Nicholas Pateshall's diary: 5 February
Reproduction of Third Lieutenant Nicholas Pateshall's original diary entry from 5 February 1803.
Third Lieutenant Nicholas Pateshall, circa 1803. 42 p document.
Accession number: MS13479
From the State Library of Victoria's Manuscripts Collection.
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We put to Sea on the 5th of February, with a fine breeze, which in a short time brought us in sight of Portsmouth, where a sudden shift of wind blowing violently, obliged us, after struggling against it for three days to bear away for Plymouth; at this time the Captn had his Family on board, whose sickness and fear added to the noise of the unhappy wretches below, who naturally supposed from the confusion on deck, that every moment was their last, presented an awful scene; The ship was ill prepared for so sudden an attack of weather and I am certain had it not been for the great exertions of the few Sailors we had on board, who through ne-cessity were obliged to remain upon deck, both day and night, she must have been dismasted; happily however we reached -
