Joseph Underwood (merchant)

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Joseph Underwood
Born1779 (1779)
Died1833 (aged 5354)
Citizenship Australian
OccupationMerchant

Joseph Underwood (1779 - 30 August 1833) was a prominent Australian merchant in the years following the Rum Rebellion. [1] He arrived in New South Wales in 1807 on the back of sound references from the British Secretary of State and in 1810 presented himself to Major-General Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of New South Wales following the usurping of William Bligh earlier in the year, as an expert merchant. Macquarie commissioned Underwood to visit foreign markets and increase economic imports, starting with Calcutta, India where he imported spirits. By owning the ships privately, but mortgaged to a nominal owner, Underwood could evade taxes imposed by the East India Trading Company. His journeys took him to London, India and South Africa's Cape of Good Hope, where his ship was wrecked in 1812, [1] during the period when Richard Siddins, employed by him, was the captain of the ship.

Moving into seal hunting, despite the decline of the industry, Underwood purchased a 186-ton hunting vessel and partook in whaling and acquiring seal oil. He expanded his fleet, importing pork from Tahiti and cedar and coal from Hunter River, sold seal skin in China, and imported tea from Bengal. [1] On the return journey from Bengal he came across a derelict, Seringapatam . The United States Navy had captured Seringapatam during the War of 1812, but mutineers and prisoners of war had recaptured her. Underwood acted as the crew's agent in claiming salvage from the Court of Vice-Admiralty at Sydney, but the court referred the matter to London. [2] Macquarie eventually requested Captain Eber Bunker to sail Seringapatam to England, where she was returned to her owner. Underwood's other vessels continued to range across vast trading routes, reaching Batavia and Mauritius by the early 1820s. [1]

By 1821 Underwood retired from personally undertaking these voyages. Instead, he purchased land in the City of Newcastle and Ashfield, New South Wales, to retire to. He also bought up various tracts of land and took up dairy farming. He was widowed in 1818, though with several children; his second wife, Elizabeth Underwood, survived him. [1]

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The Dutch corvette Scipio was launched in 1784. She convoyed Dutch East Indiamen between the Cape of Good Hope and Europe until HMS Psyche captured her at Samarang in 1807. The British Royal Navy initially referred to her as HMS Scipio, but then renamed her to HMS Samarang in 1808. She was not commissioned in the Royal Navy. She was instrumental in the capture of Amboyna and especially Pulo Ay, and participated in the invasion of Java (1811). She was sold at Bombay in 1814. She then entered mercantile service, sailing between Liverpool and India until 1827. She became an opium trader sailing between India and Canton, and was broken up near Hong Kong in August 1833.

James Underwood was a noted shipwright, merchant businessman and distiller in Australia. Born in Bermondsey, London, he was shipped to Australia as a convicted felon in 1790. He learned his trade in Sydney, becoming joint owner of a merchant ship, Diana in 1799. He co-founded Kable & Underwood, along with Henry Kable which was a merchant trading company, and utilised Diana for seal hunting in the Bass Strait.

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Richard Siddins (1770–1846) was an Australian master mariner, harbour pilot and lighthouse keeper.

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Portsea was launched at Calcutta in 1807. She was a country ship; that is, she primarily traded east of the Cape of Good Hope. She participated as a transport in the British invasion of Mauritius. She then carried French prisoners of war to France. She also made one voyage to St Helena from Bengal under charter to the British East India Company (EIC). In 1814 a storm dismasted her and she was lengthened, but it is not clear whether before or after the dismasting. She made two voyages as a South Seas whaler between 1828 and 1835. In 1838 she made one voyage transporting convicts to New South Wales. She carried coal to Valparaiso in 1840 and there her owners turned her into a coal hulk. Her final fate is not known.

Fairlie was launched at Calcutta in 1810 and sailed to England. There she became a regular ship for the British East India Company (EIC). Including her voyage to England, she made four voyages for the EIC. From around 1821 on she became a Free Trader, continuing to trade with India under a license from the EIC. She also made two voyages transporting convicts to New South Wales (1834), and Tasmania (1852). She made several voyages carrying immigrants to South Australia, New South Wales, and British Guiana. She foundered in November 1865.

Barrosa was launched in 1811 at Cossipore. She sailed to England and then made six voyages for the British East India Company (EIC); during this period she also made one voyage carrying immigrants to South Africa. After the EIC gave up its maritime activities in 1833-1834, Barossa became a transport. She made three voyages transporting convicts to Australia. She was lost in 1847, without loss of life, while transporting contract labourers from Madras to Jamaica.

Lord Forbes was launched at Chester in 1803 as a West Indiaman. She soon became an "armed defense ship", but by 1805 had returned to being a West Indiaman. She made two voyages as an "extra" ship for the British East India Company (EIC). She continued trading with India until 1817 when she sustained damage on her way to Bengal. There she was surveyed, condemned and sold.

Concord was launched at Dartmouth in 1807. From then until 1809 she traded widely. Between 1809 and 1812 two different histories emerged. The registers carried her as trading with North America. Other sources, however, have her sailing to the British Southern Whale Fishery as a sealer or whaler. She made three voyages between 1809 and 1816 in this capacity and then returned to trading. She was wrecked at the Cape of Good Hope in November 1816.

Regalia was launched at Sunderland in 1811. In 1819 she made a voyage to Calcutta, sailing under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). She also sailed to New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land. From Sydney she engaged in several sealing hunting voyages to the waters around Macquarie Island. In 1826 she transported convicts from Dublin to New South Wales. From 1831 until 1852, when she was wrecked at Davis Strait, Regalia was a whaler in the northern whale fishery.

John Tasker (1742–1800) was a Welsh sea captain and shipowner who became the East India Company's Master Attendant at Bombay and purchased the Upton Castle estate in his native Pembrokeshire where he was High Sheriff in 1798.

Robert Quayle was launched at Liverpool in 1814. Between 1816 and 1819 she made several voyages to India, sailing under a licence from the British East India Company (EIC). Between 1819 and 1821 she made one voyage with cargo to New South Wales, and then remained to engage in whaling. After her return to Britain she traded to South and North America. She was wrecked in December 1838 while engaged in the timber trade with Canada.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Hainsworth, D. R. (1967). "Underwood, Joseph (1779–1833)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. II.
  2. Dunabin, T. "A Raider of 1813-14: Retaking of the Seringapatam", The Argus (Melbourne , Victoria), 10 July 1920, p.5.