The Oroolong on the Morning of Departure…

Rare c.18th engraving of the Oroolong made from salvaged timber of the Antelope.

Captain Henry Wilson and the crew of the British East India Company ship, Antelope was wrecked in Palau in August 10, 1783. Wilson and the 50 English sailors remained in Palau until 12 November where they were well treated by the natives and eventually managed to build a small vessel, named the Oroolong, in which they reached Macao. They took Prince Lee Boo, one of King Abba Thule’s sons, with them to England, where he made a good impression… [but] he soon died of smallpox” (Hill).

From: Keate & Wilson: An account of the Pelew Islands, situated in the western part of the Pacific Ocean: composed from the journals and communications of Captain Henry Wilson…&