. . . Wednesday June 3rd. I went to Shadwell Basin London Dock to go on board the fine packet ship Amazon that was going to sail for New York on 4th of June 1863, with 730 of the Saints on board. I sleep on board at night.

Thursday 4th. The ship [p. 28] Amazon left London for New York. It was a very fine day.

Friday 5th. We had high wind. I was very sick in bed that day.

Saturday 6th. It was very rough all day. We cast anchor near Portsmouth, 200 miles from London.

Sunday 7th. We stayed there.

Monday 8th. We stayed there.

Tuesday 9th. We spent the morning at the same place. In the afternoon we got a fair wind, then we moved on. By this time the wind & sea was calm.

Wednesday 10th. The sun was shining and we had fair wind. The Saints on board were feeling well. In the evening the wind got very rough, also the sea. Some of the Saints was very sick.

Thursday 11th. The wind was very high. The ship Amazon was traveling [p. 29] through the mighty waters from 10 to 12 miles an hour. The wind & sea was very rough all the day. Some of the Saints was very sick.

Friday 12. The sea was very rough; the wind was somewhat in our favor. The ship Amazon was battling with the mighty waters, making headway from 10 to 12 miles an hour. I was sick in the morning, also in the evening. A great many of the Saints were sick.

Saturday 13. The wind & sea was very calm. The ship Amazon was traveling about 6 miles an hour. The brethren was serving out provisions that day. I was serving out the sugar.

Sunday 14. It was a very fine day. We held a meeting on deck [p. 30] in afternoon, Elders Brammell [William Bramall] & Slone [Edward L. Sloan] addressed the Saints. Captain Hovey & some others that were with him attended the meeting. After meetings, I had a long talk with the doctor about the principles of the gospel, but he did not like it. The ship Amazon was traveling about 6 miles an hour that day.

Monday 15. It was a very fine day. The ship Amazon was traveling about 8 miles an hour. My health & spirits was good that day. While on board I was appointed to preside over the 14 Ward. I had 39 sisters in my ward: two of the sisters was over 70 years old. One of them was 76; the other, 74.

Tuesday June 16. We had rough wind and sea. The ship Amazon was traveling from 10 to 12 miles [p. 31] an hour.

Wednesday 17. We had it very fine. The wind & sea very calm. We was traveling from 6 to 8 miles an hour. My health was very good.

Thursday June 18. We had head wind all day. The sea became very rough. The ship Amazon was traveling from 10 to 12 miles an hour.

Friday 19. We had fair wind in the morning. The sea not very rough. The ship Amazon was traveling from 10 to 12 miles an hour. In the afternoon the wind turned round against us & the sea became rough. We were not traveling very fast all the afternoon. In the evening the wind & sea became very calm.

Saturday 20th. It was very wet in [p. 32] the morning. The wind & sea was very rough; the waves were rolling high. Some of the Saints were sick. In the afternoon it was very fine. The sea became more calm & a great number of the brethren & sisters went up on deck and enjoyed themselves.

Sunday 21st. The wind was very boisterous & the sea rolling up like mountains. The sun was shining and the great waves of the sea looked magnificent. I spent the morning on deck singing the songs of Zion with some of the brethren & sisters. In the afternoon we had a good meeting in the ward. The sea was very boisterous all the afternoon & the waves of the sea was rolling very high.

Monday 22nd. The wind & sea were very rough. Some of the [p. 33] Saints very sick that day.

Tuesday 23rd. The wind & sea was very rough. Head wind & sea all the day.

Wednesday 24. The wind & sea became very calm, the Saints were feeling better. In the evening the wind & sea became very rough again.

Thursday 25. It was very wet in morning, the sea not so rough. In the evening I went on guard from 9 o'clock until one a.m. The wind & sea became very rough. We was traveling about 12 miles an hour.

Friday 26th. It was a fine morning. We were traveling about 6 miles an hour.

Saturday 27. It was a very fine day. It was what may be called a dead calm. I could not tell where the ship was moving or not. That day there was a very large whale to be seen in the water. [p. 34]

Sunday 28. We had high wind in our favor. The sea became very rough. We were traveling from 10 to 12 miles an hour. In the afternoon we passed a fine ship by the name of Constant tine [PROBABLY, Constantine]. She left Liverpool eight days before the ship Amazon left London.

Monday 29. It was a very fine day in the morning. The wind was high, the sea was looking very nice. We were traveling from 6 to 8 miles an hour.

Wednesday July 1st. It was a very fine day. The sun was shining very hot. Not but little wind that day, therefore it caused a dead calm. I could not see that the ship Amazon was moving in the water.

Thursday July 2nd. The wind [p. 35] and sea was very calm. The sun was shining very hot.

Friday July 3. It was a very fine day. The sun was shining hot; but little wind that day. We were traveling from 3 to 4 miles an hour.

Saturday July 4. It was a fine day. We was traveling from 4 to 6 miles an hour. We had music and dancing that day on deck.

Sunday 5. In the morning it was a dead calm. Before 12 o'clock a.m. we had high wind and made a start from 4 to 6 miles an hour. In the morning we had meetings in the wards. In the afternoon we held a meeting on deck. Elder Sloan preached upon the first principles of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Monday 6. We had head wind. [p. 36] We were traveling from 6 to 8 miles an hour. It was very foggy all that day.

Tuesday 7. It was very foggy all day. Not traveling very fast that day.

Wednesday 8. We had high wind; somewhat against us. We was traveling from 6 to 8 miles an hour.

Thursday 9. It was very wet -- the brethren held a concert and enjoyed themselves.

Friday 10. We had a fair wind; was traveling from 6 to 8 miles an hour.

Saturday July 11. We had a very nice day and high wind. The ship Amazon was traveling from 10 to 12 miles an hour.

Sunday 12. We had fair wind. We were traveling from 8 to 10 miles an hour. In the afternoon the wind and sea became very calm. We held a meeting [p. 37] on deck at four o'clock p.m. Elder Bramell [William Bramall] preached upon the first principles of the gospel. Elder [Edward L.] Sloan occupied a short time speaking of the gathering of Israel is the last days.

Monday 13. The wind was somewhat in our favor. Were traveling from 6 to 8 miles an hour.

Tuesday July 14. It was very foggy, not but little wind going. But what he had, was in our favor.

Wednesday 15. It was very foggy all the day, not but little wind going.

Thursday 16. It was very foggy all the day, not much wind.

Friday 17. It was a very fine day. The fog cleared off, then we could see the American Island. About seven o'clock p.m. [p. 38] the pilot came on board. We saw 11 or 12 ships that day. In the evening it was very wet; the sea was calm.

Saturday 18th. It was a very fine day. We had the pleasure to see the land of America -- I mean the American Island. About five o'clock p.m. we got in all safe. We cast anchor some distance from the great city of New York. The blessing of God was with us from the time we left London until we arrived to New York. Saturday night we stayed on board.

Sunday 19th. We spent the day on board. Elder [William] C. Staines came on board in the morning [p. 39] to give the Saints some counsel what course they should take while traveling to the Valley.

Monday 20th. We spent the morning on the ship Amazon packing up all our luggage. In the afternoon went. . . [p. 40] [ABRUPT END TO JOURNAL]

BIB: Berrett, John Watts, Diary (Ms 6579), fd. 2, vol. 4, pp.28-40. (CHL)
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