Scindian Convicts, Enrolled Pensioner Guards, Prison Warders and Other Passengers 1850

This 650-ton barque was built at Sunderland in 1844. It was employed as a convict transport and left Portsmouth, England on March 4, 1850, bound for the Swan River Colony. She carried the first of 37 shipments of male convicts destined for Western Australia. The voyage took 89 days and the Scindian arrived in Fremantle on June 1, 1850, with 200 passengers and 75 male convicts [Erickson]. James Cammell and John Gibson were the captain and surgeon respectively. Of the 200 passengers, 163 were pensioner guards and their families, the number being made up of 55 pensioners, 29 wives, 43 sons and 36 daughters. The remaining 27 passengers have not been accounted for but were possibly cabin passengers or regular soldiers.