Master Duncan Sinclair lands in Australia with first fleet.
. The first Sinclair to tread on Aussie soil.
Governor Arthur Phillip and his fleet set sail in May 1787, landing at
Sydney cove on 26th Jan 1788. A voyage of 251 days.
Phillip was directed by Captain James Cook to head for Botany Bay, but upon
arriving there, he was not taken by the site as settlement. So he headed
north to Port Jackson where (in his own words) he discovered one of the
finest harbors in the world. Sydney Cove, named in honor of Lord Sydney.
The ships which brought the first white settlers (Convicts, civilians and
marines) to Australia consisted of eleven store ships and transports,
carrying over a thousand convicts and their goalers
. One Transporter, The Alexander, was skippered by Master Duncan Sinclair.
The Alexander carried 195 male convicts and was the largest ship in the
fleet. She was built in Hull, England in 1783. Master Duncan Sinclair faced
a series of problems throughout the voyage. Ten sailors on board the
Alexander mutinied because they had not been paid. On 18th July, when
illness was rife, Sinclair had to be ordered to pump out the bilgewater. In
October he was faced with a more serious mutiny among the crew and the
convicts, and surgeon Bowes surmised that it was caused by Sinclair's 'Not
exerting a proper spirit over them.' He lost control of his ship between Rio
and Botany.
Australia July 8th 1788
The first sitting of the court of Civil Jurisdiction (The civil court) took
place.
Convicts Susannah and Henry Cable successfully litigated against Sinclair
for goods in his care, and he was ordered to pay 15 pounds in compensation.
September 1788
Master Duncan Sinclair made a return voyage back to England. The Crews of
the Friendship and Alexander were so weak from scurvy that it was decided to
scuttle the Friendship, and to allow the crew a half share in the Alexander'
s cargo. Sinclair sighted the Isle of Wight on 28th May 1789, without
further mishap.
There doesn't appear to be any logs or records on the Alexander after it's
return voyage. It disappeared from records after 1804.
Master Duncan Sinclair wasn't the most likable of fellows, but he is a
Sinclair, and we cannot ignore the role he played. He is recorded in our
Australian history books and he does hold a first in Australia, even if it
is for his part in our Civil court records. History of our family is about
the good, bad and the ugly. I suspect he may have been fathered by someone
other than a Sinclair, maybe the milkman, this would explain his non
Sinclair spirit.
Annie
----- Original Message -----
From: Malcolm Caithness <chief@clansinclair.org>
To: <sinclair@matrix.net>
Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2001 11:32 AM
Subject: Happy Australia Day
> To all the Sinclairs in Australia - have a great day
>
> Malcolm Caithness
>
> [ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@mids.org
> [ To get off or on the list, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html
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