About the Cornwallis Ships

About the Cornwallis Ships


1) THE SHIPS
Ship
Type
Master
Tonnage
Alexander
.
Samuel Harris
320
Baltimore
.
Edward Cook
411
Beaufort
.
Elias Perriman
541
Brotherhood
.
.
.
Canning
Frigate
Andrew Dewar
342
Charlton
Frigate
Richard Ladd
395
Everley
.
John Dutchman
351
Fair Lady
.
Isaac Forster
.
London
.
John Barker
550
Merry Jacks
.
Giles Granger
378
Rochampton
.
Samuel Williamson
230
Sphinx
Sloop of War
.
.
Wilmington
.
Thomas Adams
631
Winchelsea
.
Thomas Cornish
559
2) ABOUT THE SHIPSCornwallis arrived in his ship, the Sphinx, before the passenger ships. He notes in a report to the Lords of Trade that the passenger ships from England appeared off the harbour in Halifax on 27 June 1749. By the first of July they were all docked in Halifax harbour, and by 24 July 1749 he is able to report on how they are settling in and getting lots assigned.Another passenger ship arrived on 30 August 1749 to join the ones covered in these lists. I haven't yet discovered the name of this ship. Cornwallis writes about it, saying, "the ship from Liverpool arrived .... with 116 settlers, they have already cleared a spot for their Houses, two streets being added for them". He mentions the ship had a passage of 9 weeks and arrived without one person sick on board. (Akins, Nova Scotia Documents, p 585, p587) In addition, at least one store ship - the Duke of Bedford - and likely others accompanied the ships carrying the settlers.As soon as their passengers had disembarked, the Brotherhood, London, Winchelsea, Wilmington, and Merry Jacks were sent up to Louisbourg to pick up settlers there who wished to move to Halifax, as well as the Louisbourg garrison under Peregrine Thomas Hopson (Louisbourg was about to be handed back to the French according to the terms of Aix la Chappelle). By 20 August 1749, the Alexander had already left Halifax for its return journey to England. The Beaufort was held in Halifax until at least mid-October 1749, as Cornwallis held his Governing Council meetings on it. The other ships seem to have left sometime in between as the Lords of Trade, in a letter to Cornwallis from Whitehall, dated 16 October 1749, acknowledge the return of the transports and note that it was "sooner than expected" (Akins, Nova Scotia Documents, p 589.).The Wilmington was the largest of the ships3) ABOUT THE SETTLERSYou will note on the Cornwallis lists the special categories to track "male servants" and "female servants", and many indeed did bring servants over with them. As well, you see people whose trades were among the necessary ones in an established urban centre - wigmaker, goldsmith, tobaccanist, gardener - but who would be unprepared for carving out a clearing in the Canadian bush of our time, let alone theirs.It would appear from Cornwallis's letters back to England that measures had to be taken to prevent many of these from trying to scamper off, even in the relatively golden days of summer, and he was unable to secure general cooperation from the population in getting their help to put up a barricade against Indian attack. In the settler's defence, they may have had their minds set on constructing habitation for the coming winter, since they were prevented from leaving. Still, the Lords of Trade seem to have decided that perhaps a hardier breed of settler would be required. On 8 June 1750, they wrote to Cornwallis, "The Alderney, a Ship of 504 tons, and the Nancy**, a Brigantine of 150 tons, will sail from the River, the former in four or five, the latter in 10 days, with about 480 settlers., the exact number you will know by a list which will be taken when they are all on board, and sent you by Mr. Kilby. We have not accepted as we did last year, all who offered, but such only as we have reason to think from their character or employment will be useful settlers." (Akins, Nova Scotia Documents, p 612.).