Ship Confiance

Selected from “The Voyages of Joseph Price, 1829 to 1854” http://www3.sympatico.ca/macprice/jp1Intro.pdf

Confiance was built in Quebec in 1851, and sailed to Liverpool where in 1852 she was sold to Joseph Price and six others. Converted for carrying passengers she was rated as being 927 tons, 57.4 meters (188.3 feet) between the insides of the stem and stern posts, 9.2 meters (30.1 feet) breadth amidships, and the hold was 6.8 meters (22.5 feet) deep. Ship rigged means that she had three masts, all with square sails, and a fore and aft sail on the mizzen (rearmost) mast.

Vessel’s original registry at Quebec

Registered 17.9.1851 - Port Register Number: Quebec 53/1851

Owner: James McKenzie, Quebec - 64 shares

Master: Donald Fraser, steamboat owner.

Builders certificate from J J [John James] Nesbitt, Quebec (her builder) dated 15.9.1851 927 2564/3500 tons burthen

One deck and poop.

Added at Liverpool to the ship’s copy of the registration:

“James McKenzie above mentioned has assigned by Deed of Mortgage, dated 16^th Instant Sixty four Sixty Fourths shares to Tyndall Bright of Liverpool, Merchant and Partner in the firm of Gibbs Bright & Co. of the same place, Merchants, as security for a Debt and with proven [obscure word].

(signed) John Bruce, Controller.

John Richards Phelan - master - Liverpool 10 April 1852.

Vessel’s first registry at Liverpool; BT 107/341

Registered 22.10.1852 - Port register Number: Liverpool 346/1852

Owners:¹

Joseph Price, Master Mariner, Liverpool - 16 shares William Currie, Merchant, Liverpool - 8 shares

John Scott, Gentleman, Liverpool - 4 shares

Catherine Scott², Widow, Liverpool - 16 shares

John Huddleston the Younger, Gentleman, Liverpool - 8 shares

James Hayes, Cotton Spinner, Leigh, Lancashire - 8 shares

Henry Fletcher, Gentleman, Workington, Cumberland - 4 shares

Master: Joseph Price

958 67/100 tons burthen³

Built at Quebec in 1851 and previously registered at that port on 17.9.1851 (Quebec 53/1851) 2 decks³ and a poop, 3 masts

188.3 feet long from the inner part of main stem to forward part of stern post

30.1 feet wide (breadth amidships)

22.5 feet deep (depth of hold amidships)

ship-rigged,⁴ standing bowsprit, square sterned, carvel built, no galleries, male figurehead

1 The ship was purchased by them for £5150, equivalent in 2004 to £327,000, of which £150 was a commission of the sale which Price applied to the ship’s account. Confiance was sold in England in May, 1854 for £11.700, equivalent in 2004 to £573,000.

2 Mrs. Scott was Joseph Price’s wife’s aunt, John Scott may have been her son.

3 The change in tonnage and decks would be caused by the conversion from a cargo ship to a passenger ship.

4 Ship rigged - A full rigged vessel carrying square sails on all three masts and an additional fore and aft sail on the mizzen (rearmost) mast.

Additional from Lloyds ’s Register of British and Foreign Shipping

Rigging: Ship; sheathed in yellow metal¹ in 1852, fastened with iron bolts. Tonnage: 825 tons using old measurements and 958 tons using new measurement Construction 1851 in Quebec using Oak, Hackmatack,² Elm & Birch

1 Also “Muntz metal”, an alloy of copper and zinc and sometimes tin or lead, similar to brass, applied to the hull, probably in Liverpool, to prevent fouling by barnacles and marine plants.

2 Tamarack, larch.

From “Surplus People – The Fitzwilliam Clearance 1847-1856”

Jim Rees, 2000, The Collins Press, Cork, Ireland

“Confiance, according to Lloyd’s Register, was 824 tons and had been built in Quebec in 1851. Interestingly, she was listed as being engaged in the Australia trade. She was classified A1. She left New Ross on May 1 with a cargo of salt and 482 passengers. She had a slow voyage and arrived in Quebec 48 days later on 17 June.”

Requirements for Passengers

The requirements for the passenger ticketing and accommodation are given in “The Passenger Act 1852" and other Orders in Council and regulations are in the “Colonization Circular No. 12" (select 1852). Briefly, for this ship:

· A statute adult was any person of fourteen years or over; children between one year and fourteen were counted as half a statute adult; infants under one year were not counted.

· Each berth for one adult was to be six feet long by eighteen inches wide. The arrangement apparently was:

· A central, longitudinal passageway running the length of the passengers’ quarters.

· Lateral passages about twelve feet long from the central passageway to each side of the ship.

· Each lateral passage had on both sides two tiers of two berths six feet long and thirty-six inches wide to accommodate two adults with eighteen inches width for each adult.

· Thus each lateral passage could serve sixteen adults.

· The manner of providing privacy is never mentioned in any of the material referred to herein.

· Unmarried male passengers fourteen years or older were to be in a separate compartment.

· The Galley was on the main deck staffed by two seafaring men as cooks. Another seafaring man was to be assigned as the passenger steward to maintain good order.

· There would be eight privies; on this ship these were water closets.

· The number of passengers that could be carried was set by two criteria:

· at least fifteen clear square feet of deck area per statute adult; and

· the total number of officer, crew, cabin passengers and other persons could not exceed one per each two tons of registered tonnage;

· Luggage and stores were placed in the orlop deck below the passenger deck.

· There would be five lifeboats ready for immediate use and fully equipped.

· A qualified medical practitioner with instruments, medicines, etc., must be aboard.

· There was to be a hospital compartment of 120 square feet of area with eight bed-berths.

· The meals to be provided to the passengers was set by a dietary scale based on the number of statute adults and a 140 day stock of provisions and water had to be carried.

· All these and many other provisions of the Act were to be inspected, verified and certified by the Emigration Officer at Liverpool.