General Hewett (1811 ship)
| History | |
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.svg){kind=small}  United Kingdom
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| Name: | General Hewett |
| Namesake: | Sir George Hewett, 1st Baronet |
| Builder: | Matthew Smith, Howrah |
| Launched: | 1811,Calcutta, Bengal |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen: | 894, or 898, or 960 52⁄94 (bm) |
| Length: |
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| Beam: | 37 ft 9 in (11.5 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 15 ft 0 in (4.6 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sail |
| Armament: | 14 guns |
| Notes: | In 1854 the Moorsom Commission devised a new measurement system Gross register tonnage (register tonnage). On this metric, General Hewett measured 1055 tons. |
General Hewett, sometimes spelled General Hewart or General Hewitt, was a three-deck sailing ship launched in 1811. The British East India Company (EIC) purchased her to use her in the China trade. However, unlike most East Indiamen, on her first voyage from England she transported convicts from England to Australia. Thereafter, she performed five voyages for the EIC. The EIC sold her in 1830 and she then became a general merchantman.
At the time the EIC purchased General Hewitt, the company had only three vessels of its own. It chartered all the rest, including the ones built expressly for the EIC's trade.
Under the command of Captain Percy Earl, General Hewitt sailed from England on 26 August 1813, with 300 male convicts, 104 crew, 70 soldiers, 15 women and five children. The soldiers came from the 46th Regiment of Foot and guarded the convicts. She sailed in company with Wanstead, and the Windham, and under the escort of HMS Akbar, at least for the early part of the voyage. The convoy also included Roxburgh Castle, which was carrying military equipment to the Cape of Good Hope, and Chapman, which was transporting an army detachment to the Cape and Île de France (Mauritius).
General Hewett arrived at Port Jackson on 7 February 1814, having travelled via Madeira and Rio de Janeiro.
The voyage took 165 days, during which 34 male convicts died, a large number, mostly of contagious dysentery. The losses on General Hewitt, Surry, and Three Bees led in 1814 to Surgeon William Redfern preparing a report for Governor Lachlan Macquarie on the sanitary problems of the ships transporting convicts to New South Wales. This report led to a great improvement in conditions, including the appointment of a medical officer for each voyage.
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