Adapting parts of articles published in 'The Journal of the Families in British India Society', 'Marg', and 'Cook's Log' (as listed on the blog in my published articles) plus material from other sources, I have now gathered together the areas relevant to William Westall's stays in China and India. This is episode 1.
Following the shipwreck which concluded William Westall's expedition to Australia under the command of Matthew Flinders, William decided to travel to China. A vessel which had been captured from the Spanish was adapted for British use, named the 'Rolla'. It reached Whampoa in China on December 14th 1803 with William on board. As Sir William Foster writes in 'British Artists in India 1760 - 1820 (Walpole Society 1930/31): 'The China records at the India Office (vol 145 p 153) inform us that on 25 January 1804 he (William Westall) "being extremely desirous of proceeding to Ceylon and other parts of India which have hitherto been but little visited by artists, and to make up for the deficiency of his drawings etc, which the barren coast of New Holland afforded him no opportunity of doing, applied to the President (of the East India Company) for permission for that purpose, requesting at the same time introductions to the Governments to which he might proceed, to facilitate his object"; and that Committee, approving his project, caused the desired letters to be written to the Governors of Madras, Bombay, Ceylon, and Prince of Wales Island". Farington's Diary vol ii p272 (Greig edition) was told that Westall's action was taken on the advice of Mr David Lance, one of the members of the Select Committee at Canton.' In the Yale edition of his Diaries Farington notes on 9 August 1804 information supplied by his nephew Lieut Flinders:'At China he (William Westall) was persuaded by Mr Lance one of the Super Cargo's to return back to India'
David Lance was one of Sir Joseph Banks's 'extraordinarily large contingent of collectors...busy gathering plant specimens and shipping them back to their mentor in Soho Square' (see David Mackay 'Presiding Genius of Exploration: Banks, Cook, and Empire, 1767-1805.) He is mentioned in E.Bretschneider 'History of European Botanical Discoveries in China' and a biography of Peter Good (by J.Britten & G.S. Boulger)with respect to introducing plants from China to Kew. Peter Good was Gardener on the Flinders expedition and had been a Kew gardener. It is clear that Lance's views had a strong impact on William.
William was in China for about two months before travelling to India on 'The Carron' as part of the fleet that left Macao on February 6 (Farington has Feb 5)under the command of Commodore Nathaniel Dance. He eye witnessed the action about a week later in which the fleet repulsed an attack by a French squadron under Admiral Linois. The Bombay portion of Dance's fleet, after touching on Malacca, Penang, Point de Galle and Cannanore arrived in Bombay on April 30,1804. Among the passengers named by the Bombay Courier on May 5 was 'Mr Westhall'.
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'Gardening' by John E. Bryan (2002) has this reference (p.19): 'Sir Joseph Banks persuaded King George, in 1803, to sponsor William Kerr on a plant-hunting journey to China. Interest in China's flora was sparked by David Lance, who was in charge of the East India Company's factory in Canton. Kerr sailed in 1803 and by 1804 had sent back significant collections. Kerr was not credited with their introduction and credit went to Lance or the Company's directors.'
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