Swiss Emigration to Australia – Travel Contract 1855
Here comes an exceptional document I discovered on eBay in the USA. It’s not a passport, but rather a travel contract for a man departing from Switzerland searching for a better future in Australia. Since American sellers are often reluctant to ship abroad, I had to involve a middleman in the process. Swiss Travel Contract Australia
The year is 1855 and Andreas Mark from a small village of Lunden wants to sail to Australia. From Basel via Hamburg to Melbourne. The Swiss Franc was introduced just fives years earlier in 1850 and was by far not the strong currency as we know it today. Andreas had to pay 510 Swiss Francs for his journey.
For those who travelled to Australia in the nineteenth century, the journey was often long and dangerous. In calm weather, a sailing ship might take as long as four months, while a well-run clipper ship with favorable winds could make the journey in a little over half this time.
A worker in Switzerland earned about 2 Swiss Franks a day between 1850 and 1855. This implies that the Swiss man would need to work for about nine months to afford the extended sea journey alone. Swiss Travel Contract Australia
Andreas heralds from a small village named Lunden, Swiss Canton of Grisons. The population in 1850 had reached 1,740 people.
Australian Colonization Swiss Travel Contract Australia
After the “discovery” and exploration of the fifth continent by Europeans in the 17th and 18th centuries, the colonization of Australia began in the late 18th century, predominantly by the British—initially through penal colonies and later through settlers. The discovery of gold in 1851 triggered a significant wave of immigration.
Swiss Settlers
Just a few years after the establishment of the first settlement in 1788, the initial Swiss settlers arrived in the Sydney region. It is confirmed that from the 1830s onwards, an unknown number of dairy farmers and cheese makers. Likely from the canton of Bern, as well as merchants and educators primarily from the French-speaking part of Switzerland, lived in Sydney and its surroundings. The earliest significant Swiss emigration commenced in 1839.
Gold Miners
The exodus of over 2,000 Ticino gold miners, primarily from the Maggia and Verzasca valleys, between 1854 and 1856 constituted the most significant Swiss emigration to Australia in terms of numbers. In the goldfields of Daylesford and Ballarat in Victoria, where the majority of unskilled immigrants settled.
In contrast to the Ticinese, approximately 200 to 300 Puschlaver engaged in a chain migration, predominantly heading to the goldfields in the Bendigo region.
Diplomatic Relations Swiss Travel Contract Australia
Switzerland has upheld consular representation in Australia since 1855, with Sydney hosting the original Consulate General. Moreover, Switzerland actively established additional consulates over the years. Melbourne (since 1856, now the Consulate General), Adelaide (1879-1918), and Brisbane (1889-1933). Notably, since 1961, Switzerland has expanded its diplomatic presence with an embassy in Canberra.
The Travel Contract
A document detailing early travel and immigration is a fortunate occurrence, as the contract unveils pertinent details essential for such a voyage.
Some details of the contract:
- Passengers aged 10 and above are allowed to bring 50 kg of luggage, whereas those below the age of 10 are limited to 25 kg.
- The journey from Basel to Hamburg was included in the price
- Good accommodation in spacious rooms and good beds
- Daily breakfast with sugar and bread. For lunch, a soup, 2 sorts of meat and vegetables. Dinner: soup, meat and salad
- You had to bring your cutlery and bed linen
- The age of minors had to be verified by a baptism certificate, if in doubt
- You had to provide the necessary travel documents
- Do not drive nails and hooks into the ship
- Strictly prohibit giving wine or other drinks to the ship’s crew
- Price for the journey: 510 Swiss Francs
The Shipping Company
Joh. Ces. Godeffroy & Sohn was a shipping company in Hamburg that began building a regular shipping service in 1850. The company’s ships sailed from Hamburg to Australia, Chile, and California. At the beginning of 1857 the company owned 27 ships.
Johann Cesar VI. Godeffroy, the company’s leader, became a wealthy shipping magnate after expanding trade to Australia and the South Seas. His collectors and captains brought back zoological, botanical, and ethnographic material to Hamburg. Godeffroy founded the Museum Godeffroy collection.
The book “Das verkaufte Museum” is about the company’s South Seas ventures and the Museum Godeffroy collections.
The trips to California began to become unprofitable from 1857 and were discontinued. In 1867, frequencies to Australia were also reduced. Economic crises led to the insolvency of Joh. Ces. Godeffroy & Sohn became insolvent and, as a result, the liner service came to a standstill.
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