ABSTRACT
The Andromache, which finally left Devonport on 7 February 1834, was a 26-gun Royal Navy frigate. 1 At this stage of its six-month voyage to China waters, its size is, perhaps, more relevant than its guns. At 717 tons, the frigate was rather smaller than the 1,000 ton East Indiamen – the sailing ships which plied the trade routes to China; imagine, therefore the effect that its compactness was likely to have on the well-being and relations of its passengers.
