Sylph (ship)
Encyclopedia
The Sylph was a clipper
ship built in Calcutta in 1831 for the Parsi
merchant Rustomjee Cowasjee. After her purchase by the Hong Kong
based merchant house
Jardine Matheson, in 1833 Sylph went on to set an unbroken record by sailing from Calcutta to Macao
in 17 days, 17 hours. She was primarily used to transport opium
between various ports in the Far East. Two contemporary paintings of Sylph show her to have been a heavily rigged ship with trysail
s on each mast and a tall high-peaked spanker
.
, surveyor of the Royal Navy
, to the order of a consortium of Calcutta merchants headed by Rustomjee Cowasjee. Sleek, elegant, functional and devoid of ornament, The Sylph did not have the rakish lines of the later clippers, yet proved to be particular swift.
In 1833 the Sylph was sent by Jardines to explore what sort of profits they could generate by trading along the Chinese coast. Arriving at Macao in September, the Sylph unloaded some of the opium it had transported from Calcutta and immediately departed northwards with the German protestant missionary Karl Gützlaff
onboard as translator.
During the first Opium War
(1839–1842) Jardines were offered a premium price for the ship, an offer that was declined on the basis of the huge profits she made from transporting opium.
While sailing from Calcutta to China in 1835 and carrying 995 chests of opium, she ran aground on a shoal on the Malay Peninsular. According to the Canton Register
dated April 14, 1835, the Sylphs commander Captain Wallace told the vessel's insurers that she had been swamped then beached by the north east monsoon. The East Indiaman Clive came to the rescue and the ship and all but two chests of opium were recovered.
After undergoing re-rigging in Hong Kong in 1848 at a cost of 11,166.22 Mexican dollars, Sylph disappeared en route to Singapore
the following year, possibly captured and burned by pirates based on Hainan
Island. Other sources believe that she was shipwrecked on the rocks of Pedra Branca off the coast of Singapore
whilst carrying a cargo of opium to the value of 557,200 Spanish dollar
s.
Clipper
A clipper was a very fast sailing ship of the 19th century that had three or more masts and a square rig. They were generally narrow for their length, could carry limited bulk freight, small by later 19th century standards, and had a large total sail area...
ship built in Calcutta in 1831 for the Parsi
Parsi
Parsi or Parsee refers to a member of the larger of the two Zoroastrian communities in South Asia, the other being the Irani community....
merchant Rustomjee Cowasjee. After her purchase by the Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
based merchant house
The Hongs
The Hongs were major business houses in Canton and later Hong Kong with significant influence on patterns of consumerism, trade, manufacturing and other key areas of the economy...
Jardine Matheson, in 1833 Sylph went on to set an unbroken record by sailing from Calcutta to Macao
Mação
Mação is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 400.0 km² and a total population of 7,763 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of eight parishes, and is located in the Santarém District....
in 17 days, 17 hours. She was primarily used to transport opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
between various ports in the Far East. Two contemporary paintings of Sylph show her to have been a heavily rigged ship with trysail
Trysail
A trysail is small triangular or square fore-and-aft rigged sail hoisted in place of a larger sail when winds are very high....
s on each mast and a tall high-peaked spanker
Spanker (sail)
A spanker is either of two kinds of sail.On a square rigged ship, the spanker is a gaff rigged fore-and-aft sail set from and aft of the aftmost mast. Almost all square rigs with more than one mast have one or two spankers, which evolved from the driver sail. Some also carry a topsail above the...
.
History
The Sylph was designed in London by Sir Robert SeppingsRobert Seppings
Sir Robert Seppings FRS was an English naval architect.Seppings was born at Fakenham, Norfolk, and in 1782 was apprenticed in Plymouth dockyard...
, surveyor of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, to the order of a consortium of Calcutta merchants headed by Rustomjee Cowasjee. Sleek, elegant, functional and devoid of ornament, The Sylph did not have the rakish lines of the later clippers, yet proved to be particular swift.
In 1833 the Sylph was sent by Jardines to explore what sort of profits they could generate by trading along the Chinese coast. Arriving at Macao in September, the Sylph unloaded some of the opium it had transported from Calcutta and immediately departed northwards with the German protestant missionary Karl Gützlaff
Karl Gützlaff
Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff , anglicised as Charles Gutzlaff, was a German missionary to the Far East, notable as one of the first Protestant missionaries in Bangkok, Thailand and for his books about China. He was one of the first Protestant missionaries in China to dress like a Chinese...
onboard as translator.
During the first Opium War
Opium Wars
The Opium Wars, also known as the Anglo-Chinese Wars, divided into the First Opium War from 1839 to 1842 and the Second Opium War from 1856 to 1860, were the climax of disputes over trade and diplomatic relations between China under the Qing Dynasty and the British Empire...
(1839–1842) Jardines were offered a premium price for the ship, an offer that was declined on the basis of the huge profits she made from transporting opium.
While sailing from Calcutta to China in 1835 and carrying 995 chests of opium, she ran aground on a shoal on the Malay Peninsular. According to the Canton Register
Canton Register
The Canton Register was an English newspaper founded by Scottish merchant James Matheson and Philadelphian William Whiteman Wood. First published in Canton on November 8, 1827 and printed every two weeks, it was China's first English-language newspaper....
dated April 14, 1835, the Sylphs commander Captain Wallace told the vessel's insurers that she had been swamped then beached by the north east monsoon. The East Indiaman Clive came to the rescue and the ship and all but two chests of opium were recovered.
After undergoing re-rigging in Hong Kong in 1848 at a cost of 11,166.22 Mexican dollars, Sylph disappeared en route to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
the following year, possibly captured and burned by pirates based on Hainan
Hainan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
Island. Other sources believe that she was shipwrecked on the rocks of Pedra Branca off the coast of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
whilst carrying a cargo of opium to the value of 557,200 Spanish dollar
Spanish dollar
The Spanish dollar is a silver coin, of approximately 38 mm diameter, worth eight reales, that was minted in the Spanish Empire after a Spanish currency reform in 1497. Its purpose was to correspond to the German thaler...
s.