Aurora (1790 ship)
Aurora was launched in 1790 at Calcutta. The first 10 years of her career are currently obscure. In 1801 she made a voyage to England for the British East India Company (EIC), and then was briefly registered in England. She returned to India to continue to sail as a "country ship" until she was sold to Portuguese or Spanish owners in 1811. She returned to British ownership circa 1816 and made a second voyage for the EIC, this time from China to England. She returned to English registry and made one voyage to India under a license  from the EIC. She then switched to sailing between Liverpool and Quebec and was lost in the Atlantic around 1822. Career. First EIC voyage (1800-1801). "Aurora" was at Calcutta on 17 November 1800. Captain Mungo Gilmore sailed her from Kedgeree on 5 April 1801, bound for England. She was St Augustine's Bay on 22 July, reached St Helena on 19 September, and arrived at Deptford on 24 December. "Aurora" was admitted to the Registry of Great Britain on 4 February 1802. On 13 March "Aurora"s agents paid Messrs. David Scott & Co., or Fairlie, Bonham and Co. £2586  3s for her outfitting for her return voyage to India. "Aurora" appeared in the "Register of Shipping" in 1802 with M. "Gremn", master, Fairlie & Co., owners, and trade London–India. "Lloyd's Register" for 1802 has "Aurora"s master as M. Gilmore, but lists her owner simply as "India". Both "Lloyd's Register" and the "Register of Shipping" continued to carry their unchanged data for "Aurora" to the 1809 volume. The "Register of Shipping" continued to show her master as M. Gremn", and her owner as "Ferley". "Aurora" had almost certainly returned to Calcutta registry well before 1809 as there is  no record of other voyages for the EIC and at the time the EIC was generally not issuing licenses for trade between England and India. A list published in 1809 of ships belonging to Calcutta lists "Aurora", of 650 tons (bm), Andrew Glass, master, and Fairlie, Gilmore & Co., owners. "Aurora", Fairley, Ferguson, and Co., owners, appeared on a list of vessels registered at Calcutta in January 1811. Later that year "Aurora" was sold to the Spanish, or the Portuguese. 2nd EIC voyage (1817). Captain Thomas Heaviside in 1817 sailed "Aurora" from Canton to England. That would suggest that "Aurora" had  returned to Calcutta registry before that. Heaviside had been master of , which a fire on 12 February 1817 had destroyed at Canton. He sailed from Whampoa anchorage on 21 February 1817. "Aurora" crossed the Second Bar on 25 March, reached St Helena on 6 July, and arrived at Blackwall on 2 September. In 1813 the EIC lost its monopoly on the trade between England and India. Thereafter, many shipowners sailed their vessels in that trade under a license from the EIC. One report has her being sold in London as a free trader in 1820, but she was already in  London and trading with Bengal before that. "Aurora", of 600 tons (bm), reappeared in the 1818 volume of "Lloyd's Register" with Duncan, master, changing to P. Earl, Bonham & Co., owner, and trade India–Bengal. On 13 February 1818 "Aurora", Earl, master, sailed from Gravesend, bound for Madeira and Madras. On 27 March she arrived at Madeira, and on 27 April was at . On 22 June she arrive at Madras. On 11 August she sailed for Bengal, where she arrived on 18 August. On 8 December she arrived at Colombo from Bengal. She had two days earlier struck some rocks  near Gindura and lost her false keel. "Aurora" was carrying the 2nd Battalion Ceylon Volunteers from Bengal to Colombo. On 9 January 1819 she sailed to Bombay to be docked. On 22 April she arrived at Colombo from Bombay and on 4 May sailed for Bengal. On 13 May she arrived at Madras and that same day sailed on for Bengal. On 27 November she was at the Cape of Good Hope, having come from Bengal and Madras. On 14 August "Aurora", P. Earl, master, arrived at Quebec from Liverpool. She sailed from Portsmouth on 1 December 1820, bound for  London. On 2 December she was at Deal, having come from Quebec. Fate. By one report "Aurora" foundered between Canada and England.< "Aurora" last appeared in the "Register of Shipping" for 1823 with P. Earl, master and owner, and trade Liverpool–Quebec. She last appeared in "Lloyd's Register" in 1825 with no master, Capt. & Co., owner, and trade London–Quebec. Notes, citations, and references. Notes Citations References