White Star company and commanded by captain Matthews. The ship cleared from Gravesend on Dec. 13th. But met foul weather in the channel and did not move out of the downs until Dec.28th.

Tragedy struck the Hunt's when Mystery was off the Canaries, for, on Sunday the 9th of Jan. Stephen and Harriet's four and a half month old daughter Susannah died. The entry in the ship's log is terse and to the point; cause of death: want of breast milk — a striking comment of the conditions prevailing on the emigrant ships of that time. We have a graphic account of the funeral of poor little Susannah, from the diary of one of the cabin passengers.


"At sunset the bell rang for the funeral, and all hands mustered on the quarter deck. The most perfect
order and decorum prevailed. A scuttle was then opened on the larboard side, and one of the cones of the main hatchway almost halfway through it and covered in a union jack. The body was then brought from below by two sailors nicely dressed for the occasion, and laid upon the flag. It was of course, tightly sewed in canvas with lead attached but no coffin. We all grouped around, forming a dense mass of eager faces, for it was all-new to us, and all seemed struck by the strange solemnity. The sailors too hung from the shrouds above us with looks of interest on their rough faces. The service began the captain officiating assisted by the doctor. "Man that is born of woman has but a short time to live and is full of misery; he cometh up and is cut down like a flower" at the proper time the tiny body was slid through the scuttle into the glorious rays of sunshine. In a few moments the orb had set leaving us to finish the service in almost complete darkness. For about an hour people were formed in groups about the deck and then all settled back to their usual way. Later you heard singing and laughter as if nothing of the kind had occurred."

When the Mystery arrived at Lyttleton on April 1st. 1859 she was flying the yellow flag indicating that there was fever aboard. After a surprising short period of quarantine, however, she was allowed to set down her Passengers.