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BRITISH LION 

BRITISH LION  WAS A VESSEL OF 1,457 TONS.

SHE HAD BEEN BUILT AT QUEBEC IN 1853 BY P VALIA

SMITH BENNETT SHIPBUILDER & OWNER FROM THE NEWPORT - WINDSOR BUILT SHIPS AT NOVA SCOTIA AND RPORTEDLY BUILT THE BRITISH LION 1853

SHE WAS OFTEN DESCRIBED IN AUSTRALIA PAPERS AS BEING AN AMERICAN BUILT VESSEL WHEN SHE WAS IN FACT  BUILT IN CANADA

 THE WHITE STAR LINE CHARTERED HER FROM MOORE & CO OF LIVERPOOL IN 1857 FOR A VOYAGE FROM LIVERPOOL ? TO AUSTRALIA LEAVING  ON 29TH SEPTEMBER 1857. CAPTAIN HARRIGTON BEING IN COMMAND.

SHE ARRIVED IN PORT PHILLIP ON 7TH JANUARY 1858 ( DEPARTURE PORT UNKNOWN ) SHE WAS IN AUSTRALIA AGAIN IN 1864

SHE LEFT LONDON ON 24TH MARCH 1866 AND ARRIVED IN PORT ADELAIDE ( VIA PLYMOUTH ) ON 13TH JULY 1866 WITH CAPTAIN THOMAS P REEED IN COMMAND ( ROYAL NAVY RESERVE AND AS SUCH WAS ENTITLED TO FLY THE BLUE ENSIGN ON HIS SHIP  )

 THERE IS A RECORD OF HER HAVING LEFT PLYMOUTH ON THE 4TH APRIL 1866 AND ARRIVING IN ADELAIDE ON THE 14TH JULY 1866, CARRYING 428 GOVERNMENT ASSISTED IMMIGRANTS.

IN THIS REPORT THERE WAS NO MENTION OF HER HAVING LEFT LONDON, BUT   IT WAS COMMON FOR SHIPS THAT LEFT LONDON TO PUT INTO PLYMOUTH TO EMBARK  MORE PASSENGERS

SHE WAS OWNED BY M I WILSON ( FINAL OWNERS )

FOR REFERNCE ONLY -  SOME SHIP OWNERS CHOOSE PLYMOUTH AS THEIR  PORT OF DEPARTURE IN PREFERANCE TO LONDON AS A LOT OF VESSELS WERE STORM DAMAGED IN THE CHANNEL BEFORE BEFORE THEY COULD MAKE IT PAST PLYMOUTH