''Surprize'' was a three-deck merchant vessel launched in 1780 that made five voyages as a

packet ship Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed for domestic mail, passenger, and freight transportation in European countries and in North American rivers and canals, some of them steam driven. They were used extensively during the 18th and 19th ...

under charter to the British

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

(EIC). The fourth of which was subsequent to her participating in the notorious

Second Fleet The United States Second Fleet is a numbered fleet in the United States Navy responsible for the East Coast and North Atlantic Ocean. The Fleet was established following World War II. In September 2011, Second Fleet was deactivated in view of ...

transporting

convict A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convict ...

s to

Port Jackson Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...

(EIC). Her fifth voyage for the EIC was subsequent to her second voyage transporting convicts to Australia. In 1799 a French frigate captured her in the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...

First EIC voyage (1783)

Under the command of Captain David Asquith, ''Surprize'' left

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

on 22 April 1783 and reached the River Shannon on 11 September. She arrived at The Downs on 17 October.

Second EIC voyage (1785)

Captain Asquith sailed for Bengal, leaving Britain on 23 January 1784. She may have left as late as 29 April. She arrived at

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

by 9 September, bringing with her "a variety of articles, as well useful as curious". ''Surprize'' arrived back in Britain on 16 May 1785.

Third EIC voyage

Captain Asquith left the Downs on 10 July 1785. He was sailing to

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

and Bengal. ''Surprize'' was then to remain there.

Second Fleet and fourth EIC voyage (1790-91)

It is not clear when ''Surprize'' returned to Britain. She was in Britain in 1789, being repaired by Calvert (her owner). At that time her measurements were taken. Her entry in ''Lloyd's Register'' for 1789 has an addendum showing that she would be sailing for

Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal: ''Kamay''), an open oceanic embayment, is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point and the Cook ...

. Camden, Calvert & King, contracted to transport, clothe and feed convicts for a flat fee of £17 7s. 6d per head, whether they landed alive or not. In company with ''Neptune'' and ''Scarborough'', she sailed from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

with 254 male convicts on 19 January 1790. Her master was Nicholas Anstis, formerly chief mate on ''Lady Penrhyn'' in the

First Fleet The First Fleet was a fleet of 11 ships that brought the first European and African settlers to Australia. It was made up of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict transports. On 13 May 1787 the fleet under the command ...

, and surgeon was William Waters. At 394 tons (bm), ''Surprize'' was the smallest ship of the fleet, and was an unsuitable vessel for so long a voyage, proving to be a wet ship even in moderate weather. In rough seas and heavy gales the convicts "were considerably above their waists in water", according to the commander of the guards. She arrived at the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

on 13 April 1790, and spent sixteen days there, taking on provisions. She was parted from her consorts in heavy weather and came in sight of Port Jackson on 23 June. Contrary winds blew her out to sea again and she did not make port until 26 June 158 days after having left England. During the voyage 36 convicts died (14%), and 121 (48%) were sick when landed. From Port Jackson ''Surprize'' first sailed to

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...

, arriving there on 28 August in company with . ''Surprize'' then sailed to Canton, to load tea for the EIC for the return journey to Britain. On the way Anstis sighted, identified as an island, and named Montague Island () after

George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, (6 October 1716 – 8 June 1771) was a British statesman of the Georgian era. Due to his success in extending commerce in the Americas, he became known as the "father of the colonies". President of th ...

. She left Whampoa on 4 February 1791 and reached

Anger Anger, also known as wrath or rage, is an intense emotional state involving a strong uncomfortable and non-cooperative response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat. A person experiencing anger will often experience physical effects, su ...

on 29 April. She did not reach

St Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

until 8 July, but arrived at The Downs on 6 September.

Slaver (1791-93)

In 1791 and 1793, ''Surprize'' attempted two voyages as a

slave ship Slave ships were large cargo ships specially built or converted from the 17th to the 19th century for transporting slaves. Such ships were also known as "Guineamen" because the trade involved human trafficking to and from the Guinea coast ...

. Her owners for both voyages owners were Anthony Calvert, Thomas King, and William Campbell, and her master was J. Martin, though "Cambell" succeeded him during the second. On the first voyage she sailed 13 December 1791 but a nautical mishap caused her to end the voyage before she had embarked any slaves.Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database Voyages: ''Surprize'' (1791-93).
/ref> On ''Surprizes'' second voyage she left London on 2 July 1792, bound for the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

. She gathered her slaves at

Cape Coast Castle Cape Coast Castle ( sv, Carolusborg) is one of about forty "slave castles", or large commercial forts, built on the Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana) by European traders. It was originally a Portuguese "feitoria" or trading post, established ...

, which she left on 1 April 1793. She transported the slaves to Kingston, Jamaica, where she arrived on 20 May with 518 slaves. She arrived back at London on 11 October. ''Lloyd's Register'' for 1794 provides the following information:''Lloyd's Register
(1794), Seq. №S454.] Also, ''Lloyd's Register'' indicates that ''Surprize'' underwent a thorough repair for damages in 1792.

Second convict transport and fifth EIC voyage (1794-96)

Captain Patrick Campbell received a letter of marque on 20 January 1794. ''Surprize'' left England on 2 May with 33 male and 58 female convicts. The guards consisted of an ensign, a sergeant, and 23 privates of the

New South Wales Corps The New South Wales Corps (sometimes called The Rum Corps) was formed in England in 1789 as a permanent regiment of the British Army to relieve the New South Wales Marine Corps, who had accompanied the First Fleet to Australia, in fortifying the ...

. Among the privates were six men who were deserters from other British regiments and who chose the Corps over remaining in gaol; one was a mutineer from Quebec. On the vessel were four

Scottish Martyrs The Political Martyrs Monument, located in the Old Calton Burial Ground on Calton Hill, Edinburgh, commemorates five political reformists from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Designed by Thomas Hamilton and erected in 1844, it is a tal ...

, the political prisoners Thomas Muir,

Thomas Fyshe Palmer Thomas Fyshe Palmer (1747–1802) was an English Unitarian minister, political reformer and convict. Early life Palmer was born in Ickwell, Bedfordshire, England, the son of Henry Fyshe who assumed the added name of Palmer because of an inherit ...

William Skirving William Skirving (c. 1745 – 1796) was one of the five Scottish Martyrs for Liberty. Active in the cause of universal franchise and other reforms inspired by the French Revolution, they were convicted of sedition in 1793–94, and sentenced t ...

, and

Maurice Margarot Maurice Margarot (1745–1815) is most notable for being one of the founding members of the London Corresponding Society, a radical society demanding parliamentary reform in the late eighteenth century. Early life Maurice Margarot was the son of ...

. The surgeon for the voyage was James Thompson."Free settler or Felon" - accessed 6 September 2015.
/ref> ''Surprize'' sailed with a convoy of

East Indiamen East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vesse ...

and under the escort of , Captain Peter Rainier. One of the Indiamen was the '' General Goddard'', which would participate in a noteworthy capture of several Dutch East Indiamen in 1795 while on her return voyage to England. The convoy also included and . On 31 May a convict reported to Captain Campbell that the six deserters, all Irish, had been plotting in Gaelic to kill Campbell and take over the ship once it had separated from the convoy. Campbell put the men in chains, together with his first officer, Mr. Macpherson, whom Cambell suspected of knowing of the mutiny. On 30 June ''Surprize'' parted from ''Suffolk'' and the East Indiamen. ''Surprize'' arrived at Rio de Janeiro on 2 July, in company with . Due to problems obtaining fresh water, ''Surprize'' remained at Rio until 2 August. ''Surprize'' arrived at Port Jackson on 25 October. Campbell then sailed for Bengal. ''Surprize'' left

on 16 November 1795. ''Surprize'' reached St Helena on 16 February 1796 and Kinsale on 21 April, before arriving at The Downs on 9 May.

Later career and capture

''Lloyd's Register'' for 1799 shows that she underwent a repair in 1796. Then in 1799 her master was S. Moore, her owner was Calvert & Co., and her trade was London - India. ''Lloyd's Register'' for 1800 noted that ''Surprize'' had been captured.''LR'' (1800), Seq.№400.
/ref> ''Lloyd's List'' further reported that the had captured ''Surprize'', , and a number of other East Indiamen in the Bay of Bengal.''Lloyd's List'' 2 August 1799, №3087, accessed 6 September 2015.
/ref>

Notes, citations and references

Notes Citations References * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Surprize (1780 ship) Ships of the Second Fleet Ships of the British East India Company Individual sailing vessels 1780 ships Age of Sail merchant ships Merchant ships of the United Kingdom London slave ships