''Sinclair'', also known as ''Lady Madeline Sinclair'' (or ''Lady Sinclair'', or ''Lady Madalina Sinclair'', was a three-decker sailing ship built in Scotland but registered at

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from ...

, England. She was built of

fir Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The genus is most closely related to ...

, which made for speedier construction at the expense of durability. She made two voyages to

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, and on her first return voyage, via China, she carried a cargo for the British

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sout ...

Career

Captain John Hardy Jackson received a letter of marque on 14 October 1805. This authorized he and ''Sinclair'' to engage in offensive action against the French, not just defensive, should the occasion arise. She sailed as part of convoy in 1806 under the escort of that included the transports ''Elizabeth'', ''Justina'', and ''Alexander'', and the

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 convict ...

transport ''Fortune''. ''Sinclair'' was carrying stores, passengers, and some convicts. The convoy passed Madeira on 25 February and were reported all well on 5 March. ''Sinclair'' was also carrying Captain

William Bligh Vice-Admiral William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. The mutiny on the HMS ''Bounty'' occurred in 1789 when the ship was under his command; after being set adrift i ...

, who was sailing to the colony to assume the governorship. Captain Bligh and Commander Joseph Short of ''Porpoise'' disagreed continually through the voyage as each believed they were in charge of the convoy. When Bligh ordered a change of course for ''Sinclair'', Short responded by ordering first officer John Putland to fire warning shots at ''Sinclair'', which carried Putland's wife,

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also call ...

, and his father-in-law, Captain Bligh. In great distress, John Putland complied with the order, firing two warning shots across the bow of ''Sinclair''. When ''Sinclair'' did not immediately return on course, Short contemplated firing on ''Sinclair''. Fortunately, ''Sinclair'' shortly afterwards corrected her course and he did not have to order Putland to fire. When the convoy arrived in

Port Jackson Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman ...

on 6 August 1806, Bligh assumed the governorship of the colony. ''Sinclair'' left Sydney on 12 September 1806 with a cargo of oil and 14,000 seal skins for China. ''Sinclair'' and Captain Jackson left

Whampoa anchorage Pazhou is a subdistrict of Haizhu in southeastern Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, in China. , formerly Whampoa Island, has a total area of and is the site of Pazhou Pagoda. Its eastern bay was formerly the chief anchorage for ships part ...

on 3 January 1807. She reached Penang on 25 January and

St Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

on 18 April, before arriving at The Downs on 3 July.British Library: ''Sinclair''.
/ref> ''Sinclair'' made a second voyage to Australia, still under Moore's command. She arrived at Sydney on 28 July 1808, carrying Lieutenant-Colonel

Joseph Foveaux Joseph Foveaux (1767 – 20 March 1846) was a soldier and convict settlement administrator in colonial New South Wales, Australia. Early life Foveaux was baptised on 6 April 1767 at Ampthill, Bedfordshire, England, the sixth child of Joseph Fo ...

, the new Lieutenant Governor of the colony, and 45 troops. She left on 26 October for England. ''Sinclair'' continued to trade under a letter of marque for some time thereafter. Captain George Allen received a letter of marque on 16 April 1811. Captain John Peat received a letter of marque on 4 January 1813.

Notes, citations, and references

Notes Citations References * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sinclair (1805 ship) Ships built in Kingston upon Hull 1805 ships Ships of the British East India Company Age of Sail merchant ships Merchant ships of the United Kingdom