December 22nd. Sunday. This morning I received a note of invitation to dine with our intermediate passengers on Christmas Day. I declined accepting it, having promised to dine with Aunt. and Uncle"

The next day also, James was to make social arrangements:

" I am already engaged to dine with our Intermediates on New Year's Day, and they have made me promise to spend Christmas evening with them. We are nearing the Cape very fast, the weather is much colder. Another man in irons for insulting the third mate."

William on the same day, December 23rd, wrote the following in his diary

"Christmas Eve (sic) A double allowance of grog, 1/21b of flour, l oz. of raisins, 1/2 oz of suet to each."

The next day, 24th of December, William recorded

"24th Xmas Day. Puddings, drunkards discovered, too many on board breaking out in
boils."

On the 25th, William recorded simply "Child died'. James wrote at length about Christmas Day

" We have had up to this day a continuation of fine breezes and are making fine progress to rounding the Cape. The day (though much colder than it has been) is so different from the weather that we have been accustomed to at this time of year, that I hardly believe it to be Christmas Day. I spent the morning with Aunt and Uncle and the afternoon and evening with the Intermediates. An unpleasant scene occurred just as we were going to sit down to tea --one of the French passengers came and took a pie out of the Mess chest to take to his cabin.
Mr. Walters, the president of the mess, seeing him asked him what he was going to do with it. He immediately threw the pie in his face and followed it up by collaring him and forcing him down the forms. I was the only one near him, so I plunged in, caught the Frenchman by the arms and swung him against the cabins. I stood before Mr. Walters till he had recovered his feet, but the Frenchman did not attempt to touch him. We afterwards spent a very pleasant evening and I enjoyed myself very much."