REGULAR FEATURES
The
Charles Eaton
MASSACRE PART 3
By: AL Finegan
A
s 1834 drew to a close, John Ireland and little William D’Oyly slowly recovered from the trauma of the wreck and subsequent massacre and settled in to live happily with the natives on Murray Island. Ireland lived in the same hut with Chief Duppar and his family. His job was to manage a plantation of yams, and occasionally assist in harvesting turtle and shellfish. Meanwhile, William lived a contented life being well cared for by his adopted mother and her family. From time to time a European trading vessel would arrive, usually Dutch, or British from India. Ireland tried several times to board visiting ships but was held back by the locals. He knew they were fearful of retribution if he escaped and told his story. On 18thSeptember 1835, the trading vessel Mangles under the command of Captain William Carr, anchored off Murray Island. Among the natives who came out in canoes to trade was John Ireland. He told the sailors the
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tragic story of the wreck of the Charles Eaton but when he was offered a chance to escape, he was reluctant, saying he was now happy enough and would not leave without William. Next day Captain Carr landed on the island to investigate the story and, sure enough, saw the young boy William D’Oyly, whom the natives made no attempt to hide. When Captain Carr eventually returned to Sydney, he told the local press of the two young castaways on Murray Island. During 1835, more stories of white people being held in the Torres Strait reached Sydney from visiting ships. Dutch newspapers arriving from Batavia also reported being told of the white “pets” of the Murray Islanders. Meanwhile the five deserters who abandoned the people on the wreck of Charles Eaton reached the Tanimbar Islands - about 450 km north of Darwin where they were captured by the local natives and put to work. Thirteen months after their capture, the survivors were permitted to leave, reaching Batavia on 6th December 1835. Piggott
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The Bribie Islander
arrived seriously ill with fever and died in hospital. The other four were arrested and required to make sworn depositions regarding the wreck of Charles Eaton. They stated that they had stayed on the cutter near the wreck for the rest of that day and night. Having no anchor, they were exhausted from rowing to hold their position. They swore that in the morning they could see no sign of life on Charles Eaton, and they concluded all had been washed off and drowned during the night. Their depositions reached England in June 1836. About the same time, another schooner captain, who had come through Torres Strait and just arrived in London, reported that he had seen white people being held captive by the Murray Islanders. With reports already appearing in London newspapers about the loss of the barque Charles Eaton in the Torres Strait, and the supposed captivity of some of her passengers and crew, Secretary for the Colonies, Lord Glenelg decided to act. He sent a despatch to Sir Richard Bourke, Governor
of NSW, stating ". . .. it will be highly desirable that you should adopt such measures as may appear to you most advisable for ascertaining the fate of those unfortunate persons, and for rescuing them.... "
About the time that Bourke BY: Al Finegean received Glenelg's despatch,
a copy of the Bengal Herald of 28th February 1836 reached Sydney. It reported that as a result of lobbying by Captain D’Oyly, grandfather to young William, and the receipt of other reliable information, the Governor-General of India had exerted his influence to implore the Governor of Bombay (now Mumbai) to mount an expedition to recover the persons supposed to have survived the wreck of Charles Eaton. The report stated that the East India Company's armed brig of war, Tigris, had departed for Torres Strait in search of survivors. Back in Sydney, Governor Bourke decided to act immediately. The only vessel available for the rescue was HM Colonial Schooner Isabella. At great expense she was fitted out in preparation for
