East Indiaman (1802-1803)
She was taken up for service with the British East India Company between 1802-1803. [6] The Victualing Board chartered Alexander to carry 511,945 pounds (228.5 tons) of flour to New South Wales; the Bill of Lading was dated 5 March 1802. [7]
Captain James Normand [ sic ] left England on 28 April 1802, bound for New South Wales and Bombay. Alexander reached Rio de Janeiro on 30 June, and Port Jackson on 16 October. The government sold some of her supplies (60 casks of flour and 25 casks of salt meat) to Nicolas Baudin to resupply his two French vessels then in port. The supplies permitted Naturaliste to return to France and Geographe to continue her explorations of the Australian coast. [8]
A listing of vessel and arrivals and departures supports these dates and gives the name of her master as "Norman". However, it shows her as having delivered "prisoners", and having left for China. [9] The standard history of convict ships to Australia does not show an Alexander delivering convicts in 1802.
She left Port Jackson on 3 January 1803, stopped at Colombo on 20 March, and reached Bombay on 27 April. From Bombay she reached St Helena on 5 October, and the Downs on 18 December. [6] [lower-alpha 1]
On 4 January 1804 Captain Norman wrote a testimonial to the Commissioners of Longitude in support of an award for Thomas Earnshaw for his chronometer. Norman wrote that over the 13 months between leaving England and arriving in Bombay, the chronometer was never more than five miles off, and that from Bombay home it had altered trivially. [lower-alpha 2]
Convict transport
Lloyd's Register continued to show Alexander on the London-Jamaica trade, but this appears to be a case of the Register not receiving updated information. The entry in the Register of Shipping for 1806 is better. [4]
Under the command of Richard Brooks, Alexander sailed from Portsmouth on 28 January 1806, with 42 female and 15 male convicts for the colony of New South Wales. She was part of a convoy under the escort of Porpoise that included the merchant transports (Lady Madeleine) Sinclair , Elizabeth, Justina, and the fellow convict transport Fortune. The vessels passed Madeira on 25 February and were reported all well on 5 March. [12] Lady Madeleine Sinclair was also carrying Captain William Bligh, who was sailing to the colony to assume the governorship. Alexander underwent repairs at Rio after having run aground on a sand bank prior to reaching the port.
Alexander arrived at Port Jackson on 20 August. One male convict and a child died on the voyage. Alexander left Port Jackson on 10 November bound for England with a cargo of 300 tons of oil, 20 tons of fine salted skins, and 1500 furs. [9] [13] While exiting Port Jackson, she ran aground upon Bennelong Point and after heaving off without damage continued on her way.
When she returned to Britain, her owners appear to have sold her. Her new owners then returned her to the West Indies trade. According to Lloyd's Register, they may have increased her armament, perhaps fearing the more intense presence of privateers in that theatre. The information in the Register of Shipping shows no change.
| Lloyd's Register | Master | Owner | Trade | Notes |
|---|
| 1808 | Watts | Wright & Co. | London-Jamaica | ?×18-pounder + 12 × 12-pounder guns |
| 1809 | Watts | Wright & Co. | London-Dominica | 2×18-pounder + 12 × 12-pounder guns |
| 1810 | Watts | Wright & Co. | London-Dominica | 2×18-pounder + 12 × 12-pounder guns |
| 1811 | | | | Not listed |
|
| Register of Shipping | Master | Owner | Trade | Notes |
|---|
| 1806 | J. Taylor
R. Brooks | Lock & Co. | London-Jamaica
London-Botany Bay | 12 × 6-pounder guns |
| 1810 | Watts | Wright & Co. | London-Demerara | 12 × 6-pounder guns |
|
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Minerva was a merchantman launched in 1773 in the East Indies. She traded there for more than 20 years before she made three voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). The first EIC voyage was from 1796 to 1798. In 1799 she transported convicts from Ireland to Australia while under charter to the EIC. From Australia she sailed to Bengal, and then back to Britain. She underwent repairs in 1802 and then traveled to St Helena and Bengal for the EIC. She was lost in 1805 or 1806 under circumstances that are currently unclear.
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Nile was a sailing ship built in 1799 at Howden, England. She made one voyage transporting convicts to New South Wales. For her return trip to Britain she was under contract to the British East India Company (EIC). Thereafter she traded between London and the West Indies, Canada, and the Mediterranean until she stranded on 22 November 1833 on the island of Oesel, Russia.
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United Kingdom
