Information required re the Ship The Harriet(t) 1816/1817

[patval]

Hi,

Thank you, I have been reading the journal again and yes, Captain Moore is mentioned....

Saturday November the 2nd. Had a disturbance aboard approaching to a mutiny in consequence of which it was determined to go to St Helena & dispose of the ringleaders the principle of whom was put under arrest.
November 9th Called at St Helena at 7 a.m. Cap’t Moore went aboard the Phaeton frigate concerning the mutineers. The Captain of the frigate would not take any notice of it & as the admiral was absent we proceeded on our voyage without delay. No person except the Capt was allowed to go ashore & upwards of 2000 soldiers are upon the Island. Bonaparte never sees any visitors & confines himself almost entirely to the house. A lieutenant of the admiral’s ship mentioned that he had been watching for three days near his house & only saw him once.

I believe that Capt Robertson may have been military there is a paragraph that says:

Mr Colville is a very excellent young man & had it been known that he was alive when we left England I should not at this time have seen Java. He came out Purser of the Surat Castle with Capt Robertson who left him here to look after their conjunct private trade in the year 1813. He has continued ever since on Java in the same business. This is (the Harriet) the third cargo he has shipped on their joint account during their stay & he is now intending to come home to England in the next china fleet. In the month of September 1815 he had a very severe attack of the Java Fever & some person wrote prematurely to Cap’t Robertson mentioning that he was dead which letter he received in the Month of December 1815. This letter was the cause of Cap’t Robertson’s coming out to Java at this time. On our arrival here he found Colville at Samasary in good health & I hope he (Colville) will long disappoint him in the same way...

So it seems as if Capt Robertson was a passenger along with his cargo whatever that may have been,

Thanks again for all the help, I have now got some more information and a little further forwards...

Patricia

[Little Nell]

There was at least one - maybe more - revenue cutter, HMS Harriet in the 19th century.  But revenue cutters don't usually sail as far as Batavia, but restrict themselves to stopping any nefarious activities within the coastal waters of the British Isles.

This site is very useful for RN vessels history, even if it is only a small amount of info.

http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/18-1900/Index.html

Nell

[philipsearching]

I have had a look at the Lloyds register for 1818 and I believe 'seaweed' has come up trumps (again!). The details in Lloyds fit your "Harriet" too well for it to be a coincidence.

[patval]

Hi Philipsearching,

 I agree, I don't know how you all do it  you make researching seem so easy, I'm just a mere beginner by comparison..... thanks to you all

Patricia

[seaweed]

Patricia,
May I ask where you obtained the journal of Alexander Warden?

rgds SW

[patval]

Of course you may....

The Journal along with 34 letters written by Alexander are at present in the possession of Fred Mann in Scotland, Fred's wife was Euphemia Valentine, my husband Ians cousin... Fay as she was known had been left the correspondence in her fathers will. Alexander Warden was the brother of Fay and Ians grt gr grandfather Robert Warden, most of the letters were sent to Robert and their father John.... The journal is dedicated to John..  he wrote at the end :

Since my arrival in London my adventures already are not strange to you and I shall only add that as this is rather a lame specimen of composition I request that as soon as my more intimate friends have seen it you will commit it to the flames and pronounce its funeral ovation.

      I am
         Alex’r Warden

London, January 31st 1817.


Ian and I spent a week in Scotland making copies of the letters and journal as Fred was considering giving them to a museum, they would then be lost to the family....sadly...

[axecalibre]

There is a book called Nathaniels Nutmeg which though very long winded might give you some insight into the relationship between England and Batavia and maybe the reasons for the visit of the Harriet.  Do not have the book to hand so not sure if the Harriet is mentioned....

So glad you took the time to copy the letters and journal.

[patval]

Hi,

Thanks for that, I managed to locate a copy on Abe books, its in the USA but have ordered it .


They are lovely letters... the first is dated Oct 22 1819 , Alexander died in 1836 , he drowned... but his wife Britannia continues the correspondance until 1847, hers are mainly letters asking for assistance in getting her sons to Scotland, and her struggles to cope as she was denied a pension upon Alex's death - although a Doctor I can't quite make out who Alex was employed by......... The children never got to Scotland. A daughter married and moved to London but was widowed early and had no children, One son married in Barbados had numerous children and I am in touch with some descendants who live in America.... Still trying to locate other family.....

Its a great hobby..
Patricia

[seaweed]

Ian and I spent a week in Scotland making copies of the letters and journal as Fred was considering giving them to a museum, they would then be lost to the family....sadly...

Well done you!
I think this document would be of interest to maritime historians. I would urge you or Fred to contact the National Maritime Museum to se if they are interested in acquiring it for their collections.
As far as I am aware they are not dealing with enquiries until after the Olympics. It may also pay you to see what information they hold on HARRIET.

Good luck with your research.
regards
SW