Indian Trader (1791 ship)

The East Indiaman Hindostan in company with Indian Trader, Ewretta, and Nancy, ships employed in the Canada trade. Thomas Whitcombe, c. 1830
History
Great Britain
Name	Indian Trader
Owner	1791:John Brickwood[1] 1798:M. Benson[2] 1823:J. Somes
Builder	Barnard, Deptford[1]
Launched	28 November 1791
Fate	Wrecked and condemned 1829
General characteristics
Tons burthen	340,[3] 34020⁄94[1] or 342,[4] or 345,[4] or 368[5] (bm)
Length	Overall: 101 ft 8 in (31 m)[3] Keel:80 ft 6 in (25 m)[3]
Beam	28 ft 2+1⁄4 in (9 m)[3]
Depth of hold	11 ft 5+1⁄2 in (3 m)[3]
Propulsion	Sail
Complement	1794:25[4] 1796:31[4] 1798:25[4] 1801:35[4]
Armament	1794:8 × 6&4-pounder guns + 2 swivel guns[4] 1796:10 × 6&4-pounder guns[4] 1798:14 × 6&9-pounder guns[4] 1801:16 × 18&6-pounder guns[4] 1815:4 × 9-pounder guns + 4 × 12-pounder carronades
Notes	Three decks

Indian Trader was launched in 1791. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC). She was on her second voyage when a French privateer captured her. The British recaptured her and she returned to merchant service, sailing to the Americas. She was lost c. 1830.

Career[edit]

Indian Trader entered Lloyd's Register in 1792 with John Edwards, master, Brickwood, owner, and trade London–Montreal.^[6][1]

Lloyd's Register for 1794 showed Indian Trader's master changing from Edwards to Dunlop, and her trade from London–Montreal to London–Bengal.^[7]

On 1 May 1794 Captain David Dunlop acquired a letter of marque.^[4] Before she was ready for a voyage for the EIC, Wells repaired her.^[3] On 25 June Gilbert Ferguson and William Gillett certified to the EIC's Court of Directors that before she, and seven other vessels, had left the Thames, "everything was done, that in our opinion was necessary, to make them sufficiently strong to bring home a cargo from India".^[8]

Dunlop sailed from Portsmouth on 11 June, bound for Bengal. However, Indian Trader was detained there for over a month.^[9] She did not reach Falmouth until 14 August. She was at Madeira on 5 September,^[a] and arrived at Calcutta 15 February 1795. Homeward bound, she was at Diamond Harbour on 14 April, reached St Helena on 25 August.^[3] On 3 September she sailed from St Helena. She sailed together with Boddam, Rockingham, and Latona, and a number of other vessels, all under the escort of HMS Hector.^[11] Indian Trader arrived at the Downs on 24 November.^[3]

Captain Edmund Barker acquired a letter of marque on 5 May 1796.^[4] He sailed for Bengal on 15 May. However, in November the French captured her in the South Atlantic. Her captors sent her into Cayenne.^[12][13] The EIC had no cargo aboard.^[14]

In 1797 HMS Thetis recaptured Indian Trader as Indian Trader was sailing from Cayenne to Baltimore. Thetis sent her into Halifax, Nova Scotia.^[15]

Indian Trader returned to Lloyd's Register in the 1798 volume. Her master was Manlove, her owner was M. Benson, and her trade was Liverpool–Jamaica.^[2] Captain Joseph Manlove acquired a letter of marque on 18 June 1798.^[4] Lloyd's List reported on 18 July 1800 that Indian Trader, Manlove, master, had sailed from Jamaica for Liverpool, but had to return because of damage to her masts.^[16]

Captain James Corless acquired a letter of marque on 26 August 1801.^[4] D. Sheepe replaced him according to Lloyd's Register for 1803.^[b]

The data below is from the Register of Shipping.

On 26 September 1815 Indian Trader, Lea, master, ran aground at Liverpool while returning from Jamaica. She was got off, reportedly without damage.^[17]

On 6 July 1821 Indian Trader sailed from Belfast with 200 migrants. She arrived at Quebec on 21 August.^[18]

On 31 May 1823, Indian Trader was at Sierra Leone when a lightning strike destroyed her mainmast.^[19]

Lloyd's List reported on 21 December 1827 that Maria had damaged Indian Trader.

On 13 January 1828 a gale drove Jessie Lawson into Indian Trader. Jessie Lawson then ran aground and was wrecked in Mountbatten Bay. All on board survived. Jessie Lawson was on a voyage from London to Van Diemen's Land.^[20][21]

Fate[edit]

On 26 October 1829 a steamboat towed Indian Trader into Stockholm. Indian Trader had been sailing from "Laguna" to St Pertersburg when she had struck on Gothland. It was expected that Indian Trader would be condemned.^[22]

The Register of Shipping for 1831 has the notation "LOST" by her name.^[23] Lloyd's Register continued to carry Indian Trader with stale data until 1833.^[5]

Notes[edit]

Citations[edit]

References[edit]

• Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-96-7.
• Hardy, Charles (1800). A Register of Ships, Employed in the Service of the Hon. the United East India Company, from the Union of the Two Companies, in 1707, to the Year 1760: Specifying the Number of Voyages, Tonnage, Commanders, and Stations. To which is Added, from the Latter Period to the Present Time, the Managing Owners, Principal Officers, Surgeons, and Pursers; with the Dates of Their Sailing and Arrival: Also, an Appendix, Containing Many Particulars, Interesting to Those Concerned in the East India Commerce. Charles Hardy.
• House of Commons, Parliament, Great Britain (1830). Reports from the Select Committee of the House of Commons appointed to enquire into the present state of the affairs of the East India Company, together with the minutes of evidence, an appendix of documents, and a general index. Vol. 2. Printed by order of the honourable court of directors, by J.L. Cox.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Proceedings Relative to Ships Tendered for the Service of the United East-India Company, from the Twenty-sixth of March, 1794, to the Sixth of January, 1795: With an Appendix.