Kindly transcribed and submitted to TheShipsList by Lynda Jones, Adelaide, from the South Australian Register.

barque Oaklands, 1,013 G tons (894 NRT), from Plymouth 3rd June 1877, arrived at Port Adelaide, South Australia 9th September 1877. (ship pictures)

South Australian Register ... Monday September 10, 1877

ARRIVAL OF THE ‘OAKLANDS’

The “Oaklands” arrived on Sunday with 346 immigrants, the report of whose conduct on the passage and their general appearance is decidedly in their favour. The vessel left Plymouth on June 3 with 338 souls on board, but that number was increased to 346 during the passage. No serious cases of sickness occurred throughout the voyage, save except during the passage of the tropics, when there was an outbreak of dysentery, caused in the doctor’s opinion by climatic influences. Three deaths occurred – one an infant 23 days old, the other two being women of mature years. Of the 11 children born, six have had the name of Oaklands bestowed upon them. On the 4th instant the voyagers organised a meeting, at which they presented the doctor with a purse of sovereigns in recognition of his care and attention. Perhaps one thing in favour of the doctor was the fact that he had lived in the colony for a period of almost 30 years previous to visiting England three years back, and he therefore was in a position to give the immigrants a vast amount of useful and reliable information.

The Oaklands is an iron ship, on her second voyage to this port. She is very well suited for the transport of immigrants, having good, lofty ‘tween decks and excellent ventilation from end to end. She is a craft not built for cabin passengers, and a great part of the poop is devoted to the purposes of the immigrants, one part being divided off for single women’s hospital, another for the uses of the married women, and a part of the fore end is fitted as a dispensary. Below this the single women are berthed in the ‘tween decks, they being presided over by Miss Wale and to have her as matron is to know that the girls are well looked after. There are sixty-two in the vessel, but not a great number of them are domestic servants, as several are either coming with or seeking friends here. The compartment was scrupulously clean.
The berths being arranged fore and aft may provide better ventilation; but it is somewhat a mistake to do away with the through gangway round the ship’s side.

The married people’s division has the customary patent berths, and throughout shows the most careful cleanliness. Dry scrubbing has been the order of the day here, and in addition to disinfectant twice a week, occasional fumigation has been adopted. There were lots of healthy-looking children in this part of the vessel.

The single men’s compartment is encumbered with the bunks, which many years ago were condemned in favour of canvas hammocks. Almost every surgeon recorded his dissent from the timber fixings, and Dr. Joyce is one more to condemn the plan. In other respects the compartment was very well kept.

The following is the passenger-list:—

Oaklands was a 3-masted steel barque, 1,013 GRT (894 NRT), built by Gourlay Bros. at Dundee, Scotland in 1876.
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