William Robert Stewart
Encyclopedia
William Robert Stewart was a US Captain from New York
who was active in attempting trade with Japan in the beginning of the 19th century.
In 1797 he was commissioned by the Dutch from Batavia
to take the ship Eliza of New York to Nagasaki, Japan
, with a cargo of Dutch trade goods. The ship however reportedly sunk just a few hours after leaving Dejima, off the Takaboku islands. After being floated and repaired, it sailed again to Batavia, but was never heard of again.
On July 16, 1800 Stewart returned to Nagasaki, Japan on board a ship named The Emperor of Japan. It was discovered that his ship was in fact the Eliza of New York, which he had apparently stolen and renamed. He tried in vain to trade through the Dutch enclave of Dejima
. The director of the Dutch enclave, Willem Wardenaar, instead sold the cargo as contraband, and used the profit to repay the original repairing and re-floating of the ship. Stewart was imprisoned and sent to Batavia, but he apparently managed to escape.
He sailed again to Japan in 1803, but again did not manage to sell his cargo.
Stewart's actions were mentioned extensively by Hendrik Doeff
, the then Dutch commissioner in Dejima, in his book "Recollections of Japan".
He died in New Orleans of Yellow Fever
in 1818.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
who was active in attempting trade with Japan in the beginning of the 19th century.
In 1797 he was commissioned by the Dutch from Batavia
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
to take the ship Eliza of New York to Nagasaki, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, with a cargo of Dutch trade goods. The ship however reportedly sunk just a few hours after leaving Dejima, off the Takaboku islands. After being floated and repaired, it sailed again to Batavia, but was never heard of again.
On July 16, 1800 Stewart returned to Nagasaki, Japan on board a ship named The Emperor of Japan. It was discovered that his ship was in fact the Eliza of New York, which he had apparently stolen and renamed. He tried in vain to trade through the Dutch enclave of Dejima
Dejima
was a small fan-shaped artificial island built in the bay of Nagasaki in 1634. This island, which was formed by digging a canal through a small peninsula, remained as the single place of direct trade and exchange between Japan and the outside world during the Edo period. Dejima was built to...
. The director of the Dutch enclave, Willem Wardenaar, instead sold the cargo as contraband, and used the profit to repay the original repairing and re-floating of the ship. Stewart was imprisoned and sent to Batavia, but he apparently managed to escape.
He sailed again to Japan in 1803, but again did not manage to sell his cargo.
Stewart's actions were mentioned extensively by Hendrik Doeff
Hendrik Doeff
Hendrik Doeff was the Dutch commissioner in the Dejima trading post in Nagasaki, during the first years of the 19th century.-Biography:...
, the then Dutch commissioner in Dejima, in his book "Recollections of Japan".
He died in New Orleans of Yellow Fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
in 1818.