Empress
Ship: 1313 tons
Captain: Ellis
Surgeon Superintendent:
Sailed Woolich November 3rd 1863 - arrived Auckland February 19th 1864

The Empress, a beautiful ship of 1313 tons, of the Houlder Brothers Line, made three successful voyages to Auckland. On her first appearance there (this voyage) she sailed up Rangitoto Channel with a fresh north-east wind, on a dark night, and came to an anchor off the Queen Street wharf without a Pilot. The Empress sailed from Woolich on November 3, 1863, in command of Capt., Ellis, arriving in port on February 20, 1864. She brought out on this occasion 305 non-commissioned officers and men of the 4th Battalion Military Train, and the following officers, several of whom were wounded or lost their lives in the Waikato war: Colonel O'Brien, Major and Mrs Gray, Captain and Mrs Green, Captain Witchell, Captain Stone, Surgeon and Mrs Menzies, Lieutenants Lovell, Shaw, Creagh, St Aubyn, Webb, David, Leer, Shakleton, Clayton and Assistant- Surgeon Watson. The Empress also landed 105 tons of powder and 500 tons of military stores. The passage occupied 109 days. The Empress came to Auckland again in 1865 under the same commander.....
White Wings - Sir Henry Brett

Copyright Denise & Peter 2006

Reference:
The New Zealander February 23rd 1864