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AMBOYNA
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The Dutch brig HARLINGEN (HAERLEM according to Steele's List), taken in January 1796 in the East Indies by ORPHEUS.
Sold in the East Indies in 1802. |
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- She was chased in the Straits of Banca by the boats of SUFFOLK led by the fifth lieutenant, Mr William Hugh DOBBIE, in the launch. Although the enemy had a fine breeze he managed to keep close and returned her fire with his swivels until ORPHEUS came up and captured her.
She was purchased by the government on 9 March after the fall of Banda, renamed the AMBOYNA, which place had surrendered on 16 February, and commissioned by Lieut. DOBBIE. He was ordered to fit her out to take Capt. LAMBERT to England with Rear Ad. RAINIER's dispatches.
He was on the point of sailing when news was received of a native uprising against the Dutch settlers, who desperately needed British protection, so the dispatches were sent to Madras in ORPHEUS. AMBOYNA instead convoyed a ship laden with spices to Macao, to procure supplies for the squadron. There she was heaved down to repair damage caused by going aground during the passage and, while Lieut. DOBBIE was absent in Whampoa, Lieut. Arthur FARQUHAR had to drive off a strong party of Ladrones who had hopes of taking her by surprise. - 1799 Lieut. T. PULHAM, 12/1797, East Indies.
On 17 May 1799, in expectation of a dispatch arriving announcing the fall of Seringapatam, Vice Ad. RAINIER appointed Lieut. Peter HEYWOOD off SUFFOLK to command AMBOYNA, then cruising off Mangalore, to take them home to England. When he arrived at Madras nine days later he found that the dispatches had already been sent off in a merchant ship so he rejoined SUFFOLK.
As a 16 year old midshipman Peter HEYWOOD had been on board BOUNTY at the time of the mutiny. He managed to escape from the mutineers at Tahiti and, made himself known to Capt. Edward EDWARDS of PANDORA who promptly put him in irons and confined him with 12 others in an 11 ft box on the deck. PANDORA was wrecked on a reef on 28 August 1791 and Capt. EDWARDS left the prisoners to their fate. They would have drowned had not the master-at-arms and boatswain's mate William MOULTER opened the 18" square scuttle in the roof of the box. Four of the prisoners, weighed down by their manacles, drowned but Mr HEYWOOD was picked up and after many privations reached Batavia and was returned home where he stood trial for his alleged part in the mutiny. When evidence of his innocence was declared inadmissible he was sentenced to death, being assured at the same time that his life was safe. He was set at liberty on 27 October 1792 after receiving a free and unconditional pardon from the King.
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