The opium clippers / by Basil Lubbock.

  • Lubbock, Basil, 1876-1944.
Date:
1933
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The opium clippers / by Basil Lubbock. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    kong. Connection was maintained between the receiving ships and Shanghai by means of what came to be called the opium cutters. These were really sloops of about 50 ft. in length and 12 ft. beam, rather flat bottomed with shallow draught, straight stemmed and with handsome counter sterns. They were rigged with a foresail and Chinese battened lugsail. Being very shallow they had centre¬ boards, the casing of which took up the whole length down the centre of the cabin, which had a raised coach roof with sliding windows, and just aft of it a sunk steering cockpit. Forward there was a tiny fo’c’sle for the crew. Each of the big firms main¬ tained one of these cutters, and the racing between them up and down the Shanghai river was always very keen. Occasionally in the early days they used to go outside the Woosung bar and meet the coasters coming in. When the bar was dredged open and steamers came into fashion the old cutters were often turned into yachts. The Opium Passages, 1843. By 1843 many more vessels were sailing from Bombay than during the ’thirties though one of the vetarans went missing this year—the Lady Grant, which sailed from Bombay on April 15 and was never heard of again. Unfortunately very few complete passage times are to be found. Of the Bombay ships, Anonyma sailed on March 20 and arrived Hongkong May 4, 45 days out; Mor arrived out from Bombay on June 19; Falcon on June 22; Sir H. Compton, Corsair, Amelia, Petrel and Ardaseer were also from Bombay. Of the Calcutta ships, the following all arrived out prior to March 16; Red Rover with 680 chests; Poppy with 330 chests; Ariel with 400 and Rob Roy with 490. Waterwitch had a close race with Pantaloon; she left Calcutta on May 5, a day behind the schooner, and they both reached Singapore on the same day, May 30. Sylph left Calcutta on her first passage of the year on February 21. Another vessel on the Calcutta run was the brig Audacc. The Bombay ships by this date had stopped touching at Singa¬ pore on the homeward run, but reported at Anjer instead. Here