The ill-fated _Royal Charter’s_ passage home in the summer of 1856 presents an example of a badly run and disciplined ship. The food was bad, everyone had a growl about something, drunken riots occurred constantly, fighting in which even the crew and stewards took a part was of almost daily occurrence, and excessive gambling ruined scores of returning diggers on the lower deck. I am glad to say that I can find no such instance of disorder and lack of discipline amongst the ships which relied upon sail power alone. Best Homeward Passages, 1855-56. The honours for the year 1855 were, however, taken by the Duthie built Aberdeen clipper _Ballarat_, 713 tons, owned by Duncan Dunbar, which went out to Sydney in under 70 days, and came home Melbourne to Liverpool in 69 days with 110,000 ounces on board. The _Ocean Chief_, Captain Tobin, was a Black Baller on her second voyage. On her previous passage home in the autumn of 1854 she made the run in 86 days, during which she was embayed by ice for three days in the Southern Ocean, had the unusual experience of being becalmed for three days off the Horn and finally had N.E. winds from 18° N. to soundings. +------------------+---------+---------+-----------+--------+----+ | |Port from|Date Left| Gold on | Date |D’ys| | Ship. | | | Board | Arrived|Out.| +------------------+---------+---------+-----------+--------+----+ | | | 1855 | | 1855 | | | _Oliver Lang_ |Sydney | Jan. 3 | | Mar. 20| 76 | | _James Baines_ |Melbourne| Mar. 11 | 40,000 oz.| May 20| 69 | | _Indian Queen_ |Hobart | „ 17 | | June 5| 78 | | _Shalimar_ |Melbourne| „ 24 | 42,000 oz.| „ 5| 75 | | _Lightning_ | „ | Apl. 11 | 69,000 oz.| „ 29| 79 | | _Ocean Chief_ |Sydney | June 3 | | Aug. 26| 84 | | _Marco Polo_ |Melbourne| July 26 |125,000 oz.| Oct. 20| 86 | | _White Star_ | „ | Aug. 31 | 80,000 oz.| Nov. 27| 88 | | _Donald Mackay_ | „ | Oct. 3 | | Dec. 28| 86 | | | | | | 1856 | | | _Champion of the | „ | „ 27 | | Jan. 25| 90 | | Seas_ | | | | | | | _Lightning_ | „ | Dec. 27 | 12,000 oz.| Mar. 23| 86 | | | | 1856 | | | | | _Red Jacket_ | „ | Jan 12 | | Apl. 8| 86 | +------------------+---------+---------+-----------+--------+----+ The _Oliver Lang_, 1236 tons, was called after her designer, being a British built ship from the famous Deptford yard. Best Outward Passages 1855-56, Liverpool to Melbourne.