A hand-coloured lithograph showing the 1100-ton clipper ship ‘Lady Melville’, passing through icebergs on her homeward voyage from Melbourne on May 21st, 1863. Here, she is seen steering a safe passage in high seas, with her sails reefed. The lifeboat on her port side indicates the peril faced by her passengers and crew, some of whom can be seen standing at her stern, braving the icy conditions. On the left f the picture an iceberg rears menacingly, its jagged face a reminder of its great size and danger below the water. The ship was owned by Greens, who employed her on their passenger service during the height of the gold rush (Basil Lubbock, ‘The Blackwall Frigates’, p. 263). During the ship’s passage home from Calcutta in 1861, her passengers had an excellent view of the great comet of 1861.