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The Old Whaling Days

1834

1834.

On 9th January, 1834, George Bunn, one of the first merchants of Sydney and the senior partner of the firm which owned the Preservation Bay whaling station, died.

On 14th March the two Preservation Bay vessels came up to Sydney. The Sydney Packet sailed from New Zealand on the second, with 185 skins, 68 casks oil and 14 tons flax. The Caroline came up with a cargo of 350 skins, having on board Edwin Palmer, who had been sealing at Auckland Island, and who had examined the wreck. He reported that no information could be got of the vessel's name. Many tons of the wreck had been beached, and consisted of wool, oil, and shipping stores. Palmer thought she must have been wrecked eleven months before, as he had visited that part of Auckland Island a short time previous to discovering her and had not seen anything of the kind. Palmer evidently had charge of the gang which discovered the wreck. In spite of the hopeless report it was still thought than an expedition might bring some- page 92 thing to light, but nothing special appears to have been done.

At this stage a sad accident took place in connection with the Preservation Bay whaling station. A boat's crew went to Ruapuke Island for a few days' recreation, and, as they did not return for some time, another boat was sent in search of them. On arrival at Ruapuke they were told that the boat had sailed for home. Nothing had been heard of them when the Sydney Packet sailed. Their loss was a severe one to the whaling establishment as three clever headsmen and two boat steerers were among the number. Their names were Fife, Williams, Russell, Lee, Garvin and Bonnivar.

The Sydney Packet sailed on 7th April, 1834, taking down a quantity of whaling gear for the supply of the gangs belonging to the house of Bunn & Co. Her general cargo consisted of 12 casks flour, 24 casks beef, 11 casks pork, 22 bags sugar, 2 casks ironmongery, 2 casks slops, 2 boxes soap, 1 cask beer, 2 chests tea, 2 puncheons, 1 hogshead rum, 2 kegs tobacco, and stores. The Caroline returned in ballast on 20th May, but Anglin had taken over the Lucy Ann belonging to Weller, and his place was now taken by Bruce.

The Caroline brought back to Sydney on 21st July, 104 casks black oil, and, as passengers, Messrs. H. Harding, A. Mossman, and Thomas Mowat. She had sailed from New Zealand on the sixth. On her voyage up she experienced terrible weather, her bulwarks and binnacles were carried away, and one of her boats was stove in. She sailed again on 8th August in ballast. On 21st August the Sydney Packet returned from New Zealand, from which she had sailed on the first, with 150 casks black oil and 2 casks seal skins. The consignee of the cargoes of the two vessels was E. B. Mowle, that House having evidently taken over the business of Bunn & Co. Captain Joss reported that there was not a vestige left of the wreck on Auckland Island.

The Caroline reached Port Jackson on 16th September, 1834, with 97 casks of oil. A local paper says: “When page 93 the signal from New Zealand was yesterday displayed, we were anxious to know whether any and what information was brought from that quarter and on applying to Messrs. Mowle & Co. we learn that the Caroline is from Port Bunn where everything was tranquil. No intelligence of the Alligator has, of course, reached Sydney by this vessel.” She came up in eleven days, during which time she encountered very rough weather and a sea carried away 7 of her starboard staunchions and bulwarks, and broke in two the ironwork of the pump. Captain Bruce saw no vessel either going or returning. The excitement in Sydney was caused by a report brought up from Otago in the Lucy Ann that the natives had become very troublesome and that some of them had gone to Port Bunn to cause trouble there. H.M.S. Alligator had left for New Zealand to recapture the remnant of the Harriett's crew wrecked at or near Cape Egmont. From the report brought up in the Caroline the excitement under which the natives laboured while at Otago had effervesced before they reached the southern station.

The Sydney Packet, Joss, sailed with fishery stores on 26th September and returned on 21st November with 40 tuns oil and 8 tons whalebone. In the shipping report it is stated that E. B. Mowle & Co. had a large establishment at Port Bunn. The natives were reported to be in a state of perfect tranquillity. The Customs record gives Williams as the master of the Sydney Packet. Probably he came up from the whaling station, as it was the end of the season, to make arrangements for next year's work rendered necessary by the death of Captain Bunn. At what date exactly the property was disposed of is not certain, but it was owned by Jones and Palmer, in March, 1835.

Throughout the year's traffic it will be noted that the timber trade had ceased, oil, whalebone and seal skins being the staple articles of export.

During the year an attempt was made to revive the old sea elephant trade of Macquarie Island, which had now page 94 been untouched for a period of over two years. Captain Mann went down in the Eleanor, on 19th March, with a full equipment of the necessary material. After landing his gangs he endeavoured to touch at Auckland Island to ascertain the name of the vessel lying on the beach there, but the weather was so rough that he had to abandon his design and make for Cook Strait. The Eleanor reached Sydney on 7th June, having on her voyage spoken a Hobart Town sealer. the Penelope, all well but with no seals. Towards the end of the year—on 15th October—the brig Bee was sent down under the command of Captain Robertson, to minister to the wants of the gang and to bring back the oil. She found, however, that in the seven months the gang had been on the Island it had not been able to secure one cask of oil. The seals had completely abandoned the Island. Captain Robertson, on 20th December, brought back 5 seamen of the gang; the remainder he was to call for later.