Emigrants & Ships in the 19th Century

The Stag was one of those square-rigged ships that made a number of trips to the Australian colonies in the nineteenth century bringing emigrants and returning with cargo. Later in the century there were some sleeker and faster vessels but the square-riggers were the work horses continuing to bring most of those emigrants who came under assisted passage throughout the century. The Stag was a medium size square-rigger built in Sunderland in 1842. The story of the Stag is told in my book: The Stag Diary- Passage to Colonial Adelaide 1850. The book includes a transcribed diary of one of the steerage passengers written during the 111 days of that passage from England to Adelaide. It also contains some wonderful watercolour paintings by one of the crew - Alexander Weynton. For more details on the book see: www.douglimbrick.com. One of Weynton's watercolours of the Stag in a storm is reproduced on the cover of the book (below).