Our sincere thanks to Allan Dodson for the following transcriptions.
ARRIVAL OF THE ADAMANT
Nelson Evening Mail August 10th & 11th 1874
Nelson Evening Mail
10th August 1874
The barque Adamant, Captain Grant, arrived
off the Boulder Bank on Saturday morning last, after a good passage of 93 days, and was
towed into harbour by the steamer Wallace shortly after 4 p.m. the same day.
She left Plymouth on May 7th, with a fine breeze from the N.W., discharging the pilot the same day. Crossed the equator on Tuesday the 2nd June, in longitude 16 West. Fine weather prevailed until Wednesday June 10, when it blew hard from the eastward. At about 11 am a very heavy squall struck the ship carrying away the bowsprit and all attached to it, and splitting the jibs to ribbons. Between Cape of Good Hope and Tasmania experienced occasional gales. Sighted Tasmania on Thursday July 23, from thence experienced light northerly winds, sighted Cape Farewell at daylight Friday, arriving as above. The longest distance logged in one day was 250 miles.
Nelson Evening Mail
10th August 1874
The Adamant hauled alongside the Government
wharf this morning, and the passengers were allowed to land and a number of them have been
about the town all day enjoying the bright sunlight. The single men will take up their
quarters to-night at the new Asylum, which has been temporally converted into barracks,
and the remainder will follow to-morrow. Taken as a whole they are a smart looking lot of
people, and we trust that they provide a useful class of colonists. They hail from all
parts of England, but especially from the southern counties, and a few are from Ireland.
They speak in very high terms of the treatment and attention the received at the hands of
the captain and doctor, and it is satisfactory to learn that those offices give excellent
characters to those who have been under their charge for the last three months. There was
a good deal of sickness on the voyage, no less than fifth cases of measles having
occurred. There were twelve deaths, all of children, two from measles, and the remainder
from bronchitis and diarrhoea. The complement is made up as follows - 52 married couples,
42 single women and 83 single men. They will be open for engagement at the Asylum on
Wednesday. Divine service was conducted on board the ship yesterday morning by the Bishop
of Nelson.
Nelson Evening Mail
10th August 1874
Testimonial to Captain Grant - August 7,
1874
We, the undersigned Emigrants by the ship Adamant, from Plymouth to Nelson, New Zealand,
have much pleasure in presenting to Captain Grant this small testimonial of our high
esteem and respect held for him, and beg to tender our sincere thanks for his uniform
kindness and solicitude for our comfort throughout the voyage.
Trusting you will accept this small mark of our esteem and gratitude, and with many sincere wishes for your future health and happiness, we beg to subscribe ourselves as a committee for the passengers:
For the Married Compartment - Henry Johnson, Frederick Liley, Wm Tibbs.
For the Single Men's Compartment - Walter Wm Lane, Walter Langdon
For the single Women's Compartment - Jane Chapman, M.E. Young
Testimonial to Mr J Neumerat, Surgeon
From the Emigrants on board the Adamant - 7 August 1874
Sir - We beg to present you our sincere thanks for the kindness and attention you have
shown to us throughout the voyage to New Zealand. Trusting you will accept this small
tribute of our resect and gratitude, and wishing you every joy and happiness, we subscribe
ourselves as a Committee for the whole of the Emigrants.
Robert H Judbope and 105 others.
Nelson Evening Mail
11th August 1874
A long string of conveyances, some fourteen
or fifteen in number, conveyed the women and children this morning from the Adamant to
their temporary home. Judging from the strains of vocal music that reached our ears as
they drove past we should say they were a right merry lot.