Port Jackson, arriving there on 17 December 1825, with
50 women and three children.
The following letter was published in the Morning Post on 26
October 1826:
"The following letter has been lately received by one of the
members of the British Society of Ladies for the reformation
of female prisoners, from the female convicts who sailed on
board the ship Midas, under the care of Mr. Charles
Cameron, Surgeon R.N., and in confirmation of the truth of
their statements, it is accompanied by extracts from the
letter in which it was enclosed from the Surgeon to Captain
Y... R.N., also by another from the same Gentleman to one of
his friends in London
"Sydney, on board the Ship Midas, Dec 16, 1825
A
Letter Of Sincere Thanks From The Unfortunate Female Convicts
On Board The Midas, Captain James Baigrie, To The Ladies In
London.
"Worthy Madam - Permit us to indulge a hope you will pardon
the liberty we have taken by this. I most willingly set down
to comply with the request of all my fellow sufferers to
acknowledge our most grateful thanks to you, likewise to those
Ladies who took any part in the kind and Christian charities
we received at your hands, before we sailed from Woolwich.
Madam, we have never lost sight of the most kind and friendly
advice you were pleased to give us on your different visits,
and particularly on the last that we had the happiness of
seeing you. We therefore beg leave that you will accept of our
sincere thanks. It shall be our constant endeavours that our
future conduct and behaviour shall prove our respect and
gratitude; we shall continually pray for you, and may the
Almighty pour his blessing on you, and that is the earnest
prayers of us unfortunate women, who feel a heartfelt sorrow
for those past misdeeds. We shall conclude, and with all due
defence, shall beg leave to subscribe ourselves, Madam, Your
very much obliged, humble servants: Ann Unwin, Mary Jones,
Sophia Davis, Mary Bullingham, Ann White, Mary Dale, Ann
Cross, Mary Montague, Mary Snooks, Margaret Burt, Ann Colston,
Mary Weaver.
"Out duty to all the ladies; we hope they are all well. We are
all well. We cannot, Madam, inform you in what manner we shall
be disposed of. Our surgeon has been a great friend to us. May
the Almighty bless him!
We
beg permission to give you a short account of our voyage - We
arrived at Sydney this morning, after a troublesome voyage. It
would be a gross mistake to omit mentioning the charitable
gifts that you had the goodness to leave with Mr. Cameron, our
Surgeon, who had the goodness to distribute to us in proper
time. Our patchwork kept us employed some time. Our black caps
and aprons, we found them very convenient, and every other
gift very useful, and shall for ever be most thankfully
remembered by us. We put into a small isle three weeks after
we left England, and there we had a fresh supply of water and
fresh beef. Our Surgeon went on shore and bought fruit, such
as the isles produced; oranges, lemons and plantains and had
the goodness to give to each mess at different times, an equal
complement, and to be distributed to each woman equally. It is
not in our power to speak too highly for his praiseworthy
kindness and fatherly goodness to us, and still, what makes it
appear more pleasing, in extreme need, and at the time they
were most wanting. Madam, we hope that we do not too much
trespass on your time.
There has been a great deal of sickness
in the ship; thank God we have lost but one woman and one
child. We expected at one time to have lost a great number. We
almost despaired our surgeon could ever have stood it, and had
not the Almighty been on our side, he never could; there never
could be a Gentleman so constantly attentive to unfortunate
women; he was for ever below in the hospital with the poor
sick - and never appeared satisfied but when discharging his
duty. We can never be thankful enough. We have had two women
delivered of two fine boys, Lydia Moffat and a Mary Snooks;
the children were baptised by the surgeon and the women
churched by him also. The woman that died was buried at sea;
we were all present at the funeral, and the burial service was
performed most solemnly by the Surgeon and the Captain took
the part of chief mourner, and the whole ceremony was very
solemn. We have had divine service regular; the Captain and
Officers, us, and the free passengers, all attend. We have had
great indulgence and good examples set forth by the above
Gentlemen.
We arrived at Van Diemen's land three weeks ago and
there we left fifty of our women and eleven that were from
Newgate; and happy to say Madam, that by the good character
our Surgeon was enabled to give of them, that the greater part
of them was provided for when we left. We expect to land in a
day or two, and we hope that the Almighty will be our guide,
and keep us from every temptation. We are quite sure our
Surgeon will do all that lays in his power for us. If there
should be any of our fellow sufferers that should be about to
leave England, we strongly recommend them to behave well while
in prison, so that they may have a good character from the
prison; but to be particularly careful after they come on
board, for if their Surgeon cannot give them a good
character, it will be greatly to be lamented. We all hope that
they whom you may please, Madam, to read this letter to, will
impress it on their minds, and it will be for their good; and
I hope that they may meet with the same good treatment that we
have. The Captain has been very kind, and the Officer
likewise, also the seamen who sailed from Woolwich.
On
Saturday the 23rd July, Mr. Cane, the owner of this ship,
honoured us with his company until Sunday, when he took his
leave of us all at Margaret, and recommended us to the
protection of the Almighty. The bearer of this letter will be,
we expect Mr. Cameron, our worthy Surgeon, as we mean to ask
him the favour, and God grant him a safe passage to England an
a happy return to his family. Madam, we are about to beg a
great favour of you and the ladies, and that is if the expense
should not be too great, and should meet with your
approbation, to allow this letter to go to the press, as we
have disconsolate friends living in different parts of England
and as it would be likely this would meet the eye of some of
them and give them great satisfaction. We beg pardon, Ladies,
and hope we have not in any respect insulted your
understanding. Could this request be complied with, your
humble Petitioners would for ever be bound to pray. We all
with one accord, Subscribe as on the other side, Your humble
servants . The writer of this begs ten thousand pardons for
every imperfection, as she is a bad writer and bad speller. "
