Allison entered Lloyd's Register in 1795 with Masslin, master, Harvey & Co., owners, and trade Falmouth–Archangel.

[1] 1st whaling voyage (1796–1797): Captain James Birnie sailed from England in 1796, bound for the coast of East Africa.

[7][8][a] 1st voyage transporting enslaved people (1799–1800): Captain Jesse Topping acquired a letter of marque on 10 July 1799.

[9] Allison arrived in the West Indies on 14 July 1800, landing slaves at Martinique, but primarily at Kingston, Jamaica.

[5] Capture and recapture: Between her first and second voyages transporting enslaved people, Allison sailed between Liverpool and Newfoundland.

[4] Lloyd's List reported on 17 November 1801 that Allison had been captured while sailing from Newfoundland to the West Indies, but that Beaver and Otter had recaptured her and sent her into Suriname.

2nd voyage transporting enslaved people (1803–1805): Captain James Thompson acquired a letter of marque on 24 September 1803.

[11] 3rd voyage transporting enslaved people (1806–1807): Captain Diederick Woolbert sailed from London on 18 February 1806, bound for the Gold Coast.

[3] Allison acquired captives at Cape Coast Castle and Accra, and left Africa on 22 August.

She sustained so much damage that she had to transfer her cargo to Mercury, Campbell, master, in order to be able to go into the dock for repairs.