Transport vessels for the cancelled British attack on Manila (1797)

In 1797 the British East India Company (EIC) chartered a number of East Indiamen and country ships to serve as transport for a planned attack on Manila.

The vessels gathered at Penang in September and waited there. However, the Government cancelled the invasion following a peace treaty with Spain and the EIC released the vessels it had engaged.

The listing of EIC vessels comes from a report on claims by their captains for payment for their vessels' time.[1] The EIC held several vessels in India to support the expedition. There were eight regular ships: Lord Camden, Busbridge, Minerva, Lord Macartney, Lord Hawkesbury, Sir Stephen Lushington, Phoenix, and General Goddard. There were also three "dismantled ships": Pitt, Lascalles, and Royal Admiral. There were also some EIC "extra ships" on a voyage charter.

The captains of all the vessels sued the EIC for reimbursement for expenses consequent on the delay to their homeward bound journeys, and for the eight regular ships, the additional risks involved in the detours to Penang. In 1800 the court awarded six of the captains of the regular ship £750 each. The court further ordered that the officers of the vessels involved receive some payment.

EIC ships
Vessel Claim for transport services (£sd) Claim for demurrage (days) Claim for demurrage (£sd)
Atlantic 7,600 – 7 – 2
Busbridge 292 6,083 – 6 – 8
Ceres 59 1,597 – 18 – 4
Crown 6,753 - 18 - 3
Duckenfield Hall 6,401 – 19 – 2
Earl Talbot 59 1,597 – 18 – 4
Eliza Ann 13,249 – 6 – 6
General Goddard 179 3,729 – 3 – 4
Harriott (or Harriet) 10,438 – 3 – 2
Lascelles 272 8,440 – 16 – 0
Lord Camden 206 4,291 – 13 – 4
Lord Hawkesbury 207 4,312 – 10 – 0
Lord Macartney 217 4,520 – 16 – 8
Minerva 106 2,308 – 6 – 8
Phoenix 292 6.083 – 6 – 8
Pitt 229 6,655 – 6 – 3
Princess Mary 10,148 – 13 – 7
Princess Royal 5,819 – 15 – 5
Sir Stephen Lushington 210 3,192 – 0 – 0

Country ships

The list of the names of the country ships comes from a House of Commons Select Committee report.[2] The charter costs and period come from the Bengal Journal (April 1798; p.614.)[3]

Vessel Burthen (bm) Charter rate
sicca rupees		 Period
Abercromby 600 8,500/mo. 10 June 1797 to 10 February 1798
Ajax 460 6,000/mo. 3 June 1797 to 3 February 1798
Calcutta 10,000/mo. 25 May 1797 to 28 February 1798
Charlotte 350 £4,000/mo. Three months advance
Chichester 450 6,000/mo. 20 June to 20 December 1797
Hercules 450 6,000/mo. 3 June 1797 to 3 February 1798
India 800 10,500/mo. 25 May to 25 November 1797 + 10 days demurrage@£100/day
Munster Lass 350 3,500/mo. 2 June 1797 to 3 April 1798
Nancy 705 10,0000/mo. 11 June to 10 December 1797
Triton 950 10,500/mo. 25 May 1797 to 25 March 1798
Union 350 4,000/mo. 20 June 1797 to 20 March 1798
Brisk[Note 1]
Eliza Ann[Note 2]
Goonony[Note 3]
Trident[Note 4]

In addition Martha was lost in the Hooghli River in July "going on an expedition".[4]

Notes, citations, and references

Notes

  1. Purchased for £38,000 for service as a ship's tender.
  2. Possibly same Eliza Ann as above.
  3. Fireship
  4. Possibly HMS Trident, listed by mistake.

Citations

  1. Asiatic Annual Register for the Year 1805 (1807), p.53–60.
  2. Select Committee... (1814), p.654.
  3. Asiatic Annual Register, Or, A View of the History of ..., Vol. 7, pp.43-4.
  4. 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, (1830), Vol. 2, p.979.

References

  • Select Committee on Petitions Relating to East-India-Built Shipping, House of Commons, Parliament of Great Britain (1814) Minutes of the Evidence Taken Before the Select Committee of the House of Commons on Petitions Relating to East-India-built Shipping. (His Majesty's Stationery Office).
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