Cornwallis (East Indiaman)

Some two to four vessels with the name Cornwallis, for Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, have an association with British East India Company (EIC). There exist records for two voyages, but there is some question as to which of three merchant vessels made which voyage.

• Cornwallis, a snow of 170 tons (bm), was launched at Bombay Dockyard in 1787 to serve the Bengal Pilot Service. A French privateer captured her in 1796.
• Cornwallis, of 719 tons (bm), was built in 1788 at Surat for Lennox & Co. under the name Britannia. However she was renamed to Cornwallis before her completion. She may have served the EIC between 1797 and 1803 under the command of Captain Robert Robertson.^[1] Lloyd's Review shows this Cornwallis trading between India and London, and under Robertson's command, between 1800 and 1802. In 1802 command changed to R. Elderton. He sailed her between London and India until 1809.
• Cornwallis, of 653 tons (bm) was a merchant ship built of teak in Damam, India, in 1790.^[2]
• Cornwallis, of 717³⁵⁄₉₄ tons (bm), 129'9" in length and 36'4" in beam, was launched on 30 December 1812 by James Scott & John Hunter, Fort Gloucester, Calcutta, for Forbes & Co.^[3]

One of these vessels was still trading cotton to China as late as 1827.^[4]

The two EIC voyages were:

EIC voyage #1 (1810)

Cornwallis sailed from Bombay on 17 June 1810. She reached St Helena on 3 September and arrived at Long Reach on 16 November.^[2]

EIC voyage #2 (1817-18)

Captain Thomas Brown sailed from Calcutta on 25 March 1817. Cornwallis was at Diamond Harbour on 10 May, Madras on 10 July, and the Cape on 27 October. She arrived at Spithead on 17 January 1818.^[2]

See also

• HMS Cornwallis
• Earl Cornwallis
• Marquis Cornwallis

Citations and references

Citations

1. Hackman (2001), p. 219.
2. National Archives (United Kingdom) - Cornwallis.
3. Hackman (2001), p.265.
4. Bulley (2000), p.124.

References

• Bulley, Anne (2000). The Bombay country ships, 1790-1833. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-7007-1236-6.
• Hackman, Rowan (2001) Ships of the East India Company. (Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society). ISBN 0-905617-96-7