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John Wickliffe and
Philip Laing
were the first two ships
The first two ships for the Otago Settlement were the John Wickliffe and the Philip Laing. The John Wickliffe, an older ship of 662 tonnes, had a reputation for speed, and indeed her 100 day passage was the fastest of any of the New Zealand Company ships. She was the supply ship for the advance guard of settlers, and carried only 90 passengers. She departed from Gravesend on 24 November, 1847, but was damaged by rough weather in the English channel and finally set sail on 14 December, after repairs at Portsmouth. Captain William Cargill, leader of the Otago settlement, was a passenger. The Philip Laing, 547 tonnes, left the Firth of Clyde on 27 November, 1847. She carried the spiritual leader of the settlement, Dr Thomas Burns, as well as the first schoolmaster, James Blackie. |
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Emigrant
ship arrivals at Port Chalmers, 1848-1851
(Click on underlined ships to see passenger lists)
Ship | Arrival date | Passengers | |
1. | John Wickliffe | 23 March, 1848 | 90 |
2. | Philip Laing | 15 April, 1848 | 243 |
3. | Victory | 8 July, 1848 | 4 |
4. | Blundell | 21 September, 1848 | 145 |
5. | Bernicia | 12 December, 1848 | 58 |
6. | Ajax | 8 January, 1849 | 101 |
7. | Mary | 11 April, 1849 | 2 |
8. | Mariner | 5 June, 1849 | 100 |
9. | Larkins | 11 September, 1849 | 79 |
10. | Cornwall | 23 September, 1849 | 59 |
11. | Kelso | 28 November, 1849 | 13 |
12. | Pekin | 5 December, 1849 | 116 |
13. | Mooltan | 26 December, 1849 | 140 |
14. | Berkshire | 12 March, 1850 | 6 |
15. | Lady Nugent | 26 March, 1850 | 26 |
16. | Mariner voyage 2 | 6 August, 1850 | 171 |
17. | Poictiers | 4 September, 1850 | 34 |
18. | Phoebe Dunbar | 24 October, 1850 | 29 |
19. | Eden | 27 December, 1850 | 14 |
20. | Titan | 17 January, 1851 | 18 |
21. | Stately | 7 August, 1851 | 8 |
22. | Dominion | 28 September, 1851 | 13 |
23. | Clara | 16 November, 1851 | 9 |
24. | Simlah | 23 November, 1851 | 33 |
The prime source for these figures is Joy Robertsons 1937 MA thesis, 'The Otago Emigrant Ships'. Ms Robertson took her figures from Dunedin newspaper ship arrival notices. These figures can only be regarded as approximate. There is little agreement among historians as to passenger arrival numbers, and some of the New Zealand Company records are confusing. Interpretation problems include adjusting for deaths on board, people who carried on to other ports in New Zealand, and mistakes made by the newspapers. The figure given above for the Philip Laing, 243, compares with 197 from Tom Brooking and 247 from A H McLintock and Dr Hocken. Robertson says 90 people arrived on the John Wycliffe; Brooking, McLintock and Hocken say 97. The Mooltan figures above are somewhat higher than those reported in the ship arrival notice, but have been adjusted by the author, based on separate research. |
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