The Sydney Gazette 10
August 1816
DEATH ON THE ELIZABETH
HENRIETTA
An
open boat, with five of
the crew of the brig Elizabeth Henrietta arrived from
Hunter’s River on Wednesday afternoon, with the very
disagreeable intelligence of that vessel’s having upset at
her moorings in the River on Tuesday the 30th
alt. Between 4 and 5 in the morning; by which melancholy
accident the wife of Mr. Ross, the master of the vessel, was
unfortunately drowned; as was also one of the crew, a young
man named Patrick Fitzgerald. Mrs. Ross was in the cabin
when the fatal accident occurred, and had no possible chance
of avoiding her dreary destiny; and the young man,
Fitzgerald, was as unfortunately below, in the fore part of
the vessel. The body of Mrs. Ross was drawn out of the cabin
in the afternoon of the same day, but that of her fellow
sufferer had not been found when the unwelcome information
came away. On receipt of the melancholy information His
Excellency the governor immediately dispatched His majesty’s
brig Lady Nelson accompanied by the Nautilus
of Calcutta to proceed to Hunter’s River for the purpose of
recovering the vessel, the accomplishment of which, with
such efficient aid, will, there is no doubt, be very soon
effected.
