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Albert, 1840
Type: Niger expedition and then the Colonial Government of the Gambia ; Armament 3
Launched : 1 Sep 1840 ;
Disposal date or year : 1843
BM: 457 tons ; Displacement: 340 tons
Propulsion: Paddle
Machinery notes: 200 hp
Complement : 60 men.
Notes:
31 Jul 1840, Woolwich, Lieutenant Strange is appointed to the William and Mary, at Woolwich to raise men for the Niger expedition.
21 Aug 1840 Woolwich, appointed to the Niger Expedition. Mr. H. C. Harston mate ; Mr. W. R. Bush, clerk. Mr. Harston is from the Boxer steam vessel.
18 Sep 1840 Woolwich is commissioned at Liverpool for the Niger expedition by Captain Trotter. Mr. W. C. Pettigrew to be second mate, Mr. H. C. Haiston mate, Mr. W. Merriman acting gunner. She is to come to Woolwich to fit for sea.
19 Sep 1840 Second Master ----- Loney, appointed to the Albert, iron-steamer, for the Niger expedition ;
28 Sept 1840 Mr. William Bowden, purser, appointed to the Albert steam-vessel, for the Niger expedition.
3 Oct 1840, For the Niger Expedition Captain H. D. Trotter, Lieutenant E. G. Fishborne, Mr. G. B. Harvey, Acting Master, Dr. J. O. M'William, Surgeon, William Bowden Purser, H. C. Hurston, Mate, Mr. Bush, Clerk, and William Merriman, Acting Gunner, to the Albert steamer;
3 Oct 1840, The following mates are nominated for the expedition, but not appointed to the ships:- Messrs. James Hamilton (b). A. P. Green, W. Willie, R. C. Toby, and C. W. Fairholme."
9 Oct 1840 Woolwich, The Albert, Captain Henry Dundas Trotter, the Wilberforce, Commander William Allen, and the Soudan, Commander Bird Allen, iron steam-vessels, are daily expected at Woolwich from Liverpool, to be armed and completed for the Niger expedition.
17 Oct 1840 M. L. B. Cockraft, appointed to the Albert steamer (for the Niger expedition).
30 Oct 1840 Woolwich, The Albert steam-vessel, for the Niger expedition.- Mr Fairholme has been appointed mate.
21 Nov 1840 Second Master W. H. T. Green, appointed to the Albert steam vessel, at Liverpool.
2 Jan 1841 Mate William C. Willie (1837) appointed to the Albert steamer, vice Mate Francis Marten (1837) appointed to the Ferret ;
12 Jan 1841 left Liverpool for Kingstown, Dublin, and Deptford, and is daily expected at Woolwich.
19 Feb 1841 arrived at Woolwich from Deptford on Wednesday, and will remain here until ready to sail for Africa : her compasses are being checked to insure their acting correctly, the vessel being made of iron.
19 Mar 1841 carried out trials in the River.
Woolwich, is now in the dockyard. Having paid wages, about next Tuesday, she will sail for the Niger with the Wilberforce.
24 Apr 1841 Portsmouth, the steamers Albert and Wilberforce arrived from Woolwich, en route to Plymouth and the coast of Africa.
27 Apr 1841 Portsmouth, the Albert and Wilberforce departed for Plymouth and the Bonny River, on their way to explore the Niger River.
28 Apr 1841 Plymouth, arrived from Portsmouth, and it is expected to sail on Saturday or Sunday.
25 May 1841 Madeira, The Albert and Wilberforce, were due to depart for Teneriffe, where the Soudan had already arrived.
21 May 1841 arrived at Madeira and departed again on the 24th.
3 Jun 1841 arrived at Porte Grande, St. Vincent, having left Madeira on the 25 May, arrived Santa Cruz, Teneriffe, on the 27th, and departed on the 28th, with the Soudan steamer and Harriet transport.
5 Aug 1841 has arrived in Montserado Roads on the coast of Africa,
19 Sep 1841 up the Niger, the squadron had ascended the river to the confluence of the Tchadda and Quorra (Noger), where the Albert ascended the Quorra, and the Wilberforce the Tchadda, whilst the Soudan returned down the river with invalids ; eight sailors had died since the expedition left England. The sick were put on board the Dolphin, cruising off the month of the river, which was understood to be sailing for Ascension in the near future. Purser Cyrus Wakeman reports that the patent prepared potatoes had turned out to be an excellent addition to the diet.
4 Dec 1841 Portsmouth, the Horatio transport arrived yesterday from Ascension, which she left on the 27th of October, with invalids from the African squadron. She brings sad accounts of the disastrous effects of the climate on the crews composing the Niger expedition, no less than one-third of them having invalided, of whom about 22 have died. The Soudan, on quitting the Nun river with 36 invalids on board, fell in with the Dolphin, and transferred them to that ship. Eight of these died on board the Dolphin; and with the remainder she proceeded to Ascension, where they were put on board the Horatio, and have returned home. The havoc made by the climate on the crews had greatly disheartened the expedition, and it was considered doubtful whether it could proceed. It is somewhat singular that the blacks who went from England with the expedition were the first to fall a prey to sickness on entering the river. The former accounts received from the expedition mentioned that the steamers entered the Nun river on the 13th of August. We now learn that this river is two miles wide, and that it is thought to be the chief of the many months of the Niger. The vessels, with the Amelia tender, did not do more than about a dozen miles, until the 20th, on which day they did about 30 ; the 21st, 30 miles more ; the 22d, being Sunday, they rested ; the 23d was wasted in looking after the Wilberforce, which had gone up (without Captain Trotter's knowledge) by a different channel. The 24th they did 20 miles the 25th, 25 miles ; and on the evening of the 26th they all four arrived at the island of Ebor, 130 miles up the river, according to its course. The river here is about 200 yards wide, and of good depth, the banks to the water's edge covered with vegetation, with the cotton; umbrella palm, bamboo and many other trees of the kind. The depth of water vanes from 13 fathoms down to very shallow indeed, the current against them going up about two miles an hour. Thus far up the river its width varies from 100 yards to a mile and a half. The next 30 or 40 miles they saw but few huts. The next 30 or 40 miles they passed several villages, then (for some miles) fewer inhabitants again, and latterly none. The town of Ebor is very large not on the main river but up a creek ; the king went onboard the Albert, dressed like a mountebank, red coat, &c. The natives are quite peaceful towards them ; indeed, they were fearful of them ; they had provided them with vegetables and some bullocks on the day the last letter, was dated viz., the 18th of September. The have very large canoes, carrying 40 or 50 men each.
The following is an extract of a letter, dated Mount Stirling, close to the confluence of the Niger and the Tchadda, September 18, 1841 Her Majesty's ship Ameba tender (this point is 300 miles from the sea and being above the delta of several rivers is comparatively healthy):-
"The pestilence has broken out; 50 or 60 are ill in the squadron ; 10 or 12 have died, and many more will die. I fear. The Soudan takes the sick out of the river; the Wilberforce goes up the Tchadda ; the Albert, with Captain Trotter and Captain Bird Allen, goes up the Niger. Mr. Horatio Collman, acting assistant surgeon of the Soudan, is left in the medical charge of the Amelia and the settlement which is forming on shore here under Mr. Carr by the society. Dir Nightingale, assistant-surgeon of the Albert, is dead, and also Mr. Marshall, acting-surgeon of the Soudan." Portsmouth Paper."
7 Dec 1841 Portsmouth, The Horatio transport, Lieutenant Chapman, arrived here on Friday from St. Helena and the Coast of Africa, and has brought home some of the officers who have been invalided belonging to the Niger expedition, and who had come down the river in the Soudan steamer. The accounts they bring home are up to the 1st of October, and are most deplorable. The mortality and sickness among the officers and men composing the expedition were great in the extreme. 26 had already died, and almost all were ill and unable to do duty. On board the Wilberforce, out of the European portion of the crew of about 50 men, not more than four or five were able to attend to their duty, the others were all laid up, and they were nearly as ill off on board the Albert. At the time the Soudan left it, the expedition had reached the confluence of the Niger and Tchadda, about 270 miles up the river, but it was feared that from the lamentable condition in which it was placed by the sickness and the increasing mortality among the officers and men, it would be compelled to return to Ascension. Among the victims to the climate previous to the Soudan's leaving her consorts was Assistant-Surgeon Nightingale, of the Albert ; and during her passage on her return from Attah to the month of the river, she lost her own surgeon, Mr. W. B. Marshall and one of her men. When she arrived at the entrance of the river she fell in with Her Majesty's ship Dolphin, and put her sick on board that vessel to be conveyed to Ascension, eight of whom, however, died previous to the Dolphin's reaching that place. Mr. Walter, the clerk of the Soudan, was so ill that be could not be removed on, board the Dolphin, and it was not expected he would survive many hours ; all prospect of his recovery was perfectly hopeless. Captain Bird Allen, of the Soudan, did not come down the river with her, but joined the Albert, being anxious to accompany the expedition to the extent of its researches. The Soudan came down under the command of Lieutenant Fishbourne. All her officers and men ware sick.
The steamers make very slow progress in ascending the river ; none of them are remarkable for their speed. The current of the stream is about three miles and a half, and the average speed of the steamers is six miles, consequently their progress is not more than two miles and a half per hour. The Albert was to proceed up the Niger, and the Wilberforce up the Tchadda, while the Amelia schooner was to remain at Mount Stirling, where the farm is to be established, and where the tent lately used at the Eglintoun tournament has already been pitched. The natives were very friendly ; at Eboe, a town containing 8,000 or 9,000 inhabitants, several of the officers went on shore, the natives crowding to see them. At the Queen's palace they were received by her sable Majesty, who was squatted at the door surrounded by her ladies, the principal of which were decorated with heavy ivory anklets, weighing from eight to ten pounds each. They seemed much pleased with the visit, and laughed immoderately, and in return for some little trinkets given by the officers her Majesty presented them with a fowl and some Gooza nuts, the bestowal of which is considered highly complimentary there. The King of Eboe went on board the Wilberforce, accompanied by his son and the interpreter, and others of his suite. A bottle of port urine was placed before him, which he did not pass round to any of his attendants, but drank it all himself, and then gave a broad hint, which, however, was not taken, for some grog. The King of Attah was more dignified, and upon the Commissioners waiting upon him he told them he was perfectly aware that they were the subjects of a Sovereign to whom they paid every respect, and he should expect the same respect paid to him. He should not go on board, because he considered he was entitled to as much attention as their own Sovereign. He said they might have the command of the water, but he had the command of the land. He looked with perfect indifference on the elegant and valuable presents of velvet robes trimmed with gold, but seemed much taken with the spectacles worn by the chaplain, and gladly accepted several pairs that were given him. He, as well as the King of Eboe, entered most willingly into all the arrangements of the Commissioners, and they both expressed their desire that their subjects should be instructed. He sold them the land at Mount Stirling; where they intend to establish the settlement, which he said was just within the extent of his dominions. The officers belonging to the expedition who came home in the Horatio are Lieutenant Harston, Mr. Belam, master, and Assistant-Surgeon John Stirling, of the Soudan."
Albert 22 Dec 1841 Niger Expedition.
From the intelligence received from this expedition, extending in part to the 10th of October, the following statement of facts may be gathered :
The Albert, Wilberforce, and Soudan, with the Harriot transport and Amelia tender, after a favourable though somewhat tedious voyage, arrived off the Nun on the 9th and 10th of August. In unloading the transport they were detained a considerable time, owing to the heavy rolling of the vessels in the swell outside the bar. A farther detention arose when they had crossed the bar from the necessity of refitting the tails of the rudders, which had been carried away on the passage from Cape Coast, and without which the vessels were almost unmanageable. These repairs the badness of the weather and strength of the tide did not permit of being completed till the 20th.
The necessary delay does not, however, appear to have positively injured the health of the crews, as they enjoyed a wholesome sea breeze, and every precaution was taken to preserve them from illness. Up to this period there had been seven deaths - four from casualties, one of apoplexy, and two of fever, not African, but typhus. Of these last, one only was a European.
Under these favourable auspices they commenced their ascent of the river on the 20th of August. Their progress was necessarily slow, as they do not ordinarily make more than six miles an hour, and the current runs at the rate of three. They were delayed still further by looking for the Wilberforce, which had gone up a different channel. Thus the 22d (Sunday) was spent, arid at last it was found that she had gone ahead. They rejoined at Eboe on the 26th. This deviation was however, the means of discovering a new branch of the river, with numerous villages, and a larger population than had yet been seen. Six days after they arrived at Iddah, when the fever broke out, and continued to the confluence (272 miles up) with increased violence.
In consequence of this alarming sickness, and their inability to examine the higher grounds for a healthy station, it was deemed advisable to send the sick to the sea-side. 43 of the 49 remaining cases were accordingly embarked in the Soudan on the 19th, and reached the mouth early on the 22d. On their way they lost two hopeless cases - Mr. Marshall, surgeon of the Soudan, and one of her men. They were fortunate enough to fall in at once with Her Majesty's ship Dolphin, Commander Littlehales, by whom they were taken on board, except two, and carried to Ascension. On their way eight more died, but the rest recovered in a most sudden and striking manner.
Assistant surgeon Stirling, who came home in charge of the invalids, has since returned to the Niger. The accompanying table shows the entire mortality from the first setting out, and the number of Whites who have died of African fever:-
List of Deaths from May 12 to September 29.
| Officers | White Seamen &c. | Marines and Sappers | Coloured Men | Total | |
| Died from casualties, and one o! apoplexy | - | 4 | - | 1 | 5 |
| Died of fever (typhus) up to August 9 | - | 1 | - | I | 2 |
| Died of fever (African) up to September 17 | 1 | 6 | 1 | - | 8 |
| Died of fever (African) on passage down | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 |
| Supposed to have died in Soudan after Sept. 22 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 |
| Died on passage to Ascension | - | 6 | 2 | - | 2 |
| Total | 3 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 27 |
| Of African fever | 3 | 14 | 3 | - | 20 |