''General Hewett'', sometimes spelled ''General Hewart'' or ''General Hewitt'', was a three-deck sailing ship launched at Calcutta in 1811. 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 ...

(EIC) purchased her to use her in the China trade. However, unlike most

East Indiamen East Indiamen were merchant ships that operated under charter or licence for European Trading company, trading companies which traded with the East Indies between the 17th and 19th centuries. The term was commonly used to refer to vessels belon ...

, on her first voyage from England she transported

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 ...

s from England to Australia. Thereafter, she performed five voyages for the EIC. The EIC sold her in 1830, and she then became a general merchantman. In 1864, she was sold for a hulk or to be broken up.

Career

''General Hewett'' was admitted to the Registry of Great Britain on 14 November 1813. She first appears in the ''Register of Shipping'' in 1814, with M'Tagart as both master and owner. By then her owner had sold her to the EIC. At the time the EIC purchased ''General Hewitt'', the company had only three vessels of its own. It chartered all the rest, including the ones built expressly for the EIC's trade.

Convict transport (1813–14)

Under the command of Captain Percy Earl, ''General Hewitt'' sailed from England on 26 August 1813, with 300 male convicts, 104 crew, 70 soldiers, 15 women and five children. The soldiers came from the 46th Regiment of Foot and guarded the convicts. She sailed in company with and ''Windham'', and under the escort of HMS ''Akbar'', at least for the early part of the voyage. The convoy also included , which was carrying military equipment to the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

, and , which was transporting an army detachment to the Cape and

Île de France Ile or ILE may refer to: Ile * Ile, a Puerto Rican singer * Ile District (disambiguation), multiple places * Ilé-Ifẹ̀, an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria * Interlingue (ISO 639:ile), a planned language * Isoleucine, an amino aci ...

(Mauritius). ''General Hewett'' arrived at

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 7 February 1814, having travelled via

Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...

and

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. The voyage took 165 days, during which 34 male convicts died, a large number, mostly of contagious

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

. The losses on ''General Hewitt'', , and Three Bees led in 1814, to Surgeon

William Redfern William Redfern (1775 – 17 July 1833) was the Surgeon’s First Mate aboard HMS ''Standard'' during the May 1797 Nore mutiny, and at a court martial in August 1797 he was sentenced to death for his involvement. His sentence was later commuted ...

preparing a report for Governor

Lachlan Macquarie Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (; ; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Gove ...

on the sanitary problems of the ships transporting convicts to New South Wales. This report led to a great improvement in conditions, including the appointment of a medical officer for each voyage. ''General Hewett'' left Port Jackson on 6 April, bound for

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. She carried the main contingent of the 73rd Regiment of Foot (10 officers, including the commanding officer, Lt. Col. Maurice O'Connell, 362 rank and file, 96 women, and 163 children), which the 46th Regiment was replacing. They arrived in Colombo on 18 August 1814.

EIC

''General Hewett'' made five trips to China or India for the EIC between 1816 and 1825.

Voyage #1 (1816-17)

Captain Walter Campbell left Portsmouth on 9 February 1816, in company with and the brig , which were carrying

Lord Amherst Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, (29 January 1717 – 3 August 1797) was a British Army officer and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the British Army. Amherst is credited as the architect of Britain's successful campaig ...

on his 1816 diplomatic mission to China. The group reached

on 19 February. ''Lyra'' and ''General Hewitt'' went on to

Simon's Bay Simon's Town (), sometimes spelled Simonstown, is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa and is home to Naval Base Simon's Town, the South African Navy's largest base. It is located on the shores of Simon's Bay in False Bay, on the eastern s ...

on 13 April, Batavia on 12 June,

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

bay on 10 July, and Whampoa on 22 October. ''Alceste'' sailed to

and met up with the other two vessels on 9 June, at the Anjere

roads A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. The ...

. After Lord Amherst had landed at Taku to proceed to

Peking Beijing, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's most populous national capital city as well as China's second largest city by urban area after Shanghai. It is l ...

, ''Alceste'' and ''General Hewett'' had gone to Canton. There the authorities refused permission for ''Alceste'' to ascend the river and ordered the local merchants to deny ''General Hewitt'' any cargo. ''Alceste'' fired several broadsides at the fort and junks that attempted to block her way, and proceeded to anchor at the usual place. Shortly thereafter ''Alceste'' received fresh provisions, and ''General Hewett'' a cargo. The firing that had taken place at the mouth of the river was officially described as a "friendly interchange of salutes". On her return voyage ''General Hewett'' crossed the Second Bar on 4 December, and reached

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 12 March 1817. She arrived at the Downs on 12 May. Part of the presents for the Emperor of China, which Lord Amherst had not been able to deliver due to a disagreement between the British and the Court over protocol, had been sold in Canton and ''General Hewett'' was returning with the rest.

Voyage #2 (1818-19)

Captain Peter Cameron left the Downs on 28 May 1818, bound for

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

and

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

. On 14 September, ''General Hewett'' arrived at the New Anchorage,

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

. As she made her way back down the coast, she reached Coninga on 30 December, and then Madras on 9 January 1819. Homeward bound, she reached

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

on 28 February,

Port Louis Port Louis (, ; or , ) is the capital and most populous city of Mauritius, mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's financial and political centre. It is admi ...

on 13 April, and St Helena on 30 June. She arrived at Long Reach in September.

Voyage #3 (1820-21)

Captain James Pearson left the Downs on 15 April 1820, for China. On 7 August, while navigating Clement's Strait, the eastern branch of Gaspar Strait between

Banca Banca may refer to: Places * Bangka Island, an island lying east of Sumatra, part of Indonesia * Banca, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, a commune of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département'', France * Banca, Tasmania, a locality in Tasmania, Australia * ...

and Billiton islands, ''General Hewett'' struck a rock and was aground for about 15 minutes. The rock came to be known as General Hewitt's Rock. ''General Hewett'' arrived at Whampoa on 28 August. On the return leg of her voyage she crossed the Second Bar on 5 November, reaching the Cape on 28 February 1821, and St Helena on 31 March. She arrived at Long Reach on 30 May. This return voyage was not without incident as His Majesty's Customs at

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

seized her cargo and that of ''Marchioness of Ely'' on account of defective manifests. This case also involved an issue of jurisdiction between the

Vice admiralty court Vice admiralty courts were juryless courts located in British colonies that were granted jurisdiction over local legal matters related to maritime activities, such as disputes between merchants and seamen. American Colonies American maritime act ...

and the Court of Justice. The EIC's agent at Cape Town had to post bond in order for the vessels to continue on their journeys.

Voyage #4 (1822-23)

Captain Pearson left the Downs again on 19 June 1822, for Bengal. On this voyage she carried part of the 16th Lancers, which regiment was transferring to India.''Historical Record...'' (1842), p.87. ''General Hewett'' reached the Cape on 1 October, and arrived at the New Anchorage on 23 December. She was back at the Cape on 4 May 1823, and St Helena 16 days later. She arrived at Blackwall, on the Thames on 26 July.

Voyage #5 (1824-25)

Captain Thomas William Barrow, who had served aboard ''General Hewett'' as first officer on her previous voyage, left the Downs on 23 June 1824, for Bengal. [''General Hewett'' arrived at the New Anchorage on 30 October. She left Bengal on 8 March 1825, and reached St Helena on 24 May. ''General Hewitt'', Barrow, commander, was reported to be off Weymouth on 18 July. She arrived at Long Reach on 20 July. The EIC sold ''General Hewett'' to William Tindall on 22 September 1830, for £6250.

Merchantman

As a merchantman, ''General Hewett'' made numerous voyages to Australia carrying immigrants. ''General Hewett'' received a new deck, wales, and major repairs in 1842. She left London on 20 October 1845, under the command of Captain Hart. On this voyage she carried passengers and cargo and arrived at Port Jackson on 21 January 1846. Departing Plymouth on 11 August 1848, under the command of John Gatenby, she carried passengers and cargo and arrived at Port Jackson on 13 November 1848. She left afterwards for India. Leaving London on 24 August 1852, under the command of John Gatenby, she carried passengers and cargo and arrived at Port Jackson on 24 December 1852. In 1854, William Tindall sold ''General Hewitt'' to J. Michael, of London, for £6,250. ''General Hewett'' was sheathed in felt and copper fastened with iron bolts in 1854. On 3 April 1756, Michael sold ''General Hewitt'' to J. Wilson, of London, for £4,550. ''General Hewett'', under the command of Christopher Loudt, master, left Plymouth for on 5 July 1856, and arrived at Portland, Victoria, on 9 October. She carried 366 immigrants. These amounted to 320½ statute adults, with the fare per statute adult being £sd, £13 4shilling, s 6pence, d. On the voyage about four or five children were born, and the number of deaths was about the same. Agricultural laborers (105) and female domestics (60) accounted for about half of the immigrants. Married couples numbered 74, and single men numbered 82. There was labour strife on board with crewmen jumping ship when she arrived, others refusing to work on the voyage, and two assaulting Loudt.

Fate

In 1864, ''General Hewitt'' was sold for a hulk or to be broken up.

Notes

Citations

References

*''Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British and Foreign India, China, and Australia'', Vol. 5 (1818), (Parbury, Allen, and Company). * * * *''Historical Record of the Sixteenth, Or the Queen's Regiment of Light Dragoons, Lancers: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1759, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1841''. (John W. Parker). * *House of Commons, Parliament, Great Britain (1814), ''Minutes of the Evidence Taken Before the Select Committee on Petitions Relating to East-India-Built Shipping''. (H.M. Stationery Office) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:General Hewett (1811) 1811 ships British ships built in India Convict ships to New South Wales Ships of the British East India Company Age of Sail merchant ships Merchant ships of the United Kingdom