Maria was launched at Calcutta in early 1804 and immediately sailed for London on a voyage for the British East India Company (EIC). The French captured her in 1807 and sold her to Arab merchants who renamed her Derreak Beggie. In 1810-11 she served as a transport in the British capture of Java. At some point she became Ruby; Ruby foundered in 1838.
EIC voyage (1804-1805): Captain William Brown Greenway sailed from Calcutta on 1 March 1804, bound for England. She was at Kedgeree on 22 July. She visited Penang on 29 July and reached Saint Helena on 22 October. She arrived at The Downs on 5 March 1805.[3] Her owners paid c.£4210 for fitting out for her return voyage.[4]
Maria was one of the EIC vessels that were part of the expedition under General Sir David Baird and Admiral Sir Home Riggs Popham that would in 1806 capture the Dutch Cape Colony. They would carry supplies and troops to the Cape, and then continue on their voyages.
The French frigate Piémontaise captured Maria on 27 September 1807.[2] Between September and October, Piémontaise captured Caroline, Eggleton or Eggleson, master, Sarah, Henderson, master, Maria, James, master, Udny, Walteas or Wallis, master, Danneberg or Danesburgh, Winter, master, Highland Chief, Mahapice or Makepiece, master, Eliza, Sparkes, master, and Calcutta.[5][6]Calcutta was a "native ship". Captain James, of Maria, died aboard Piémontaise on 29 September.[6]
French records report that Maria was carrying toile, saltpêtre, and 8,500 sacks of rice. The value of the prize was 240,195.02 French francs.[7]
In a process that currently remains obscure, Maria ended up in non-French hands under the name Derie Beggi (or a variant spelling).
The country ship Derie Beggi (of 500 tons (bm)) participated in the expedition to the Moluccas and Java in 1810-11.[8] In 1810 Derriah Beggie (500 tons (bm); Captain Thomas Ross) embarked 70 horses belonging to His Majesty's 22nd (Light) Dragoons. The tail end of a heavy storm caught her with the result that 42 of the horses had to be destroyed.[9]
At some point Derreak Beggie/Deriah Beggie/Derie Beggi became Ruby.[1]
Fate
Ruby, Randall, master, had been sailing from Canton to Bombay when she foundered near the Seychelles. The crew took to three boats. Jupiter rescued the people on one boat that was under the command of the first mate.[10] Captain Randle and the men in the two other boats reached the Seychelles. In his deposition he stated that Ruby had developed leaks and despite the efforts of all to keep her afloat, including throwing her cargo overboard and pumping, she went down on 22 April 1838, at 5°43′S64°40′E / 5.717°S 64.667°E / -5.717; 64.667. She had been carrying some five lakhs of silver dollars and another lakh of gold. He brought 56 packages of gold with him in the ship's cutter, and put 65 packages of gold in the longboat.[11][12][13] The men on the longboat were later tried at Bombay for having piratically stolen 22 packages of gold leaf.[14]
↑ Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Volume 44, Part 1 - Volume 45, Part 2, fn. 34, p.8.
↑ Calcutta Monthly Journal and General Register ... (1838), p.365.
↑ Calcutta Monthly Journal and General Register ... (1838), pp.494–495.
↑ "Ship News". The Times (16863). London. 18 October 1838. col A, p.8.
↑ Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany (1838), Vol. 27, p.241.]
↑ Calcutta Monthly Journal and General Register ... (1838), p.643.
References
Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN0-905617-96-7.
House of Commons, Parliament, Great Britain (1814). Minutes of the Evidence Taken Before the Select Committee on Petitions Relating to East-India-Built Shipping. H.M. Stationery Office.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Phipps, John (1840). A Collection of Papers Relative to Ship Building in India ...: Also a Register Comprehending All the Ships ... Built in India to the Present Time ... Scott.
Roman, Alain (2007). Robert Surcouf et ses frères (in French). ISBN9782844210500.
Admiral Aplin was an East Indiaman of two decks, sailing under charter to the British East India Company (EIC). She made one complete voyage for the EIC before a French privateer captured her in 1804 on her second voyage. She may have returned to British ownership, only again to fall prey to a second French privateer in 1807; she subsequently foundered.
Mornington was a British merchant vessel built of teak and launched in 1799 at Calcutta. She made three voyages under charter to the British East India Company (EIC). On the third French privateers twice captured her and Royal Navy vessels twice recaptured her. A fire destroyed her in 1815.
Ocean was launched in 1802 at Quebec. She made five voyages under charter to the British East India Company (EIC) between 1804 and 1814. Her owners then sold her and she continued to sail between Britain and India under a license issued by the EIC. In 1815–1816 she made one voyage transporting convicts to Australia. She was last listed in 1825.
Althea was launched at Calcutta in 1801. She made one voyage to Britain for the British East India Company. The French captured her in the Indian Ocean in 1804 and then kept her at Île de France where she served as a prison ship. When the British captured Île de France in 1810 they recovered Althea. She then resumed her mercantile career until she wrecked in 1812.
Suffolk was launched in 1803 at Calcutta and at some point prior to 1810 was renamed General Wellesley. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC) but an American privateer captured her in December 1814 on the outbound leg of her second EIC voyage. In January 1815 she stranded on the Charleston Bar and became a total loss.
Fame was launched at Bristol in 1801 and repaired and measured in 1802 by Perry, on the Thames. She made two voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). On her third voyage a French frigate captured her. She apparently returned to British hands and was last listed in 1811.
Matilda was launched at Calcutta in 1803. She spent most of her career in private trade in India or in trading between England and India. She participated in the British invasion of Java (1811) and made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC). She grounded and was wrecked in March 1822.
Peggy was built at Calcutta in 1793 and initially sailed in the Indian coastal and Far East trade. In 1801 she assumed British registry and her name was changed to Juliana. Her owners sold her to the Transport Board but in 1804 the government resold her and she was sailing as a West Indiaman between London and Antigua. She then made two voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), and one voyage to Hobart, Van Dieman's Land, transporting convicts. On her return from this voyage she wrecked in 1821 on the English coast.
Hope was launched in 1804 at Calcutta. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC). She continued to trade around India until a French frigate captured her in 1808. She apparently returned to English hands and was renamed Madras Merchant. She was then sold in 1816 at Manila.
Anna was launched at Calcutta in 1793. She was often called Bengal Anna to distinguish her from BombayAnna. Bengal Anna made three voyages for the British East India Company (EIC). She was lost on the coast of Chittagong c.1811, after participating in a military expedition.
Lucy Maria or Lucy and Maria was launched at Calcutta in 1801. She made one voyage to England carrying rice from Bengal on behalf of the British East India Company (EIC). She was seized at Amboyna in 1804 and then sailed as the Dutch ship Victoria. The British recaptured her in 1806 and new owners renamed her Troubridge and later renamed her Lucy Maria. As Troubridge she served as a transport for two invasions, that of Mauritius in 1810 and Java in 1811. She was broken up in 1821.
Caledonia was launched at Calcutta in 1795. She may have served as a transport in a British expedition to Ceylon and the Moluccas in 1795. She then made three voyages to England for the British East India Company (EIC). She was trading in India in 1803 when a fire destroyed her, with great loss of life.
Sir William Burroughs was a merchant vessel launched in 1803 at Calcutta. A French privateer captured her in 1807 and the British recaptured her in 1810. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC) in 1812. She is last listed in 1820.
Huddart was launched in 1803 as an East Indiaman. She made eight voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), between 1803 and 1818. In 1810-1811 she participated as a transport in two British military campaigns. In 1818 new owners deployed her in sailing to Canada. She was wrecked there in 1821.
Varuna was launched at Calcutta in 1796. She made four voyages as an "extra ship" for the British East India Company (EIC), and then spent two years as a troopship. She returned to India in 1806. She was lost in 1811, probably in a typhoon.
Sir William Pulteney was launched in 1803 at Calcutta as a country ship She sailed to England on a voyage for the British East India Company (EIC) and her owner sold her there. The EIC then engaged her as an "extra ship" for six voyages as an East Indiaman to India and back. She was sold in 1817.
Oswin was launched in 1810. In 1818 she sailed for India. She foundered at sea in January 1819. All aboard survived despite having had to sail in a longboat for almost two weeks over 1400 miles to Saint Helena.
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.
Resource was launched in Calcutta in 1804 as a country ship; that is, she traded out of India but only east of the Cape of Good Hope. In 1807 the French captured her, but she returned to British ownership. She participated as a transport in the British invasion of Java. After 1813 she traded between Britain and India under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). From about the mid-1830s she traded primarily between Britain and Australia, and in 1839 she transported immigrants to South Australia. In 1843 she started sailing between Britain and Quebec until December 1846 when her crew had to abandon her at sea while on a voyage back to Britain from Quebec.
James Sibbald was launched at Bombay in 1803. She was a "country ship", a British vessel that traded only east of the Cape of Good Hope. A French privateer captured her in late 1804, but she quickly returned to British ownership in Bombay in a process that is currently obscure. She made several for the British East India Company (EIC).
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