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on 11 March 1853 and, after an uneventful passage of 87 days, reached
Melbourne on 10 June. Fourteen of her 60 crew jumped ship for the diggings, and it is believed only about three replacements were signed on. She then loaded a cargo that included wool, rice, and about two tonnes of gold valued at
259:
A one-eighth share in the vessel was held throughout her 16-year career by her first master
Captain William Harrison Walker; various members of the Green family continued to own the remainder.
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was one of the great maritime mysteries of the 19th century and has probably been the subject of more speculation than any other 19th century maritime puzzle, except for the
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and, most controversially, being seized by criminal elements of the passengers and/or crew and scuttled, with the gold being stolen and the remaining passengers and crew
361:" were first published. Over the next century many purely fictional stories based on this rumour have been published (being mentioned by authors of such reputation as
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322:. On the following day the police arrested two others, one on board the ship and the other as he was preparing to board. As a result of these arrests
369:). Most 20th-century versions state that the death-bed confession was by a woman passenger who was taken by the mutineers, and by implication
314:, who was later found to have been one of those responsible for robbing on 20 July the Melbourne Private Escort between the McIvor goldfield (
279:
from naval practice, their parents or guardians paid for their training, and they only received a nominal wage of usually a shilling a month.
275:
until the end of 1852. In addition to her normal crew she also carried many boys being trained as officers for the merchant marine. Known as
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and her fate has also been used many times as a plot device in popular fiction, the earliest known being in Frank Fowler's
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295:, under the command of Captain Fortescue William Harris, was sent to Melbourne with emigrants. She left
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In 1872 rumours of a supposed death-bed confession by a man who "knew who murdered the captain of the
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384:(which is probably the foundation of the modern mutiny legends), and later in Thomas Harrison's
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373:, and was too ashamed of what had happened to her to confess beforehand.
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419:. The most recent use of the mystery in a fictional setting is probably
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392:, Melbourne, in 1868. It probably influenced many other gold-rush era
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did not leave
Melbourne until Friday 12 August 1853. After she left
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British merchant ship built for the trade to India and China in 1837
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When the ship became overdue many theories were floated, including
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208:
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Lewis, Jack (July 1983), "Bloody Mutiny of the 'Madagascar'",
300:£240,000, and took on board about 110 passengers for London.
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On
Wednesday 10 August, just as she was preparing to sail,
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Stuart, Lurline (Autumn 2001), "The Lost Gold Ship",
726:
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799:Victorian-era merchant ships of the United Kingdom
408:in 1931—which was in turn used in 1949 by Captain
256:, shipyard they co-owned with the Wigram family.
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8:
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386:My Story; or, the Fate of the "Madagascar"
211:in 1837 that disappeared on a voyage from
599:Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1853
427:(Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd., 2003,
382:Adrift; or The Rock in the South Atlantic
19:For other ships with the same name, see
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468:(Melbourne), 11 June 1853, 4 May 1854.
27:
400:in 1896, and the alleged loss of the
398:The Tale of Ten: A Salt Water Romance
52:
7:
494:, Glasgow: Brown, Son & Ferguson
455:, Glasgow: Brown, Son & Ferguson
404:—reported as fact in T. C. Bridges'
134:150 ft 7 in (45.90 m)
150:15 ft (4.6 m) fully laden
158:22 ft 5 in (6.83 m)
142:32 ft 7 in (9.93 m)
14:
814:Ships built by the Blackwall Yard
809:Maritime incidents in August 1853
388:, first published as a serial in
263:carried freight, passengers, and
769:
764:
54:
31:
406:The Romance of Buried Treasure
341:of the wool cargo, hitting an
219:in 1853. The disappearance of
1:
307:went on board and arrested a
507:(Sydney), 13 December 1872.
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804:Missing ships of Australia
794:1850s missing person cases
396:including Clark Russell's
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824:Ships lost with all hands
759:
107:
47:
30:
490:Lubbock, Basil (1922),
451:Lubbock, Basil (1922),
203:built for the trade to
108:General characteristics
492:The Blackwall Frigates
453:The Blackwall Frigates
339:spontaneous combustion
334:was never seen again.
246:George and Henry Green
37:The Blackwall Frigate
478:Sydney Morning Herald
390:The Colonial Magazine
126:951 "New Measurement"
42:(lithograph, c. 1853)
653:Aug (unknown date):
556:The La Trobe Journal
316:Heathcote, Victoria
289:Victorian Gold Rush
646:Earl of Charlemont
480:, 17 August 1853.
417:Breaks the Silence
70:Wigram and Green,
829:Maritime folklore
781:
780:
716:Sir Fowell Buxton
517:James A. Michener
367:James A. Michener
242:Blackwall Frigate
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117:Blackwall Frigate
21:Madagascar (ship)
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363:Basil Lubbock
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174:Three-masted
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155:Depth of hold
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749:Investigator
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537:Sea Classics
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505:Evening News
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433:0-33036398-0
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421:Sandy Curtis
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402:Starry Crown
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328:Port Phillip
323:
312:John Francis
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283:Final voyage
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226:Mary Celeste
224:
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196:was a large
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191:
190:
38:
25:
666:Breadalbane
425:Deadly Tide
410:W. E. Johns
394:sea stories
287:Due to the
819:1837 ships
788:Categories
705:USCS
656:Madagascar
616:Jenny Lind
606:Shipwrecks
439:References
378:Madagascar
359:Madagascar
332:Madagascar
330:Heads the
324:Madagascar
309:bushranger
293:Madagascar
277:midshipmen
261:Madagascar
238:Madagascar
221:Madagascar
193:Madagascar
163:Propulsion
103:Lost, 1853
39:Madagascar
747:HMS
736:HMS
675:HMS
522:Caribbean
466:The Argus
213:Melbourne
171:Sail plan
738:Basilisk
673:29 Oct:
663:21 Aug:
643:18 Jun:
623:24 Apr:
613:11 Apr:
519:(1989),
347:murdered
297:Plymouth
267:between
90:Homeport
82:Launched
745:3 Jun:
734:7 Apr:
684:1 Dec:
633:6 Jun:
415:Biggles
343:iceberg
320:Kyneton
269:England
248:at the
198:British
147:Draught
123:Tonnage
67:Builder
48:History
707:Morris
677:Rodney
626:Whitby
431:
353:Legacy
318:) and
305:police
265:troops
254:London
233:Career
217:London
131:Length
94:London
76:London
697:Belle
371:raped
273:India
209:China
205:India
775:1854
762:1852
558:(67)
429:ISBN
365:and
271:and
207:and
182:Crew
166:Sail
139:Beam
113:Type
100:Fate
85:1837
543:(4)
435:).
423:'s
412:in
215:to
790::
541:16
539:,
349:.
291:,
252:,
185:60
74:,
591:e
584:t
577:v
525:.
228:.
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
