Description
Possibly the ship depicted is the Spanish brig ‘Dos Hermanos’ in Manilla Harbour, 14th February 1850, with Elwes himself in the stern of the dingy rowing towards the ship. Possibly a crocodile or alligator on the left. In his travelogue 'A Sketcher's Tour Round the World', Robert Elwes records that Dos Hermanos accommodated 9 animals: 5 horses and 4 ponies – possibly these are under the white tented part of the ship pictured.
“At length I began to inquire if any ship was about to sail for China, and heard that a fine Spanish brig, the Don Hermanos was soon to start for Hong Kong. I saw the captain (Flores) and arranged for my passage. On the 14th February I bade farewell to my kind friends the Americans, and took my luggage off in a banca and went on board.
“There was a nice breeze, and the captain immediately got under way. We passed near the Sarah Scott, her great black hull now deep in the water, though she was still taking in sugar from two or three cascos lying alongside, and we soon left her far behind.
“The Dos Hermanos was a fine brig of about 230 tons. The captain and mate were Spaniards, and the rest of the crew, about eighteen hands, Manilla men, pretty good sailors. The cook, as is generally the case with vessels in these seas, was a Chinese.
“I found that I was not the only passenger. A Frenchman, named Kennebel, with his wife and two children, and his assistant, Groinet, were my companions for the voyage. They were the relics of a large troop of equestrian performers, who had been travelling about and exhibiting in various places, and were now going to try their fortune at Hong Kong. The stud which was on deck, consisted of three French and two Sydney horses, and four ponies. The sea was smooth the first day, and they got on pretty well; but on the second, when we beat up the west coast of Luzon, the breeze freshened, the sea got up, and then a tremendous confusion began. Battens were nailed on the deck, to give the horses foothold, but it soon got wet with the spray and slippery, and then the animals began tumbling about, and falling down every time the ship lurched. First fell Le Blanc, then La Grande Caroline, then, as soon as they were lifted up, the ship rolled again, and down went Junot and Sauvage, the ponies. Poor M. Kennebel, and his assistant, Groinet, were up half the night, lifting them up as they fell; and had the weather continued bad, I believe they would all have died. But the next morning was fine, and Frenchman-like, the equestrian seemed quite to forget his troubles. and appeared in the highest spirits. When, however, we got a little beyond Cape Engaiio, and felt the open sea, all the row was renewed. At night, after working for a long time, he went below to get a little rest, but Groinet soon roused him up again "Kennebel ! Kennebel !" "Le quel est tombe?" asked he. "O mon dieu! ils sont toutes tombes!" was the disheartening response from the deck. The horses became gradually weaker; but on the sixth morning (not a short passage) we were off the entrance of Hong Kong, and seeing some fishing-boats near, we backed our foretopsail, till one of them bore down to us. The boat came near, and then two men threw a little dingy overboard, jumped into it and paddled to us. One took charge of the vessel and piloted us in; the other returned to his little craft.”
(Extract from Robert Elwes’ travelogue 'A Sketcher's Tour Round the World', first published 1854.)
Image Licence
All Rights Reserved
Image Credit
Courtesy of a private collector
Location
Manilla Bay, Philippines
Country
Philippines
Tags
Category
Travel & Transport
