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The Voyage of the
"Oriental"
506 Tons Register William Wilson, Master
The third vessel to leave New Plymouth under charter to
the Plymouth Company was the ship Oriental. Her first port of departure
was London, with a fair complement of passengers for Wellington. At
Plymouth she completed her loading, finally leaving there on June 22nd,
1841. Passengers totalled 112 males and 79 females - a total of 191.
Births recorded on the voyage by the Surgeon - Caroline Oriental Street,
and Albert Bishop ( there were 3)
The reminiscences of one child (Sarah Hellier) state -
The voyage was a fair one and was enjoyed by the
children, having no work, a little schooling and the opportunity of
playing on deck when the weather was fine. The few cabin passengers were
quartered on the main deck astern. The emigrants were below divided into
three divisions - the young men forward in the bow; the young women aft;
the married people with their children between the two, and adjacent the
young women.. There were also intermediate passengers, a less numerous
class, with rather better quarters than the emigrants. The married
quarters consisted of one big apartment, with bunks all around the walls
or sides of the ship, in tiers, and in the centre tables, which were
pulled up to the ceiling when not in use for meals. Here the married
people - men, women and children lived together, and for privacy it
was necessary to dress and undress in the bunk, with the curtains drawn.
The food was good for those days but it was a delight to again taste bread
at Wellington, after having for months only hard biscuits, made from
something akin to "sharps". After the call at Wellington, the first port
touched at since leaving England, disembarkation took place at New
Plymouth on a beautifully fine Sunday morning, with Mt. Egmont and the
bush which covered the surrounding country showing at their best. The site
of New Plymouth was then in bush, except for a few scattered clearings.
The dwellings were practically all raupo whares with sod chimneys. No
roads but tracks, which took the easiest route.
The Oriental arrived at Port Nicholson on October 24th,
and disembarked her Wellington passengers. This gives a period of four
months from Plymouth to Wellington, a good run for those days. This was
the second voyage of the Oriental under charter for the conveyance of
colonists to New Zealand, her first arrival at Port Nicholson being on
January 30th, 1840, having been preceded only by the Tory, the New Zealand
Company's pioneer ship, August 16th 1839 and the Cuba, January 3rd. 1840.
Captain Wilson commanded the Oriental on both voyages. Whilst the ship was
lying at Port Nicholson on this occasion, one of the gentle zephyrs that
sometimes blow in that latitude, came on. Captain Wilson had evidently
experienced on his first visit what a Port Nicholson gale was capable of,
for he made every preparation to meet its onset. Everything that could be
"struck" from aloft, was brought down and made fast, and the ship made as
secure as possible. He also put out extra anchors, but in spite of these
precautions, the ship dragged from her anchorage, somewhere off Pipitea
Point, across the harbour, eventually fetching up within a, "biscuits
throw" of the rocky beach in the locality of Oriental Bay. Her anchors had
secured a firm hold on the rock ledges on the floor of the harbour
thereabout. In this position she rode out the gale, but it was a narrow
escape.
The Oriental came to anchor in the roadstead at New
Plymouth on Sunday, November 7th landing her passengers and cargo on the
beach at the mouth of the Huatoki river, differing from the William Bryan
and Amelia Thompson in this respect, who used Muturoa Bay and beach for
that purpose. A letter written by a married couple, passengers on the
Oriental, upon their arrival at Port Nicholson gives some account of the
voyage, and their first impressions of New Zealand, prices etc. The letter
John Peake which is dated October 24th.1841, and addressed to "My dear
Mother, brothers and sisters," says:
"With great pleasure we have to inform you of our safe
arrival in this harbour, after a long and pleasant voyage. No storms were
encountered, neither did we touch or put into any place. Captain Liardet, Resident Agent of the New Zealand
Company, and Mr John Watson, late first mate of the Amelia Thomson, went
with the pioneers on the Oriental from Wellington to New Plymouth. The
Oriental landed her passengers on the 7th. off New Plymouth. On the
following day, Monday, the sea was too rough for the boats to communicate
with the ship, and on Tuesday, the north-wester having increased, she had
to slip and run to sea, having, in consequence of the foul ground, rocks,
etc., capsized the windlass, and lost one of her anchors in this
manoeuvre, Wednesday was still too rough, but on Thursday she again came
to anchor, and her discharge was completed, having practically no cargo,
only passengers luggage and belongings.
On Sunday the 14th., the Oriental had the narrowest
escape from destruction, owing to the crew being out of hand, and not
responding to the Captain's orders when attempting to get out of his
dangerous position and run to sea. Nicholas Browse, late Master of the
wrecked Regina, states in his journal, under date of Sunday, November
14th. "Wind north-west. At daybreak heard signal guns of distress firing.
Went to the beach, saw the ship Oriental about half a cable length from
the shore between two dangerous reefs of rocks. Two boats went on board
with Captain Liardet and Capt. King. At 8 am the wind veered round from NW
to SSW, the Oriental slipped her cables etc. and got safe out to sea. The
boats returned at 10 am. Capt. King reported she had struck two or three
times, but made no water. I am convinced that had it not been for the
exertions of Capt. Liardet and his boat’s crew, although the wind shifted
to the SSW, the Oriental would have been piled up on the rocks close to
the Regina.
In reporting this incident to the Chief Agent of the
Company, Colonel Wakefield, Captain Liardet states under the date November
20th, 1841: "Since writing to you last, the Oriental has had a very narrow
escape. On Sunday the 14th at about 4 am, this place was thrown into the
greatest consternation by several alarm guns being fired from the
Oriental. I immediately ordered guns to be fired from the shore, to show
them that we were acquainted with their situation, and then made all
possible haste to Moturoa, it being the most likely place to launch a
boat. We had a very large party to launch the boat, but to my disgust, I
could not make up a crew to go with me, and most of them were panic struck
by the appearance of the weather, more particularly the whalers. Capt.
King (aged 60) coming down at the time, immediately volunteered to pull an
oar, and we were just on the point of launching the boat through the surf,
one man short, when another man came forward, making up the crew. At the
time it was raining very heavily with a fresh breeze and much swell. when
we got on board (a good two miles pull) I found she was in a dangerous
position, about a cables-length from the Kawaroa reef. Captain Wilson
stated that the ship commenced to drag her anchor before he could make
sail on her. He was therefore obliged to veer cable again, I think to 60
fathoms. The proof that she must have dragged her anchor some distance,
and through foul ground, is that her anchor stock was broken in two
pieces, and floating close to the ship. However with Captain Wilson's
seamanlike management, and Captain King's readiness in attending in every
place where he could make himself most useful, and some more timely
assistance having arrived from the shore, (John Watson and others used to
the working of the ship) which enabled us to set all her sails quickly and
attend everything at once, and, most fortunately, the wind favouring us
just at the minute when everything was ready to slip the cables, and cut
the springs; which being done, to my great joy I saw the ship "gather way"
and clear the rocks. I cannot express to you how anxious I was about her .
. . ."
Having escaped from this dangerous position the
Oriental stood to sea not to return to these shores, having in her brief
visit of seven days had two narrow escapes from shipwreck, and lost two,
if not three, of her anchors, also cables. PASSENGERS : Richard Lethbridge Labr. 44; his wife
Louisa 40; George 20 ( Mar. Frances (Fanny) Perry - Amelia Thompson);
Thomas 18 (Mar. Susan George - Oriental); Richard 15 ( Married Sarah
Batten - Essex); Mary 13 (Thomas Newsham - Thomas Sparks); Emily 10
(Married John Goodman); Edith 2 ( Married George Collins )
Source - White Wings - Sir Henry Brett: The Oriental,
506 tons, Captain William Wilson, the third of the barques chartered by
the company, sailed from Plymouth on June 22, 1841, and arrived at New
Plymouth on November 7, after having first called at Port Nicholson. There
were only 90 emigrants aboard, and only one cabin passenger - Mr Charles
Armitage Brown, the friend of Keats, the poet. Sixteen other cabin
passengers had left the ship at Port Nicholson, as they did not like the
reports they heard about Taranaki. The Oriental had a fine weather passage
from the Old Land. As she had so few passangers and little cargo beyond
the belongings of the passengers, she got quick discharge, but
nevertheless she very nearly met the same fate as the Regina. Apparently
there was some trouble with the crew, and in weighing anchor the orders of
the Captain were not properly carried out. The barque was perilously near
the shore, at one time being about half a cable's length off, but
fortunately the anchors held when promptly dropped. Captain Liardet then
went aboard and skilfully worked the vessel out of her difficult position.
As it was she struck the bottom two or three times, but no serious damage
was done. Descendant input to up-date family pages is very
welcome - more detailed information available on request. |
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