the Otago and James Nicol Fleming, two sister ships, were built in 1869 by Duncan, of Glasgow, for Patrick Henderson,

the Otago, Sister Ship to the James Nicol Fleming, anchored at Gravesend.

to carry immigrants for the New Zealand Government to Dunedin. When Henderson amalgamated with the Shaw, Savill Company the Otago sailed under that firm's house, flag, and she was painted with ports along the side, a style adopted in all the Shaw, Savill Company boats. the Otago was a vessel of 993 tons, fitted up especially for the comfort of passengers. Like the James Nicol Fleming, she made consistent runs out and home, and most of the passages were below the average. Her best run out was on her second voyage, in command of Captain Stuart. She left London on June 23, 1871, and reached Port Chalmers September 9, after an exceptionally good passage of 78 days—anchorage to anchorage. During this run scarcely any westerly breezes were met with while running down her easting, the general parallel of which was latitude 44S.

In 1887 and 1888 the Otago, when bound for Lyttelton, met with exceptionally heavy weather. Captain Norman sailed the ship in 1887, and on arrival reported that on May 14, during a hurricane, the upper main topsail yard was carried away, while heavy seas came aboard, flooding the berths and lazarette, also washing everything movable on deck overboard, while the ship scudded under low canvas with oil bags on either side.

Captain Peebles.

In the following year the Otago, under Captain Falconer, on May 8, again met with boisterous weather. A violent gale sprang up suddenly, and the vessel was almost immediately thrown on her beam ends, although at the time she was under lower topsails and foresail only. Heavy seas swept the decks and rushed below, damaging all stores and doing considerable damage. Fortunately the gale soon passed, the vessel was righted, and she proceeded on the voyage.

the Otago in 1887 came out rigged as a barque in command of Captain Norman. Subsequently the ship was sold to a Portuguese firm and renamed the Ermilla. She was torpedoed and sunk during the late war.