Scotlands History\|Scots and Canada

Across the ocean

  • A photograph of passenger ship 'The Hector' in a Nova Scotia bay.

The voyage to Canada was full of danger.

More than a thousand ships at sea were lost with all hands. Storms and icebergs could sink a ship. Privateers preyed on travellers as ships neared the coastline. But for most aboard ship the threat came from disease.

Outbreaks of disease on a ship often had high casualty rates. If conditions were cramped and unsanitary, everyone was at risk and illnesses such as cholera, typhus and smallpox could wreak havoc on a long voyage.

Almost all ships employed a private surgeon. They cared for the crew and passengers but would often fall ill themselves in the early stages of an outbreak.


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I Won't Be Coming Home - Clary Croft

Malnutrition among passengers increased the chance that minor infections could become serious, even life-threatening. During the second half of the voyage, food on board was often well past its best. Vinegar was used to make salted (and even rotting) meat palatable.

Many Scots children would arrive in Canada alone, having lost their parents to illness during the voyage. These orphans were often treated as 'home children'. They were sent to work on farms as manual labourers, or handed over to households or companies to become servants or messengers.

Ships had to navigate dangerous weather, with massive storms at sea. Crews had to keep a constant lookout for icebergs: giant floating masses of ice that could sink a ship in minutes. Most of an iceberg is hidden below the surface of the water, so a small chunk of ice could actually be a huge danger.

Travellers also lived in fear of attack by privateers. Piracy was a danger in the warmer waters to the south. 'Privateers' are ship captains who have special permission from their government to board and seize the cargoes of enemy ships. Both the American and the British governments gave 'letters of marquee' to ship captains allowing them to act as privateers. Privateers would search crews, arresting known criminals and checking for contraband and smuggled weapons.

Despite the hazards of the voyage, most emigrant ships arrived safely to Canadian ports. As steam ships began to replace the much slower sailing ships in the 1850s, the voyage to Canada became quicker and safer.