HOUND

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HOUND

Post by shipstamps » Mon Sep 15, 2008 4:47 pm


In the 1830s several free-ranging traders visited the Gilbert and Ellice islands. One of the traders who specialized in the local trade on the islands was Captain Trainer, an Englishman by birth, who combined speculative voyages along the western coast of North and South America with periodical voyages to islands-anywhere, in fact, where he could hope for a saleable cargo. He commanded the brigantine HOUND.

On one of his voyages in 1835 he did have on board as passenger a whaling surgeon Dr. John Coulter, who wrote a book on the voyage.

The brigantine HOUND is given in 1835 as 200 ton and had a crew of 16 men was owned and operated by Trainer.
She sailed from San Francisco with the intention of cruising among the Pacific islands for tortoise-shell, beche-de-mer, sandalwood, dye-woods and other tropical commodities, returning via Tahiti where he had arranged to ship a cargo of arrowroot and pearl-shell.

The trading operations on the HOUND were well organized. The vessel was armed with four small carronades, a long brass nine-pounder and small arms for the crew.
Boarding nets were turned up on arrival at each island, with a special watch set to prevent any unauthorized person coming on board. Trading hours were strictly from 10 am to 6 pm during which period a flag was flown from the mast-head as an indication, to the natives ashore. At such times “although great numbers of natives were round the vessel, some through curiosity, others to trade, and the noise was great, as the nettings were raised only one on side at the gangway, all was conducted on board in a very orderly manner”.
Constant watch had to be kept against a surprise attack, particularly when the vessel was on the eve of departure and the Gilbertese had exhausted more legitimate means of obtaining the trade goods, which appeared to be stored in such enormous quantities on board.
On the 1835 voyage one of the crew was killed by the natives of Utiroa village, on Tabiteuea, while collecting firewood. A subsequent assault on the ship was repelled with some difficulty.

During that voyage the HOUND called at Tabiteuea, Abemama, Kuria, Butaritari and Little Makin.
14 Islands out of the sixteen of the group were know by Captain Trainer.

Watercraft Philately Vol. 38 page 4 gives it following on the brigantine HOUND.

A ship of this name was trading in the South Seas around 1835, under a man named Trainer. On one of her voyages, she anchored off New Guinea. While ashore, Trainer and Dr. John Coulter were approached by a strange-looking native, who told them that he was Terrence Connel, king of the Horafores.
Connel told them that he was previously an Irish outlaw who had been transported to Botany Bay, and who had later escaped with 11 others in a stolen sailing craft. They eventually reached New Guinea, where they were immediately set upon by a native tribe. Nine of the escapees were killed; Connel and a man named Hutton were tied up and carried off by the tribe. The two men were mistreated, but eventually escaped and fell in the hands of the Horaforas, who thought them to be gods.
Connel and Hutton joined in the native wars, and soon became lesser chiefs. Hutton was later killed in battle. Connel was soon acknowledged as chief.
Trainer offered to take Connel on board the HOUND for eventual passage back to Ireland, but Connel decided to stay. Dr. Coulter wrote about the episode in a book published in London in 1847.

Kiribat1 1989 15c sg 295

Source: Article published in Polynesian Society Journaal 1965, The Coconut Oil Trade on the Gilbert Islands, written by H.E.Maude and Ida Leeson.

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