Oct. 4 First part of these 24 hours gentle breeze & pleasant. Middle part light airs & calms. Last part gentle gales & squally with rain. Ends pleasant all drawing sail set. 72 [knots]. Calm 1 hour. Latitude 27.56. Longitude 32.26.

Wednesday 5 All these 24 hours light wind & pleasant, so ends with all drawing sails set. 99 [knots]. Latitude 28.16. Longitude 33.54.

Thursday 6 This 24 hours commenced with moderate gales, weather clear. Middle & last part light & variable winds. Saw 3 sails running to the north & eastward. Latitude 27.59. Longitude 33.34.

Friday 7 Commenced with light airs, & pleasant weather. At 4 p.m. calm, middle & last part light. Moderate gales & pleasant. Saw 4 sails running north & eastward. Ends with all drawing sails set by the wind. 60 [knots]. Calm 5 hours. Latitude 28.05 Longitude 35. 04.

Saturday 8 Commenced with gentle breezes, pleasant weather. Middle part squally with rain. Ends with fresh breezes & short chopped sea. 21 [knots]. Latitude 27.10. Longitude 35.04.

Sunday 9 Commences with fresh breezes & clear weather with heavy head sea. Last part strong breezes from the northeast & squally with rain storms ends. 100 [knots]. Latitude 27.43. Longitude 36.34.

Monday 10 Commenced with strong breezes, squally with rain. Middle & last part, prosperous gales, & pleasant weather. 188 [knots]. Latitude 25.29. Longitude 39.04. [p. 4]

Tuesday Oct. 11 Commenced with gentle breezes & pleasant weather. Middle & last part moderate gales & pleasant. So ends this 24 hours all drawing sails set. 108 [knots] Latitude 24.36. Longitude 40.48.

Wednesday 12 All these 24 hours moderate gales & pleasant. Ends with all drawing sails set. 107 [knots]. Latitude 23.43. Longitude 42.36.

Thursday 13 All these 24 hours, light winds & pleasant weather. 90 [knots]. Latitude 22.10 Longitude 44.06.

Friday 14 All these 24 hours gentle breezes & clear weather. At 3 p.m hiked ship & when in the act of setting the fore topmost sail the sail caught the boom iron on the fore yard. Called for a hand to go up and clean the sail. George H. Hill started up, he being the nearest & in trying to walk out on the yard, he fell to the deck. He never spoke after - lived 17 hours. Everything being done for his relief but all to no purpose. At the close of the day committed his remains to to [SIC] [the] deep. 101 [knots]. Latitude 22.47. Longitude 46.02.

Saturday 15 Commenced with gentle gales & pleasant weather. Middle & last part the same, these 24 thus ended. 113 [knots]. Latitude 22.49. Longitude 48.05. [p. 5]

Sunday Oct 16 Commenced with gentle breezes & clear weather ends the same with all drawing sail set. 130 [knots]. Latitude 23.06. Longitude 50.27.

Monday 17 All these 24 hours gentle gales & pleasant weather. Ends the same with all drawing sail set. 106 [knots]. Latitude 23.18. Longitude 52.23.

Tuesday 18 Commenced with gentle gales with light squalls of rain - Middle & last part light airs & pleasant weather. 45 [knots]. Latitude 23.14. Longitude 53.15.

Wednesday 19 Commenced with light airs & calms. Middle & last part light airs & pleasant. 48 [knots]. Calm 2 hours. Latitude 22.47. Longitude 54.00.

Thursday 20 First part of the 24 light airs & pleasant. Middle part calm, last part moderate breeze. 39 [knots]. Calm 8 hours. Latitude 22.51. Longitude 54.45.

Friday 21 First of these 24 hours gentle breezes & pleasant. Middle part squally with rain, wind variable. End pleasant all prudent sail set by the wind. There seems to [-] regular trade winds. 115 [knots]. Latitude 23.40. Longitude 56.39.

Saturday 22 Commenced with gentle gales & pleasant weather. Middle part calm, last part strong breeze, squally with rain. 73 [knots]. Calm 8 hours. Latitude 23.40. Longitude 57.59. [p. 6]

Sunday Oct. 23 All these 24 hours strong gales & squally with rain. Split the fore & main topsails from topgallant & main royal. 168 [knots]. Latitude 23.12. Longitude 61.12.

Monday 24 Commenced with strong gales & squally with wind. Middle the same double reefed the topsail, last part strong breezes & pleasant weather & so ends. 140 [knots]. Latitude 22.52 Longitude 63.45.

Tuesday 25 Commenced with strong breezes & pleasant. Last part gentle gales & pleasant. All drawing sail set by the breeze. 164 [knots]. Latitude 23.21. Longitude 66.39.

Wednesday 26 Begins with prosperous gales and pleasant weather, middle part the same. Ends calm. 88 [knots]. Latitude 23.45. Longitude 68.15.

Thursday 27 First part of these 24 hours calm & hot, sultry weather. Middle part the same, ends with light winds & pleasant W. 42 [knots]. Calm 14 hours. Latitude 23.59. Longitude 69.44.

Friday 28 Moderate breezes & pleasant weather middle light airs & calms ends with light wind & pleasant W. One of the passengers died having been ill all the passage. 61 [knots]. Calm 4 hours. Latitude 24.00. Longitude 69.10. [p. 7]

Saturday Oct. 29 Commenced with moderate gales & pleasant. Middle squally with rain, ends pleasant. 73 knots. Latitude 25.15. Longitude 70.37.

Sunday 30 These 24 hours begin with moderate breezes & flying clouds. Middle and last part light winds & cloudy weather others ends. Latitude 23.23. Longitude 70.51.

Monday 31 Commenced with moderate breezes & thick rainy weather. Borned a child belonging to one of the passengers. Middle part light winds & rainy. Last part steady breezes & squally with rains. 118 [knots]. Latitude 25.57. Longitude 72.51.

Tuesday Nov. 1 Light airs calms squalls & showers during the whole 24 hours, something very uncommon in these latitudes. 17 [knots]. 3 calms 13 hours. Latitude 25.57 Longitude 73.12.

Wednesday 2 Commenced with moderate gales & pleasant weather. Middle part the same. At 6 a.m. made the hole in the wall. Several vessels in sight so ends proper sails set. 94 [knots]. Latitude 25.50. Longitude 74.57.

Thursday 3 Commenced with gentle gales & pleasant weather hole in the wall bore by compass northeast 8 miles. At 11:30 spoke the "Rockall" Captain Higgins, 30 days from Liverpool. At 10 a.m. made the great Isood [UNCLEAR]. Ends all drawing sail set from breeze. 103 [knots]. Latitude [-]. Longitude [-]. [p. 8]

Friday Nov. 4 Commenced with gentle gales & fine weather. At 3 p.m. made the great [-] bore by compass east southeast 7 miles distant. At 6 saw Gunkey Light south by east at it bore east 3 miles, at 11 1/4 it bore north by east distance 20 miles. Middle part prosperous gales & clear weather. Ends with fresh breeze & passing clouds all drawing sail set. 3 ships in sight, steering along with us. Latitude by observation 24.15. 154 [knots]. Latitude [-]. Longitude [-].

Saturday 5 Commenced with strong gales & passing clouds. At 4 p.m. double head shot Kays, bore by compass south southeast, distance 10 miles. 3 ships in company from 6 p.m. still 12 squally, took in & made sailors required. Last part strong breeze & cloudy. 5 sail in company so ends. Latitude by observation. Varies point east. 187 [knots]. Latitude [-]. Longitude [-].

Sunday 6 Commenced with strong gales & passing clouds at 3 p.m. Tortugos Lighthouse, bore by compass north northeast, distance 10 miles. Middle & last part strong gales & cloudy so ends. Latitude by observation 27.03. Varies point east. 218. Latitude [-]. Longitude [-].

Monday 7 These 24 hours begins with strong breezes & squally. Spoke the ship "Ambassador" of New York, 10 days out. At 2 a.m. wind howled west northwest, squally with rain. At 10 a.m. buried a passenger's child (Robert Browns). Last part gentle gales & pleasant. 140 knots. Latitude by observation 29.01 north. Latitude [-]. Longitude [-].

Tuesday 8 These 24 hours begins with fresh breezes & cloudy at 6 p.m. tacked ship to southwest. At forenoon tacked to north at 8 to west southwest so ends with all sails set by the wind. 117. Latitude by observation 29. 07. north. Latitude [-]. Longitude [-]. [p. 9]

Wednesday Nov 9 These 24 hours begins with fresh breezes and clear weather. At 4 p.m. tacked ship to north at 12 to west southwest. Strong breezes & flying clouds at 5 a.m. sounded in fifty fathoms water sandy bottom, at M. in 30 fathoms. So ends these 24 hours all sail set by the wind. 121. Latitude by 29.18. north.

The ship Sidney arrived at New Orleans Nov. 11, 1842. [p. 10]

BIB: Levi Richards Emigrating Company. Journal 1842 Sep-Nov [LDS Church Archives, Ms 3348, pp. 1-10; Acc. #142918] (CHL)
(source abbreviations)