George Raper 1769 - 1800s

1769 - 1786

19 September 1769 George Raper born to Henry and Catherine Raper
18 October 1769 Is baptised in St Swithin's Church, London
20 August 1783 Joins the British Navy as a captain's servant aboard
HMS Rose
4 February 1786 Is transferred to HMS Racehorse
1 March 1786 Is promoted to Able Seaman
22 December 1786

Is transferred to HMS Sirius

1787

13 May HMS Sirius and the other ships of the First Fleet, under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip, leave Portsmouth, England, at daybreak
13 May At 9.00 am the convoy passes The Needles and St Catherine's Point on the Isle of Wight
View of The Needles
16 May On leaving sight of England at Lizard Point, George Raper begins plotting the daily course of HMS Sirius
A North & South Chart from the Lands End to the Equator
1-2 June The First Fleet passes the Salvages
View of the Salvages
3 June The convoy reaches the Canary Islands off the coast of North-West Africa
3-10 June The First Fleet is in port at Santa Cruz on the island of Tenerife leaving in the morning of the 10th
View of the Island Teneriffe
11-14 June The convoy passes between the islands of Tenerife and Grand Canary
18-20 June

It passes the Cape Verde Islands, off the coast of North-West Africa but is prevented by the wind from landing at Port Praya on the island of St Jago
Cape de Verd Islands            Plan of Port Praya

14 July In the evening it crosses the equator
6 August

The First Fleet reaches the islands at the entrance to the port of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil
[Chart of the South Atlantic with the Track of the Sirius ]

7 August - 3 September

It remains in port at Rio de Janeiro
Plan of Rio de Janeiro, Coast of Brasil

4 September

The convoy leaves Rio de Janeiro
Entrance of Rio de Janeiro from the Anchorage without the Sugar Loaf

30 September On the journey from Rio de Janeiro to Cape Town Raper is promoted from Able Seaman to Midshipman (The part of his chart that probably recorded the route of the Sirius at this period is lost.)
13 October

At 6.00 am the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa is sighted
Plan of Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope

14 October–13 November

The First Fleet is anchored at Table Bay, Cape Town
The Table Land from the Anchorage in the Bay,

Cape of Good Hope

25 November Captain Phillip transfers from the Sirius to the faster
HMS Supply
27 November

An advance party comprised of the Supply and the three fastest ships in the First Fleet moves ahead of the rest of the convoy. The Sirius , under the command of Captain Hunter, is in the slower group

1788

Early January

The Sirius sights the south coast of Van Diemen's Land and passes the South-West and South-East Capes
Van Diemans Land, New Holland

18 January HMS Supply arrives in Botany Bay
19 January The three fastest transports in the advance group arrive in Botany Bay
20 January

At dawn, the Sirius is just south of Botany Bay
The Land about Botany Bay

At 8 am it and some of the slower group join the advance group which had reached port the previous day
Plan of Botany Bay, New South Wales

21 January Phillip and Hunter go north to look for a better site for the colony returning three days later
24 January

While the rest of the First Fleet is preparing to leave Botany Bay, two French frigates La Boussole and L'Astrolabe , under the command of La Pérouse are brought in with the help of the British. Phillip delays his departure until they arrive

25 January Phillip leaves Botany Bay for Port Jackson aboard the Supply

Entrance of Port Jackson When Close under the South Head

26 January The remainder of the First Fleet arrives in Port Jackson, the voyage having taken eight months and one week to complete
6 February

A survey of the harbour is completed

Plan of Port Jackson, Coast of New South Wales

14 February Lieutenant King leaves Port Jackson for Norfolk Island, arriving there on 29 February
1 October The Sirius leaves Port Jackson for Cape Town to get supplies

12 October

27 November

It passes South Cape, New Zealand

It passes Cape Horn

1789

1 January The Sirius sights the Cape of Good Hope and anchors at Robben Island
2 January At 10.00 am the Sirius anchors in Table Bay, Cape Town
20 February The Sirius leaves Table Bay
6 May The Sirius returns to Port Jackson from Cape Town with supplies
19 June

The Sirius moves to Careening Cove (now known as Mosman Bay)

Carreening Cove

November Repairs to the lower decks and hull of the Sirius are completed and she is moved to Sydney Cove for the remaining work

1790

5 March The Sirius departs Sydney Cove for Norfolk Island
6 March

After almost running aground at North Head, the Sirius leaves Port Jackson for Norfolk Island

[Track of Sirius from Sydney Cove to Phillip Island ]

13 March

At 2 am the Sirius reaches Norfolk Island

[Norfolk Island ]

19 March

It is wrecked at Norfolk Island

The Melancholy Loss of H.M.S. Sirius off Norfolk Island

March 19th 1790

24 March Newton Fowell leaves Norfolk Island with 33 others on the Supply bound for Port Jackson. Raper and others remain on the island
17 April HMS Supply leaves Sydney for Batavia to get provisions
20 June The storeship Justinian , which will eventually bring supplies to Norfolk Island, arrives in Port Jackson
24 July Provisions for those remaining on Norfolk Island are reduced to three pounds of flour and one pint of rice per week, plus whatever they can find mainly mutton birds
3 August Norfolk Island Council discusses the shortage of provisions. Morale is at its lowest ebb
4 August The Supply , with Newton Fowell aboard, appears offshore but because of unfavourable winds sails away without landing, to the profound disappointment of those on the island
7 August The Justinian and the Surprize arrive at Norfolk Island from Port Jackson, with desperately needed supplies and more convicts
17 December

The Dutch ship, the Waaksamheyd arrives at Port Jackson

1791

6 February The Supply arrives at Norfolk Island
12 February Raper and the rest of the Sirius crew leave Norfolk Island to return to Sydney in the Supply
23 February HMS Supply passes Lord Howe Island en route to Port Jackson
27 March Raper leaves Sydney on the hired Dutch ship, the Waaksamheyd
8 May The Waaksamheyd passes an active volcano
23 May It anchors at the Duke of York Islands
27 May It leaves Port Hunter at the Duke of York Islands
11 August The Waaksamheyd is at Hummock Island, 25 kms from the southern point of Mindanao
27 September The Sirius anchors at Batavia after a passage of 26 weeks from Port Jackson. Within a few days, Captain Hunter has arranged to purchase the Waaksamheyd
20 October The Waaksamheyd leaves Batavia
22 November

It is assisted into Table Bay, Cape Town, having lost its two main anchors in heavy seas

1792

18 January The Waaksamheyd leaves Cape Town
13 March It leaves St Helena
22 April It arrives in Portsmouth, England
28 April Raper is discharged
16 May He is paid off
20 May 1792

He is placed in charge of a cutter, the Expedition

1793 - 1796

27 June 1793 Raper is promoted from Midshipman to Lieutenant and transfers to the Cumberland
14 October 1795 He makes his will
1796

He dies. His will asks for all his papers to be put in my Painting Case and delivered to my dearest and beloved mother

1800

Some of George Raper's paintings were acquired by Osbert Salvin and F. Du Cane Godman and were exhibited to the Zoological Society of London in 1877