"The Emigrants at Dinner" Illustrated London News.
This sketch of emigrants on the St. Vincent bound for Australia in 1844 gives a view of the steerage on a ship considerably more comfortable than the one shown in the previous picture. The St. Vincent has a mess table in the area between the berths; the berths are separated from each other by solid partitions; there are benches along-side them; and the height between the decks is 6'4". Mealtime would not have been as comfortable as this for most emigrants. Ships sailing from Britain to North America were required to carry the following provisions for each passenger: two quarts of water issued daily; plus 1┼ lb. bread, ² lb. flour, 1┼ lb. oatmeal, 1 lb. rice, 1 oz. tea, 1/4 lb. sugar, and 1/4 lb. molasses issued twice a week. Anything additional, emigrants had to bring themselves. There were cooking stoves or, on more primitive ships, barrels lined with brick and covered with a grill which were usually located on the open deck. Three times a day emigrants would wait impatiently around the stoves for their turn to cook.
