MARIAN WATSON schooner 1835

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aukepalmhof
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MARIAN WATSON schooner 1835

Post by aukepalmhof » Thu Jan 02, 2020 8:14 pm

The stamp issued by the Solomon Islands shows the arrival of the first missionaries on the islands. Not a vessel is shown on the stamp only a ships boat in which the first missionaries landed. I found that she traveled by the chartered schooner MARIAN WATSON.
So far I can find the French fathers of the Marist Society were the first who arrived on the Solomon Islands on 02 December 1845.
The first stop was at Makira, then she sailed to Isabell, were the leader Monsignor Epaulle after a few days was captured and murdered.
The hostilities against the missionaries by the native population, notorious for their cannibalism, was so great that after three year the mission was abandoned.
Most probably the ships boat came from the MARIAN WATSON also given as MARION WATSON in some sources, but that is not correct.
Built as a two-mast wooden schooner in Holyhead, Wales for a Londen shipsowner.
Launched as the MARIAN WATSON.
Tonnage 145 ton, dim. 72.9 x 24 x 12ft.
1835 Completed.

When she arrived in Australia I could not find but in 1837 was she owned by Daniel Egan and registered in Sydney. At that time she was regular used between Sydney and Hobart, even transported convicts

1843 Was she owned by Wm Hy. Kerr also from Sydney.
1845 Owned by John I Kettle from Sydney.
1853 Owned by James Paddon from Sydney.
She was lost not a date given but her registry closed 1868.

Source: Internet and Ships of Australia and New Zealand before 1850 by Ronald Parsons.
Solomon Islands 1968 8c sg 163, scott?
Attachments
marian watson.jpg
1968 Arrival-of-Missionaries.jpg

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