The vessel was called a “tender”. The book contains weekly muster tables (25 May – 30 Aug 1790) taken on board while ‘at sea’ or in Montrose,  Leith, Peterhead and Kirkwall Roads. She had a crew of 14 and initially carried a (press) “gang” of 4 under command of a Lt John Yetts; the sailing master was Joseph Wilson.

By the time recruiting began in Kirkwall Roads, Yetts’ “gang” numbered 10 supernumaries (“borne for wages and victuals”)  First Orcadians to be recruited were William and John Gaddie (entered on 28th  July under nos 116 and 117)  All men entered under nos 118 -140 were from Orkney; they included George Eglington (#132)  and Hugh Houston(#135)  Men entered under nos 141-143 were not from Orkney.

More Orcadians were recruited under nos 144-160 and 162 -188, including Richard Mackie, Robert Fea, James Scott, James Miller, Wm Cray and James Murray. Most men were entered as being recruited in Kirkwall Roads although several are annotated as having been “entered at Stromness by Lt Yetts”

Yetts and Wilson’s signatures under the last muster dd 31 Aug 1790

68 Orcadians were “pressed” during this period. They were taken south to The Nore, off Sheerness in September where 8 of them were subsequently assigned to the Pandora. The others were distributed to other warships being manned at The Nore.

Another Orcadian, called James Sibasteen,  was initially also assigned to the Pandora but was ‘discharged’ by Admiral Rodham’s order – probably because he was able to show he had “protected employment” status.  Sibasteen wasn’t the only Orcadian recruit to be ordered out. A John Corrigle was discharged from the David on 24th  August with the annotation “insane” against his name.

There are also the Pandora’s 2 Orcadians who died during other voyage events and were also “discharged dead”: James Murray (21) who died of illness on the way home after the wreck and James Scott (19) who was posted as missing (assumed dead)  with 4 other men before the wreck. Clearly neither could  be Tom, Dick or Harry!

And, although he survived the voyage and therefore cannot be either, Hugh Houston is also of interest, as I am wondering whether he can be traced historically and whether his name was also misspelled by the Pandora’s clerk? Was his name Hourston, instead of Houston?

More importantly, is there a memory in Orkney of his account of the Pandora’s last voyage? Howie Firth recalls speaking to someone in Orkney (an ‘old timer’) decades ago who apparently referred to a whisper (‘rumour?’)  about George Stewart that was significantly different from one that has gained general currency. Unfortunately Howie did not pursue the source;  regretably the ‘old timer’ has since passed away.

Hugh Houston – 33 years old, from Orkney; recruited in Kirkwall Roads on 17th August 1790 and assigned to the Pandora as an able seaman on 8th September 1790. He was the only man of the 8 Orcadian recruits among the Pandora’s crew to survive the voyage.

He left Batavia  with the group of survivors under 3rd Lt Thomas Hayward’s command in VOC ship Hoornweg. It is assumed he eventually made his way home -via Holland or Zeeland- to Orkney where he would have told family and friends about his South Pacific adventures in the Pandora; and also perhaps have passed on messages and given a first-hand account to the Stewarts about George Stewart’s final months.