A hand-colored lithograph depicting the barque 'India' burning in the South Atlantic Ocean on 19 July 1841. The 'India' sailed from Greenock, Scotland on 4 June 1841 carrying 193 bounty immigrants and crew bound for Port Phillip Bay, Australia. Six weeks into the voyage and 200 miles from land, the ship caught fire. The fire is believed to have started when a candle accidentally fell on spilled rum. The French whaling ship 'Roland' is seen in the distance. It rescued the survivors and gave them passage to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where the British Government then hired the 'Grindlay' to complete the voyage. The 'Grindlay' arrived at Port Phillip Bay on 22 October 1841 four and a half months after leaving Scotland.
During the Australian gold rush of the early 19th century, the Australian colonial government implemented a bounty system to encourage skilled migration. A majority of those immigrants were Scottish. Disaster at sea was greatly feared by many of the migrants coming to Australia. Fire, icebergs, collisions, storms, and running ashore were just some of the hazards, which could result in shipwreck. No fewer than 4,000 lost their lives in shipwrecks.
In the print, a conflagration engulfs the top deck. A mass of people escapes the flames by piling on the bowsprit and head of the ship; they wave their hands to call for rescue. A few lucky passengers sit in lifeboats in the foreground while other cling onto debris or float in the water.
Reference: Australian National Maritime Museum Object No. 00004246
