City of Edinburgh

City of Edinburgh was a Spanish vessel, built in France, that a British frigate brought into the Cape of Good Hope in 1807 as a prize. There investors purchased her to trade with the penal colony of Port Jackson. She foundered in 1812 near the Azores while en route from Lima to Cadiz. Career Alexander Berry and Francis Shortt purchased a Spanish prize that they named City of Edinburgh. Their purpose was to carry provisions to New South Wales for sale there. On 4 September 1807 she left East London, South Africa with Pattison, master, and Berry, supercargo. She stopped at the Cape of Good Hope, Port Dalrymple, and Hobart, before she arrived at Port Jackson on 14 January 1808. City of Edinburgh sailed for Norfolk Island on 25 May. She sailed to Norfolk Island to participate in the evacuation of the colony and the transfer of its inhabitants to Van Diemen's Land. She arrived at Norfolk Island on 4 June. Frequent storms and other issues delayed her departure until 9 September, when she left with some 250 settlers and their families, and some convicts. She then arrived at Hobart Town on 2 October. City of Edinburgh underwent some repairs at Hobart and then returned to Port Jackson on 18 November. On 27 January 1809 City of Edinburgh sailed for Bay of Islands (New Zealand), Tongataboo Island (Tonga), Opuna (Vuna, Fiji), and then back to New Zealand. At Bay of Islands underwent repairs while Berry arranged for the cutting of kauri trees for spars. She then sailed for Fiji. From Fiji City of Edinburgh sailed to Tonga. There, between July and August, she gathered sandalwood, before returning to Bay of Islands to retrieve the spars.