1834.

The presence of the Erie, the first American vessel to take up bay whaling in the South Island, has already been recorded. She belonged to Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., and sailed on her South Pacific whaling voyage in April, 1832. F. Spooner was her commander, but he left the ship at the Society Islands, and the command then devolved upon A. W. Dennis. She is first mentioned as being at Cloudy Bay on 3rd June, 1834, and information regarding her movements from Australian sources is confined to that statement. From Salem, Mass., U.S.A., however, we learn that she was at Cloudy Bay on 20th August with a full cargo of sperm and black oil, and intended to proceed to America, having purchased provisions from the Bardastre of Liverpool. On her road home she reached the Bay of Islands on 29th October, and took her departure from there on 27th November. She reached Newport with 200 barrels of sperm and 1800 of black oil, on 11th June, 1835.