Summary
Personal Information
Crime
Voyage
Transportation
James Furlong was transported on the Albuera, departing 6th Sep 1858 and arriving 28th Oct 1858 with 11 passengers.
Albuera, launched at Moulmain (British Burma) in 1854, made three voyages to Adelaide up to 1874. Sailing from Calcutta, India, on 6 Sep, 1858, she arrived at Fremantle with 11 military convicts on 28 Oct. They were all convicted by Courts Martial (in India and Burma) and sentenced to transportation. Note: Albuera is not to be confused with other ships of the same name or those spelled Albeura.
Albuera (generic)References
| Primary Source | Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930; Convict Department, Registers; General Register for Nos 4679-5166 (R1) |
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Convict Notes
DEATH: Surname: Furlong Given name: James Sex: Male Age: Unknown Place of death: Guildford Depot Hospital [Note: Then called the Infirmary, in Meadow Street, it became the District Hospital after 1868.] Year of death: 1863 Reg. no.: 2354 Reg year: 1863 (Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages at https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-justice; and https://freotopia.org/places/guildforddepot.html) --00--
OTHER RECORDS – 2: Furlong, James (1828-1863) 5060 1858-10-28 Albeura CWA: Unmarried; labourer, soldier; illiterate, Roman Catholic; convicted Thayat 1856; Court Martial breached articles of war 14 yrs; Toodyay; labourer. Died in Guildford depot hospital liver disease. Trove: PG, 1853: Toodyay, police report: Nov. 14, James Furlong, t.l., drunk. Ancestry: Convict records: Employed by J. Clinch, 30-06-1863; Convicted in Calcutta for breach of articles of war (assaulting sup. officer). (Source: Convicts associated with Toodyay at https://www.toodyay.wa.gov.au/documents/234/convicts-associated-with-toodyay-as-at-30-sep-2020). --00--
OTHER RECORDS – 1: James Furlong 50601 M, #5060, b. 1828, d. 10 December 1863 Birth He was born in 1828 Death He died on 10 December 1863 at Guildford, Western Australia; Depot hospital liver disease Convicted Convicted of breach of articles of war (Court Martial) and sentenced to 14 years on 9 August 1856 at Thayat Mew [sic], India. Literacy Recorded as being illiterate as at 28 October 1858 Family Status Claimed that his marital status was unmarried as at 28 October 1858 Occupation Recorded as a soldier; labourer on 28 October 1858 Transported Transported to WA on the Albuera arriving at Fremantle, Western Australia, on 28 October 1858. He had been collected from Calcutta prison. Convict No. Assigned with Convict No. 5060 on 28 October 1858 Ticket of Leave His Ticket of Leave was granted on 23 April 1859 at Western Australia (WA Convicts at https://www.waconvicts.fhwa.org.au/g0/p203.htm#i5060) --00--
FREMANTLE JAIL RECORD: FURLONG, James; inmate #5060, arrived 28 Oct 1858 per Albeura [sic] Date of Birth: 1828 Date of Death: 10 Dec 1863 Place of Death: Guildford, depot hospital, liver disease Marital Status: Unmarried Occupation: Labourer, soldier Literacy: Illiterate Sentence Date: 1856 Sentence Place: Thayat [sic] Crime: Breached articles of war Sentence Period: 14 years Ticket of Leave Date: 23 Apr 1859 Comments: Labourer (https://fremantleprison.com.au/history-heritage/research/convict-database/). --00--
CONVICT CHARACTER RECORD: 1858, 28 October: JAMES FURLONG, from Calcutta per Albuera, 34 [different from other records], single, illiterate, Roman Catholic, labourer; “assaulting his superior officer & insubordinate conduct”, 14 years. Character and special information received with a prisoner as to previous convictions, etc – “Very bad. Subject to Rheumatism in the Head. Specially recommended by the Governor of Calcutta Jail”. (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930 for James Furlong; Convict Department, Registers; Character Book for Nos 4508-5585 (R8)) --00--
IN WA: 1858, 28 October: On arrival, JAMES FURLONG, was listed as convict #5060, 30 years old, single, 5’11 ¼” tall, dark brown hair, dark grey eyes, oval visage, fresh complexion, and middling stout appearance; bayonet wound above the left wrist. A labourer by trade, he had been convicted at a General Court Martial, at Thayet Myo, in Burma, and sentenced to 14 years’ penal servitude for “breach of articles of war” (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930; Convict Department, Registers; General Register for Nos 4679-5166 (R1)). Note: Various records give his year of birth as 1828, presumably based on an assumption that he was 30 on arrival in WA. However, the “Convicts to Australia” site says the age quoted on these WA Convict Records “seems to refer to the age of the convict when the passenger list was created”. Thus, he could have been born in 1827. If he was 30 at the time of his court martial, then his birth year could be 1826. --00--
THE VOYAGE TO WA: One of the few snippets of information found about the Albuera's voyage in 1858 comes from an article in the Melbourne Argus: INDIA (From our Galle [Sri Lanka] correspondent. October 20, 1858): ... The very great mortality which has taken place in the shipment of horses from the different ports of Australia has created no little attention here. The Admiral Boxer, which arrived lately at Bombay from Sydney, landed only 76 out of 108 shipped. This makes the Australian horse too costly for cavalry purposes, and I am bound to say also, that the stamp of horses selected has not come up to what it might and should have been, in the opinion of the best judges, and those who have been in the colonies. The Government have despatched the ALBUERA [my emphasis] with convicts to Swan River, and to return with 120 horses from that colony. The experiment will be watched with much interest. (The Argus, 18 Nov 1858, p5 at https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/7304789) --00-- --00--
ARTICLES OF WAR: The Articles of War are a set of regulations drawn up to govern the conduct of a country's military and naval forces. England's first Articles of War, issued in 1683, were written for the Royal Navy. They formed the statutory provisions regulating and governing the behaviour of members of the Royal Navy. They were prominently displayed in all naval ships, and set out a list of criminal provisions which applied to members of the Royal Navy and others to whom the Act applied, in addition to the criminal law of England and Wales and any local criminal law. As of 1794, there were 36 articles and orders to be observed and executed in both peace and times of war. They covered a multitude of topics – from attendance at divine worship, to mutiny, desertion, ill treatment of prisoners, robbery, sleeping upon one’s watch, sodomy, murder, and so on – the punishments for which ranged from discretionary penalties (that is, “such punishment, as the nature and degree of the offence shall deserve, and the court martial shall impose”) to those that were prescribed for an offence, such as cashiering or death. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Articles_of_War) Some records state that James Furlong’s breach was “assaulting a superior officer”. --00--
GENERAL COURT MARTIAL (GCM): This was army’s highest tribunal, dealing with commissioned officers and the most serious cases involving other ranks. It could only be convened by the Crown or its deputy (for example, the commander in chief, or governors general). At least 13 commissioned officers had to be present if ‘at home’ (serving in the British Isles, Ireland, non-British territories or small British possessions), or five if ‘overseas’ (the British colonies), together with a judge advocate. Decisions were confirmed by the person who issued the warrant (that is, the Crown or its direct deputy). (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/courts-martial-desertion-british-army-17th-20th-centuries/) --00--
COURT MARTIAL: 1856, 9 August: JAMES FURLONG appeared before a General Court Martial at Thayet Myo, Burma, and was sentenced to 14 years’ transportation for a “breach of the articles of war”. [Thayetmyo, a port on the right (western) bank of the Irrawaddy River, was the headquarters of Thayetmyo District in the Minbu Division of Burma during the British period. A cantonment was built in 1854 (https://www.fibis.org/)]. At some stage following his conviction, he was sent to Calcutta and held there in jail to await transportation (https://www.perthdps.com/convicts/con-wa24.html; Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930; Convict Department, Registers; General Register for Nos 4679-5166 (R1); https://www.ancestry.com.au/imageviewer/collections/60668/images/44765_352437-00409, image 410) --00--