Looking back: An adventure on the Amazon

Thursday 02 May 2019

The sea has always been crucial to island life, but how did one Jersey ship manage to make its mark on history on the other side of the globe, by the Amazon River in Peru?

Historians look back to an era when the island was a key ship-building hub in the British Isles to tell the little-known tale of a Jersey captain’s well-travelled vessel that made voyages all over the world…

"On the other side of the world in Peru lies Iquitos - the main trading hub along the mighty Amazon River - where people stroll down the Boulevard Propsero, the city’s busy main street. But how many would know that it is named after none other than a Jersey ship? 

The Prospero was built in 1862 at a time when Jersey was the fourth largest shipbuilding centre in the British Isles and Jersey-built ships traded all over the world. 

Pictured: In the 19th century, Jersey was one of the biggest ship building hubs in the British Isles.

For many years, what is reputed to be her figurehead was on the side of Prospect House on Mont Fallu. The property had been the home of a well-known Jersey sea captain George Malzard, who owned the Prospero. The figurehead was presented to Jersey Heritage in 2006 and is on display in the Maritime Museum. 

The Prospero spent most of her time trading in China, but it was her third voyage in 1863 that would ensure she was remembered not only in the island but far away in South America. 

In December of that year, she left Jersey for London where she was loaded with material and equipment for building a wharf and a floating dock in the Peruvian river port of Iquitos – 2,000 miles up the Amazon River. Two other ships, the Teresa and the Arica were also loaded up for the same voyage. 

Including Captain Malzard, the Prospero had a crew of ten – 24-year-old John Osment, of St. Helier, was mate; the captain’s nephew, William R Malzard, was boatswain; and the youngest member of the crew was 15-year-old Philip A Le Couteur, of St. Peter.

This part of South America was experiencing an economic boom because of the harvesting of rubber trees. In late January, the ships reached the port of Pará in the Amazon delta, where they were met by Peruvian naval ships that were to tow them up river. In his log, Captain Malzard describes the daily events, such as the ever-present danger of running aground and the parting of the tow rope. He also noted the characters of the Peruvian Navy crew members and the wildlife and customs of the people, both native and settlers, of the Amazon.

As the journey up stream progressed, the nature of the river changed and there was a greater chance of running aground and a greater level of discomfort caused by the heat, mosquitos and sand flies. By the time the Prospero reached Iquitos on Friday, 26 February 1864, a third of the crew were sick and Malzard himself was suffering from dysentery.

Pictured: The Prospero's figurehead was presented to the Maritime Museum in 2006.

But the trip had been a success and his entry about their arrival in his log states that he has “no doubt” the Propspero is “the first British Ensign to be hoisted in a sailing vessel above 2,100 miles up the river Amazon.”  

The cargo was unloaded, and the Prospero made her way down river, leaving the materials necessary for the river port to thrive.

The Prospero continued trading, and in late June she left the Caribbean island of St Vincent, bound for London, returning to St Helier on 8 August. She had more three voyages on the South American trade route and then continued to trade in the waters of the Far East.  

She was finally sold to Joseph Storm, of Adelaide, Australia, for £3,000 in late 1869, but she will always be remembered in Jersey, as well as thousands of miles away in Iquitos, Peru."

Lead picture: The Prospero entering Sydney Harbour in 1903 (Jersey Heritage/Queensland State Library).

To see the Prospero figurehead amongst other items in the collection, come to the next 'Open Store Day' on 11 May. This story was told – with thanks to Doug Ford - as part of a series in collaboration with Jersey Heritage. To uncover more stories like this, visit Jersey Heritage’s Archive.