Built in Falmouth in 1819 for account of Tilly & Co
Named CAMDEN.
Tonnage 191 49/94 tons.
Brig rigged.
The armament at that time for a packet boat was mostly 4 – 4pdr. and 2 – 6pdr guns.
Crew around 28 men.
She was employed in the Falmouth Packet service from new building until sold in 1837/38. She was commanded by Capt John Tilly.
Made voyages as a packet to the West Indies, Brazil, Argentine, North America and Mediterranean. She was one of the last two privately owned “hired packets” in service. The Royal Navy took over the packet service in 1823.
Some voyages she made:
08 December 1829 arrived at Falmouth from the Leeward Islands.
16 May 1830 arrived at Falmouth from Bermuda and Halifax.
24 February 1831 arrived at Falmouth from St Thomas.
June 1832 arrived again from Bermuda at Falmouth.
17 October 1833 arrived at Falmouth with the mails from North America.
1838 She was bought by the London Missionary Society, in response to the appeals of the Rev. John Williams.
11 April 1838 sailed from London under command a Capt Morgan with on board stores and animals, and John Williams and his son John with his wife Carrie and 16 missionaries.
01 July 1838 she arrived at Simons Bay, South Africa, sailed from there on 09 July.
10 Sept. 1838 arrived at Sydney with on board merchandise and missionaries, after arrival she was refitted in Port Jackson.
25 Oct. 1838 sailed from Sydney bound for the Eastern Islands/South Sea Islands on board missionaries.
Her first call was the lovely island Tutuila and she let go her anchor in the bay of Pagopago. After making a landing and talking with some Chiefs, she sailed out of the bay and dropt again anchor at Leone Bay, were Williams visited some friendly Chiefs, before heading to the next island, Upolu, dropping anchor off Apia, where three missionaries disembarked the vessel. Also Williams stayed behind. He joined the CAMDEN again at Tutuila. 17 Jan. 1839 she set sail for Rarotonga and the CAMDEN arrived there on 4th of Feb. During her stay there the CAMDEN was caught in a heavy storm and was driven to sea, and it took her a few weeks before she returned to Rarotonga.
05 March 1839 she sailed out again bound for Tahiti then she sailed to Eimeo and then to Huahine, when arriving there the wind fell, and the CAMDEN was towed in by there own boat. She dropt anchor at Fare harbour. Williams founded a little church on Huahine. She sailed then to Raiatea and Borabora and then to Atiu, Rarotonga and Aitutaki, then he sailed to the westward to Samoa, was on 2 May 1839 at Upolu. Williams stayed behind and the CAMDEN sailed away for an other journey returning later at Upolu.
Warned by his wife and son not to make a landing at Erromanga, Williams after first visiting the American ship USS VINCENNES sailed away with the CAMDEN, she sighted Rotuma on 12 Nov. She left from this place bound for Hebrides at that time the wildest shores of the Pacific.
When daybreak came she were off Fotuna, and two canoes came from the beach, in them were four sooty-coloured men, their faces smeared with red. A long white feather stuck up from the back of each head. Williams tried to coax them on the CAMDEN with some merchandise, but they were afraid.
The boat was put over the side and Williams with Capt. Morgan and some crewmembers rowed to the shore, where a Chief wanted to go with hem to the CAMDEN. After handing over some gifts and making friendship with the natives, the CAMDEN sailed away and the next morning she reached Tanna were three native missionaries teachers disembarked. After one night at this place the CAMDEN sailed out again heading for Erromanga, after arrival and anchoring in a bay the whale boat was swing out, whit a crew of four and Captain Morgan two others with the name of Harris and Cunningham and Williams himself they rowed to the beach, pulling to a creek were a brook ran down in a lovely valley between two mountains. On the beach stood some Erromangan natives. Williams picked a bucket from there boat and held it out to the Chief and made signs that he wished some water. The Chief took the bucket and disappeared in the bush, after a long wait the Chief returned with the water. Williams drank from the water to show his friendliness.
Harris got over the side of the boat and waded to the beach, where he sat down, first the natives were afraid but soon came back with coconuts and opened them for him to drink.
It were all good signs but Captain Morgan pointed out there are no women on the beach, and mostly when the savages mean mischief they send their women away.
Williams wade ashore followed by Cunningham; Morgan put out an anchor and followed, leaving only the crew of four natives on board the boat.
Williams and his two friends scrambled up the stony beach and when they turned to the right they were lost from sight from the water edge. Then Captain Morgan heard a terrified yell from the crew in the boat. The three men rushed out of the bush followed by yelling savages. Harris was not so lucky he fell and his head was bashed in with a club he died instantly. Cunnigham made it safely to the boat, but Williams rushing down the beach to leap into the sea. Reaching the edge of the water, where the beach fell steeply into the sea, he slipped on a pebble and fell into the water. Cunnigham in the boat hurdled stones at the natives who rushed at Williams as he lay prostrate in the water with a savage over him with uplifted club. The club fell, and other Erromangans, rushing in beat him with their clubs and shot with their arrows. Young boys rushed down and beat his body with stones until the ripples of the beach ran red with his blood. And so the famous missionary John Williams died.
Captain Morgan after he returned to the boat, ordered his crew to row to the shore but the natives shot at them and after an arrow wounded one sailor he had to lay the boat off till they were free of the arrows and stones. Williams’s body was for a long time on the beach and he thought he could recovery the bodies. But at last he had to return to the CAMDEN, he fired a gun from the CAMDEN but the natives dragged the bodies out of sight, and he known that it was impossible to recover the body of Williams, and he set sail for Sydney.
After he told the news a British warship the HMS FAVOURITE sailed to Erromanga, she arrived there on 27 Feb. 1840 and with some men and Cunnigham the captain of the FAVOURITE went ashore, the natives fled in all directions, but at last they got hold of some. We ate them they confessed when the burying place of the bodies was demanded. The only thing they found were the skull and bones, and this were taken back to Samoa and buried in Apia.
20 Nov. 1839 sailed from the Island of Tanna and Erramanga/Hebrides with on board sugar, cocoa-nut oil etc. and 6 Samoans passengers. Arrived Sydney 30 Nov. 1839, bringing the news of the death of John Williams.
12 Feb 1840 arrived Sydney from the Navigators Islands/South Seas Islands with sundries.
One of her crew, Edward Foxall deserted and informed the merchants in Sydney that sandalwood was to be found on the little islands of New Caledonia. Within the year, ships began visiting the islands and brought back many tons of sandalwood. Logging soon spread to the Loyality Islands and by the 1850s had come to the east coast of New Caledonia.
November 1840 still under command of Capt Morgan she arrived off Pitcairn, on board was the London Missionary Society’s Reverend Mr. Heath, with presents from the Governor of New South Wales and from the Bishop of London.
14 July 1841 sailed from Sydney for the South Seas. Arrived 07 January 1843 at Sydney from the South Seas.
27 July 1843 still under Capt. Morgan sailed for London.
1843 She returned to London and was sold.
Lloyd of 1844 gives her new owner as J. Dciancy, Master Capt. R.Rowe, registered at Dublin and her listed voyage was Dublin to Oostende, Belgium.
She is not more listed in LR after 1846.
New Caladonia 1991 200f sg925, scott 657. Pitcairn Island 1988 60c sg322.
Source: some web-sites. CD-ROM ships on stamps. The Pitcairners by Robert Nicolson. John Williams the shipbuilder by Basil Mathews.