Henry Wilson (Antelope)
Encyclopedia
Henry Wilson was an English naval captain
of the British East India Company
, from Rotherhithe
. He commanded the packet ship
Antelope
, when it shipwrecked off Ulong Island
, near Koror Island in Palau
in 1783.
; normal routes from China westwards for British shipping were hampered by the Dutch East Indies
. The Antelope had been returning from Macau
by the "Eastern Passage", a route designed to avoid the south-west monsoon, but had strayed too far in the easterly direction.
On the north coast of New Guinea
Wilson anchored in the vicinity of the Schouten Islands
. After some dialogue over two days with Papuan inhabitants who came out to the ship, in which Wilson used vocabulary collected by Thomas Forrest
at Dory Harbour, Wilson felt the numbers he faced were threatening. He used small arms to deter them, and the crew of the Antelope was attacked, an encounter in which the artist Arthur William Devis
was injured. The wreck on Ulong followed.
Although Spain
had claimed the islands previously, Wilson's crew made the first sustained contact, which was friendly. One of the crew of the Antelope knew Malay
, allowing contact to be made with the ibedul on Koror, whom Wilson treated as a local king, somewhat misapprehending his status which was more like an elected official. While his men spent three months rebuilding the ship, Wilson entered an effective alliance with the ibedul in conflicts with Melekeok
and others. One of the Antelopes guns proved decisive, shipped in a boat and discharged with powder alone.
Lee Boo from Palau returned to England with Wilson, and lived with his family in Rotherhithe. After a few months, he died of smallpox
in 1784. Much interest in Palau followed. Wilson's collection of curiosities, that were exchanged with the ibedul and form the earliest known group of Palau artifacts, are held by the British Museum
. George Keate
wrote an account of Wilson's experiences in 1788, a book heavily influenced by the current conceptions concerning the "noble savage
". The East India Company turned attention from Mindanao
as a possible outpost to the New Guinea archipelago, and John McCluer went from Bombay to Palau in 1790 as hydrographer.
; in that command he fought in 1804 at the Battle of Pulo Aura
under Nathaniel Dance
, against French forces, He died on 10 May 1810 at his home in Colyton
, Devon
.
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, from Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe is a residential district in inner southeast London, England and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is located on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping and the Isle of Dogs on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area...
. He commanded the packet ship
Packet ship
A "packet ship" was originally a vessel employed to carry post office mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies and outposts. In sea transport, a packet service is a regular, scheduled service, carrying freight and passengers...
Antelope
Antelope (packet ship)
Antelope was a packet ship in service with the British East India Company. On 10 August 1783 Antelope wrecked off Ulong, near Koror Island in Palau resulting in the first sustained European contact with those islands....
, when it shipwrecked off Ulong Island
Ulong Island
Ulong is a major island and channel of western Palau. It is sometimes called Aulong and originally written Oroolong in English. Ulong is regarded by many as one of the best drift dives in the world.-Geography:...
, near Koror Island in Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
in 1783.
Voyage of 1783
The context was the Fourth Anglo-Dutch WarFourth Anglo-Dutch War
The Fourth Anglo–Dutch War was a conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Dutch Republic. The war, tangentially related to the American Revolutionary War, broke out over British and Dutch disagreements on the legality and conduct of Dutch trade with Britain's enemies in that...
; normal routes from China westwards for British shipping were hampered by the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
. The Antelope had been returning from Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
by the "Eastern Passage", a route designed to avoid the south-west monsoon, but had strayed too far in the easterly direction.
On the north coast of New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
Wilson anchored in the vicinity of the Schouten Islands
Schouten Islands (Papua New Guinea)
The Schouten Islands are a group of six small volcanic islands in the province of East Sepik in Papua New Guinea, north of the island of New Guinea. The group is also called Eastern Schouten Islands or Le Maire Islands to separate it from unrelated Schouten Islands in Indonesia...
. After some dialogue over two days with Papuan inhabitants who came out to the ship, in which Wilson used vocabulary collected by Thomas Forrest
Thomas Forrest (navigator)
Thomas Forrest was an English navigator who worked for the British East India Company.-Life:He appears to have served for some time in the Royal Navy, and to have been a midshipman in 1745. Passages in his own writings show that he was employed in Indian waters from 1753 almost continuously...
at Dory Harbour, Wilson felt the numbers he faced were threatening. He used small arms to deter them, and the crew of the Antelope was attacked, an encounter in which the artist Arthur William Devis
Arthur William Devis
Arthur William Devis was an English painter of history paintings and portraits. He was appointed draughtsman in a voyage projected by the East India Company in 1783, under Captain Henry Wilson, in which he was wrecked on the Pelew Islands before proceeding to Canton and thence to Bengal...
was injured. The wreck on Ulong followed.
Although Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
had claimed the islands previously, Wilson's crew made the first sustained contact, which was friendly. One of the crew of the Antelope knew Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
, allowing contact to be made with the ibedul on Koror, whom Wilson treated as a local king, somewhat misapprehending his status which was more like an elected official. While his men spent three months rebuilding the ship, Wilson entered an effective alliance with the ibedul in conflicts with Melekeok
Melekeok
Melekeok is a town in the State of Melekeok . It is located on the east coast of Palau's largest island, Babeldaob...
and others. One of the Antelopes guns proved decisive, shipped in a boat and discharged with powder alone.
Lee Boo from Palau returned to England with Wilson, and lived with his family in Rotherhithe. After a few months, he died of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
in 1784. Much interest in Palau followed. Wilson's collection of curiosities, that were exchanged with the ibedul and form the earliest known group of Palau artifacts, are held by the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. George Keate
George Keate
George Keate was an English poet and writer.-Life:He was son of George Keate of Isleworth, Middlesex, who married Rachel Kawolski, daughter of Count Christian Kawolski. He was born at Trowbridge in Wiltshire, where his father had property, on 30 November 1729...
wrote an account of Wilson's experiences in 1788, a book heavily influenced by the current conceptions concerning the "noble savage
Noble savage
The term noble savage , expresses the concept an idealized indigene, outsider , and refers to the literary stock character of the same...
". The East India Company turned attention from Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
as a possible outpost to the New Guinea archipelago, and John McCluer went from Bombay to Palau in 1790 as hydrographer.
Later life
Later Wilson was captain of the WarleyWarley (East Indiaman)
The Warley was a 1475-ton East Indiaman and one of the East India Company's larger and more famous vessels. She made nine voyages to the East between 1796 and 1816, most direct to China. In 1804 she participated in the Battle of Pulo Aura...
; in that command he fought in 1804 at the Battle of Pulo Aura
Battle of Pulo Aura
The Battle of Pulo Aura was a minor naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, fought on 14 February 1804, in which a large squadron of Honourable East India Company East Indiamen, powerful and well armed merchant ships, intimidated, drove off and chased a powerful French naval squadron...
under Nathaniel Dance
Nathaniel Dance
Sir Nathaniel Dance was an officer of the Honourable East India Company who had a long and varied career on merchant vessels, making numerous voyages to India and back with the fleets of East Indiamen...
, against French forces, He died on 10 May 1810 at his home in Colyton
Colyton
Colyton could be:*Colyton, New South Wales, Australia*Colyton, Devon, England...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
.
Further reading
- Henry Wilson (journal) and George KeateGeorge KeateGeorge Keate was an English poet and writer.-Life:He was son of George Keate of Isleworth, Middlesex, who married Rachel Kawolski, daughter of Count Christian Kawolski. He was born at Trowbridge in Wiltshire, where his father had property, on 30 November 1729...
: Account of the Pelew Islands, situated in the western part of the Pacific Ocean. Nicol, LondresLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
1788; Pissot, Paris 1789 (in English!); G. Nicol, London 1879; Leicester University Press, 2001 ISBN 0718501551- in German: Nachrichten von den Pelew-Inseln, in der Westgegend des Stillen Oceans. transl. George ForsterGeorge ForsterGeorge Forster was found guilty of murdering his wife and child by drowning them in Paddington Canal, London. He was hanged at Newgate on 18 January 1803, shortly after which his body was taken to a nearby house where it was used in an experiment by Italian scientist Giovanni Aldini.At his trial...
. Benjamin Gottlob Hoffmann, Hamburg 1789; Süddeutsche ZeitungSüddeutsche ZeitungThe Süddeutsche Zeitung , published in Munich, is the largest German national subscription daily newspaper.-Profile:The title literally translates as "South German Newspaper". It is read throughout Germany by 1.1 million readers daily and boasts a relatively high circulation abroad...
, Munich 2007, Bibliotheca Anna Amalia, ISBN 3866154135
- in German: Nachrichten von den Pelew-Inseln, in der Westgegend des Stillen Oceans. transl. George Forster