''Sinclair'', also known as ''Lady Madeline Sinclair'' (or ''Lady Sinclair'', or ''Lady Madalina Sinclair'', was a three-decker sailing ship built in Scotland but registered at
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a historic maritime city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Est ...
, England. She was built of
fir
Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...
, which made for speedier construction at the expense of durability. She made two voyages to
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, and on her first return voyage, via China, she carried a cargo for the British
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
.
Career
Captain John Hardy Jackson received a
letter of marque
A letter of marque and reprisal () was a Sovereign state, government license in the Age of Sail that authorized a private person, known as a privateer or French corsairs, corsair, to attack and capture vessels of a foreign state at war with t ...
on 14 October 1805.
[ This authorized he and ''Sinclair'' to engage in offensive action against the French, not just defensive, should the occasion arise.
She sailed as part of convoy in 1806 under the escort of that included the transports ''Elizabeth'', ''Justina'', and ''Alexander'', and the ]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 convicts ...
transport ''Fortune''. ''Sinclair'' was carrying stores, passengers, and some convicts.
The convoy passed Madeira on 25 February and were reported all well on 5 March. ''Sinclair'' was also carrying Captain William Bligh
William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was a Vice-admiral (Royal Navy), Royal Navy vice-admiral and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New South Wales from 1806 to 1808. He is best known for his role in the Muti ...
, who was sailing to the colony to assume the governorship.
Captain Bligh and Commander Joseph Short of ''Porpoise'' disagreed continually through the voyage as each believed they were in charge of the convoy. When Bligh ordered a change of course for ''Sinclair'', Short responded by ordering first officer John Putland to fire warning shots at ''Sinclair'', which carried Putland's wife, Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religion
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...
, and his father-in-law, Captain Bligh. In great distress, John Putland complied with the order, firing two warning shots across the bow of ''Sinclair''. When ''Sinclair'' did not immediately return on course, Short contemplated firing on ''Sinclair''. Fortunately, ''Sinclair'' shortly afterwards corrected her course and he did not have to order Putland to fire. When the convoy arrived in Port Jackson
Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta ...
on 6 August 1806, Bligh assumed the governorship of the colony.
''Sinclair'' left Sydney on 12 September 1806 with a cargo of oil and 14,000 seal skins for China. ''Sinclair'' and Captain Jackson left Whampoa anchorage
Pazhou is a subdistrict of Haizhu in southeastern Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, in China.
, formerly Whampoa Island, has a total area of and is the site of Pazhou Pagoda. Its eastern bay was formerly the chief anchorage for ships parti ...
on 3 January 1807. She reached Penang on 25 January and St Helena
Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory.
Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...
on 18 April, before arriving at The Downs on 3 July.British Library: ''Sinclair''.
/ref>
''Sinclair'' made a second voyage to Australia, still under Moore's command. She arrived at Sydney on 28 July 1808, carrying Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Foveaux
Joseph Foveaux (1767 – 20 March 1846) was a soldier and convict settlement administrator in colonial New South Wales, Australia. He was also a sheep grazier and breeder, being the largest landholder in New South Wales by 1800.
Early life
Fovea ...
, the new Lieutenant Governor of the colony, and 45 troops. She left on 26 October for England.[
Captain John Peat received a letter of marque on 4 January 1813.][
]
Notes
Citations
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinclair (1805 ship)
Ships built in Kingston upon Hull
1805 ships
Ships of the British East India Company
Age of Sail merchant ships
Merchant ships of the United Kingdom