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The Beejapore made at least two voyages bringing immigrants to NSW, particularly from Scotland, many from Isle of Skye and many being Paisley weavers (see related projects).
In 1863, she journeyed to Queensland, carrying more than 700 immigrants, and landed at both Rockhampton on 28 June 1863, and Brisbane (see: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/68265098?), a trip noted as "surely the largest single cargo of passengers ever landed in Queensland."
The passengers were colloquially known as "Be-japers."
The Beejapore and her identical sister ship the Marco Polo were full-rigged clippers built in St. John, New Brunswick. They displaced 1.652 tons for a keel length of 182 feet (55 meters), with a beam of 36 feet (11 meters), and draught of 29 feet (8.8 meters), and with 22,000 sq. feet of sail. No pictures survive of the Beejapore, but many of her twin, the Marco Polo, which was celebrated as the fastest ship in the world after making the return trip from Liverpool to Sydney in under 60 days in 1862.
These massive ships had several decks with two dormitory steerage decks between decks to accommodate up to 1,000 passengers, livestock and provisions for a three months' voyage. Her keel length measured the same as restored tall-ship James Craig, now anchored at Sydney's Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour. The Marco Polo and Beejapore both comprised 3 decks of cabin berths and dormitised steerage "tween decks," with a height of eight feet, to fully accommodate up to 1,000 passengers, and stow livestock and enough provisions to sustain a three months voyage. The Marco Polo was converted to cargo use in 1867, she foundered in a gale and the captain grounded her on Port Edward Island in the 1880's. The fate of the Beejapore is unknown.
The emigrants traveled in steerage in conditions dramatically different from the cabin passengers, who enjoyed strolls on the poop deck and meals in a windowed saloon with a maple ceiling, stained glass-panelled doors, windows boxed out in perforated zinc to permit natural ventilation and ornamented with gold picturesque scenes, pilasters ornamented with silvered glass, coins of many nations studded around as decoration, and upholstery of embossed crimson velvet. Those in steerage were placed in berths 6 sq ft (0.56 m2) with four to six people per berth. The two steerage decks were divided left and right between men and women, with the insufficient ablution facilities at the rear. To make matters worse, the ship was chartered to carry twice the usual complement of steerage passengers, crammed into the dark belly of the ship, lit by few lanterns due to the risk of fire, and with little ventilation.
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