"Thursday, 22nd May. Strong breezes and cloudy. Working between the
islands. Noon, received no boat these 24 hours, landing being so bad.
"Friday, 23rd May. At daylight bore up for Sydney finding they would not
send off a boat from Cascade, at 6 working in for Sydney.
"Saturday, 24th May. P.M. Working in for Sydney. Received from Ocean
Whaler 4 gallons of oil for use of vessel, at midnight stood in for bay,
the flagstaff north-east by north. At noon received 2 boatloads of
sundries.
Norfolk Island to Sydney.
"Monday, 26th May. Received on board Ensign Lawson New South Wales Corps
with 6 privates and their baggage for a passage to Port Jackson,
discharged the pilot, at 7 weighed and made all sail for Port Jackson.
"Thursday, 5th June. Heavy sea from north-east. At 1 wind shifted to the
south-east. Wore ship, Ball's Pyramid, at 6 distant off shore 10 miles,
at 11 found main keel gone.
"Monday, 9th June. P.M. Fresh breezes, quarter past 3, Point Stephens
bearing west-north-west about 12 miles. At noon fresh breezes and squally
weather, Collier's Point north-west 1/2 west about 7 leagues, found the
current setting to the northward about 18 hours this day.
"Tuesday, 10th June. At sunset Cape Three points south-west 1/2 west,
Bird Island S. by S. about 5 miles.
"Friday, 13th June. Light breezes and cloudy. At 8 saw the light on the
south head of Port Jackson, came on board pilot and took charge of the
vessel, at 9 came to finding the tide done. At noon Bradley's Head 2
miles.
"Saturday, 14th June. Half-past 1 weighed and made sail up the harbour,
at half-past 3 came to in Sydney Cove.
"Sunday, 20th July. A.M. Received orders to take the crew of H.M. brig
Lady Nelson on board the Estramina, colonial schooner, to fit her out.
Sent the schooner anchor and a cable per order. At noon sent the officers
and men on board to assist - they are to be considered as lent for H.M.
Service.
(Signed)
[Facsimile signature James Symons.]
Commander.
Lieutenant Symons' logbook closes with the entry dated July 20th, 1806,
and is the last log of the Lady Nelson preserved at the Public Record
Office. It is quite possible that others are in existence, either in
England, or in Sydney, although the present writer has not been able to
discover them.
It must not be supposed that the useful work performed by the little
vessel ended at this date, as for years she continued to sail into and
out of Port Jackson. For a short time Lieutenant Symons and her crew were
turned over to the Estramina, the Spanish prize appropriated by Governor
King, and used in the colonial service until 1817, when she was lost
while coming out of the Hunter River with a cargo of coal.
But in November 1806 we again find the Lady Nelson carrying stores to
Newcastle, and on her return voyage she brought Lieutenant Putland, R.N.
(Governor Bligh's son-in-law), with other passengers, back from the
Settlement.* (* Sydney Gazette, December, 1806.)
Shortly afterwards Mr. Symons joined H.M.S. Porpoise as Lieutenant, being
appointed Commander of that ship in 1807, and the Lady Nelson was then
placed in charge of Lieutenant William George Carlile Kent, who
subsequently superseded Symons as Commander of the Porpoise by the orders
of Governor Bligh.
In 1807 and 1808 the little ship's Commanders appear to have often
changed, and her fortunes, like those of her officers, experienced a wave
of uncertainty during the stormy period which marked the rule of Governor
Bligh. Eventually by his orders the Lady Nelson was dismantled. It is
well-known that Governor Bligh was deposed and kept a prisoner in his own
house for twelve months by the officers of the New South Wales Corps.
During this time the colony was governed by three officers, Johnston,
Foveaux, and Paterson.
On the arrival of Major-General Macquarie from England to take over the
reins of Government, he caused inquiries to be made concerning the use of
the brig, to which Colonel Foveaux replied on January 10th, 1810, "I have
the honour to inform your Excellency that the Lady Nelson brig was sent
from England seven or eight years since by the Admiralty as an armed
tender to the ship of war on this station. On the departure of H.M.S.
Porpoise in March last, Commodore Bligh ordered her to be dismantled and
laid up in ordinary in the King's Yard. The Commodore gave her in charge
of Mr. Thomas Moore, the master builder, with directions to hand her over
to Colonel Paterson should he require her for the service of the colony.
Colonel Paterson applied for her immediately after the Porpoise sailed
hence, manned her with hired seamen, and she has since continued in the
employment of the Government for the use of these settlements."
From this time forward we hear of Governor Macquarie frequently taking
excursions in the Lady Nelson, and in October 1811, he, with Mrs.
Macquarie, proceeded in her to Van Diemen's Land, where he made an
extensive tour of inspection of the settlements, and every Governor in
turn seems to have used the brig for work of this character.
It is not easy to trace, subsequently, the doings of the Lady Nelson, and
presumably for a year or two she lay dismantled in Sydney Harbour, and
during that period is described as "nothing more or less than a Coal
Hulk."
By the Governor's orders, however, in 1819, when Captain Phillip King
left Sydney in the Mermaid to explore Torres Strait and the north coast
of Australia, the Lady Nelson was again made smart and trim and
accompanied the Mermaid as far as Port Macquarie. Lieutenant Oxley, R.N.,
sailed in the Lady Nelson, and after making a survey of the shores of the
port he returned in her to Port Jackson.
