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White Wings Vol I. Fifty Years Of Sail In The New Zealand Trade, 1850 TO 1900

The Assaye

The Assaye.

Craft that went Missing.

The barque Assaye completed only one voyage to New Zealand. She was built in 1868, and owned by Mr. J. Stewart, of Greenock. During the operation of the Vogel immigration scheme she was chartered by the N.Z. Shipping Co., and sailed from London for Auckland on the 12th September under Captain McRitchie. She arrived there on the 26th
the Assaye At Gravesend.

the Assaye At Gravesend.

December, 1874, making the passage in 114 days.

the Assaye does not appear to have entered upon further passages to the Dominion until 1890. She sailed from London on the 19th February of that year, bound for Wellington. She was spoken on the Equator on the 16th March, and was never afterwards heard of. She was posted at Lloyd's some months later as missing. About six months after she left London some wreckage marked with the name Assaye was found on the Chatham Islands, also portions of cargo known to have been aboard. None of the articles picked up appeared to have been in the water any length of time, so hopes were entertained that some of her crew might have escaped in the boats, but nothing further was ever discovered.

Among the things lost in the wreck of the Assaye was a part of the valuaable library of Sir Walter Buller, also a number of his curios. Some of the latter, however, were recovered, not much damaged by water.