| The year 2006 marks 170 years since the founding of South Australia in 1836, and the 28th of December is the anniversary of the arrival of H.M.S. Buffalo under the command of the first governor, Captain John Hindmarsh. The ship is remembered as a symbol of the colonising fleet, but just as the fame of the Beagle does not rest on being the first naval ship to enter Port Adelaide, the Buffalo's significance extends far beyond this one voyage. Built as a merchantman in Calcutta in 1813, the Buffalo was purchased into the Royal Navy for use as a storeship during the Napoleonic wars. After service as a quarantine ship, she made three voyages to New Zealand for spars, calling regularly on the way at Rio de Janeiro and Sydney, and also visiting Quebec, Albany, Adelaide, and Hobart. The unusually wide variety of passengers carried - emigrants, troops, convicts and government officials - has left a number of accounts which supplement official records to give a clear picture of the ship, naval routine, and conditions on board for travellers. In addition, we learn of events ashore in Australia, Britain, Canada, Brazil and above all in New Zealand. The various accommodation and deck plans of the Buffalo provide a rare record of large Indian-built ships of the day, as well as giving precise details of the modifications necessary to fit the ship to carry naval stores, or to take the passengers which have proved to be her most significant cargo.
Originally produced by Archive CD Books Australia in 2006, this title has now been remastered and re-released, and includes better searching capability. This CD contains high quality scanned images of the whole of the original book, and has been bookmarked for easy navigation. Pages can be searched, browsed, enlarged and printed out if required. |
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