History of the Post: Mystery of the “Madagascar”

Britain, as a mercantile power trading with the world, has depended heavily for centuries on her ships and seafarers.

Not only were the basis for her maritime trade and her principal defence in war, but also her contacts with the rest of the world and carriers of the mail.

The ill-fated “Madagascar” was one of the famous Blackwall frigates. Although the term frigate is usually associated with ships of the Royal Navy, it applied also to merchantmen with four or five steps descending from the quarterdeck to the waist.

The Blackwall frigates, built on Thames-side, were fast, handy ships in widespread use between the outposts of the Empire and the Mother country.

It was on a return journey from Melbourne in August, 1853 that the “Madagascar ” disappeared. She was never seen again.

The tragedy might have gone down in history as yet another of those wreck to have foundered with all hands in some remote corner of the ocean. But circumstances were highly unusual.

The “Madagascar” was due to leave Melbourne in July carrying mail, passengers and 68,390 0z. of gold from the Kalgoorlie fields. However, shortly before she sailed detectives arrested two passengers for being connected with a robbery. The trial was inconclusive but delayed the “Madagascar’s” sailing for a month. Finally she put to sea with her valuable cargo and that was almost the last heard of her.

Many years later, a rumour began to spread, having originated, it is thought, with an old woman on her deathbed in New Zealand. She claimed to have been on the ship and one of its only survivors.

Her story was that there had been a mutiny, in which the captain and all the officers were killed. The mutineers had lowered the gold and some young girls into the boats, imprisoned the remainder of the passengers, set fire to the ship and escaped.

Only one boat ever reached the shores f Brazil and that had lost all its gold. The wretched survivors were struck by yellow fever and soon only three were left; two men, and the woman whom they finally deserted.

One of the men disappeared. the other was hanged in San Francisco. The final chapter was closed, the mystery unsolved for all time, unless the old woman was right.For more details, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar_(ship).
Illustration courtesy of Wikipedia…