McIlwraith MacEacharn / "The Scottish Line"

The Fleets

The firm of McIlwraith MacEacharn was originally founded in London on February 1st 1875 by Andrew McIlwraith and Malcolm MacEacharn when they began business as shipping and insurance agents. A year later they entered the ranks of ship owners following an agreement with the State of Queensland for the carriage of migrants from Britain to Queensland ports north of Maryborough. Their first vessel, the Scottish Bard was completed in April 1876 and in the same year the Scottish Hero and Scottish Knight, were delivered. In 1877 the Scottish Lassie joined the fleet and during the next year the Scottish Admiral and Scottish Prince were completed. Additional to these vessels the wooden barque Sir William Wallace was acquired in 1879.

These vessels were all employed carrying immigrants until 1880 when the Queensland Government arrange a contract with the British India Associated Steamers. Thereafter the sailing ships continued to trade to Australia, particularly in the carriage of wool, primary produce and passengers to Britain. They were however also to be seen in the U.S., Chile and wherever else suitable cargoes offered. Just prior to 1880 a further vessel had been purchased the wooden barque City of Aberdeen, while in 1881 the last of the Scottish ships was completed and named Scottish Wizard.

The line by this time had become known as the Scottish Line but that title fell into disuse with the final disposal of the sailing ships, although it is interesting to note that all the buildings presently occupied by the company in Australia are called "Scottish House." These sailing vessels have been described as handsome clipper-built ships with a reputation for a reasonable turn of speed and according to one report in 1886 the Scottish Wizard made the passage from Bristol to Melbourne in 92 days. The only major accident was in 1880 when the Scottish Bard struck a shoal near Sandy Cape, Queensland and had to be beached to prevent her from sinking. She was subsequently repaired.

In 1879 the company chartered the steamer Strathleven for a round voyage to Australia and before her departure from London she was fitted with the Bell-Coleman mechanical refrigeration plant. On the return passage from Australia an experimental shipment of 30 tons of frozen beef with 2 tons of butter were carried and when the Strathleven ultimately arrived back in London in February the shipments were found to be in excellent condition. A special luncheon was held on board to celebrate this first successful shipment from Australia.

The first two steamers were introduced to the fleet in 1884, the sisters Cloncurry and New Guinea both over 2,500 tons. They made their first appearance in Australian waters under charter to the British India Steam Navigation Company at the end of 1884 when they arrived in Brisbane with migrants. The same year the Sir William Wallace was sold and Scottish Prince lost when she stranded near Southport Queensland in 1887. Also in 1887 the steel barque Frances Fisher was bought. By virtue of their vessels trading to Queensland ports the company developed other interests in the state and the London office operated an extensive mercantile and export department. A branch of the company was established in Melbourne in1887 and subsequently branches were opened in Newcastle, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Freemantle. All of these exist today.

During 1893 the company began to dispose of its sailing ships. The Scottish Hero and Frances Fisher were sold in 1893 and the Scottish Bard the following year. The Scottish Admiral was sunk in a collision in 1894 and the cargo steamer Eddystone, which had been in trouble the previous year was wrecked near Cossack, West Australia in September 1894. The Scottish Lassie was sold in 1895 and in February the following year the Scottish Knight sank after a collision off Cornwall while nearing the end of a passage from Tocopilla to Leith.

With the expansion of the company's interests in Australia Malcolm MacEacharn had settled in Melbourne about the time that a branch was opened and during his years in this country he took a leading part in public affairs, becoming a Commissioner of the Melbourne Harbour Trust in 1893 and in the same year was returned as a member of the Melbourne City Council ultimately becoming the city's second Lord Mayor. In 1900 he was knighted and in 1901 elected to represent Melbourne in the first federal parliament. Four years later Sir Malcolm returned to Scotland and died in 1910 at the age of 58. His partner Andrew McIlwraith outlived him by many years dying in 1932 in his 90th year.

All steamships registered in Melbourne. The company became a major operator in the Australian coastal passenger and cargo trade and also operated cargo services between Australia and India. In 1964 the company formed a partnership with Adelaide SS Co. and their ships were transferred to Associated Steamships Pty Ltd.

Many thanks to Fraser Morrison of Inverness and Ted Finch for their assistance in collecting this data. The following list was extracted from various sources. This is not an all inclusive list but should only be used as a guide.

Sailing Ships

Steam Ships