An unfinished diary by John Richardson (1846-1927) mainly written on board the West Australian, which sailed from Edinburgh to Wellington in 1864. The diary begins with John leaving Edinburgh on the 12th March and finishes unexpectedly on the 2nd May 1864 (it did not arrive in port until July 1st). The diary also includes song lyrics at the beginning of the volume. The handwriting is wonderfully clear and the diary contains an interesting account of day to day life upon the ship.

Also includes a Sunday School notebook, 1862; John Smith's shoemaker's ticket Mussleburgh, 1796 and an invitation to the New Zealand International Exhibition, Christchurch, 1906.