442237
- TitleHenry William Downes. A cruise from England to New South Wales in the yacht 'Wanderer' R.Y.S., 1841-42
- Creator
- Call numberMLMSS 7456/Box 1X
- Level of descriptionfonds
- Date
1841-1842 - Type of material
- Reference code442237
- Issue CopyDigitised
- Physical Description0.16 metres of textual material (1 outsize box) includes photographs - manuscript
- ADMINISTRATIVE/ BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
Henry William Downes arrived in Sydney in July 1842 on board the yacht Wanderer which was owned by the Scottish entrepreneur and adventurer Benjamin Boyd. The Wanderer was captained by Tom Bushby and among the passengers was the artist Oswald Brierly. After arriving in Sydney Boyd expanded his business activities into whaling, shipping, pastoralism and politics. However after seven years his commercial empire collapsed and he fled on the Wanderer only to meet his death at the hands natives on Guadalcanal in 1851. During this period Downes captained two of Boyd's whalers, the Terror and Lucy Ann. While in command of the latter he was drowned at sea on 27 October 1847. There is a plaque to his memory in St Mary's Anglican Church, Balmain, Sydney. - Scope and ContentJournal of the yacht Wanderer kept by Henry William Downes on a voyage from Plymouth to Sydney via Madeira, Teneriffe, Grand Canary, Cape de Verde, Rio de Janeiro, Tristan da Cunha, Cape Town, St Pauls Island, Amsterdam Island, and Port Philip (Melbourne). The journal begins on 7 November 1841 with Downes' departure from London to join the yacht and concludes at Sydney on 16 August 1842. It contains a number of newscuttings, a photograph of Downes pasted in and three sketches: the entrance to Botany Bay, the Wanderer passing through Sydney Heads and an Aboriginal Australian woman. Downes provides details of the voyage including descriptions of the ports of call as well as navigational information and weather conditions. He devotes 17 pages to Sydney, referring to prices of goods, rents, churches, theatres, convicts, flora and fauna and Aborigines.
- Finding AidsTranscript available online - acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/_transcript/2014/D00007/a1159.html
- General note
The whaling journal kept by Henry William Downes on the barque Terror, 1846-47, is in the collection of the Australian National Maritime Museum.
Digital order no:Album ID : 823449
Microfilm copy available at CY 4425, frames 1-223. - Name
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