When the vessel arrived in Dunedin, New Zealand in April 1862 after a four-month journey it was described as: The Colonist left the Tuscars, being the last land seen on the British coast, on the 18th of December last, and.

She is but a small schooner, of only 105 tons, but she withstood wonderfully the various winds and weather which she encountered in the different latitudes, and proved herself a capital little vessel in sailing qualities and otherwise.

[3]From this journey the "very superior vessel" then made its way over to Newcastle where it was then sold into the Australian service and purchased by the Sydney company Haynes, Brown, and Co in July 1862 to be placed into the colonial trade "for which she is exceedingly well adapted" and described as having proved to be "a remarkably fast ship" and "capable or stowing 200 tons".

[4][5] When the vessel was preparing to leave in June for Guam,[6] shipmaster Matthew McFie had William Hughes, one of the crew, charged with insubordination.

[8] The vessel at this stage was mainly mastered by Charles Croft, who left in late 1863 to take command of the Faraway which was wrecked on Breaksea Spit at Maryborough on 9 February 1864.

[9] During this period, the vessel was mastered by Joseph H. Scaplehorn and started to move off the Australian coast and venture into the western Pacific, visiting Guam,[10] Batavia[11] (Jakarta, Indonesia) and Foo Chow[12] (Fuzhou, China).

During one of these trips the vessel ran into a gale: The schooner Colonist left Sydney on the evening of the 10th instant, for Petropaulovski, and has had to contend with the late prevailing N.E.

gales, and had made good her passage until abreast of Smoky Cape, by which time all the head stays and gear had been carried away, and from the heavy working of the vessel, she commenced leaking, which increased to 700 strokes per hour, when Captain Kelly deemed it prudent to bear up.

[16]The vessel also undertook several trips to Hokitika, New Zealand, taking prospectors and supplies for the West Coast gold rush affecting that region.

After having left Sydney on 18 May 1870 with a full cargo of general merchandise and sailing for a day and a half, when it encountered a storm on the 21st it was thought to be off Lord Howe when[19] At midnight, on the 22nd, Captain Geach went below to mark off the schooner's track, when the chief officer called out, "hard up," and within a few seconds she struck the reef on the south side.

The crew drew lots as to who should ,go in the boat, and they fell to Captain Geach, the chief officer, the steward, Mr. Simmens a passenger, and two natives.

As the weather was unsettled and the tide was low it was decided to spend the night aboard the Colonist and tell the Thetis to stand off in deeper water.

[25]Captain Paget's salvage attempts continued until the Colonist returned to Sydney Harbour on 2 March 1871 with himself and four crew on board, more than eight months after having hit the reef.

[26] Upon its return it was placed on Cuthbert's patent slip, Sussex street; and, upon examination, it appears extraordinary that considering she has been so long on the Elizabeth Reef, she has sustained so little damage.

The frame of the vessel is intact; no straining is perceptible, and, with the exception of the ordinary chafing, the schooner has suffered no material injury.

As well as having items for trade including " tobacco, turkey red cloth, beads, ect, and all have expressed a determination to treat the New Guinea natives fairly; by paying for everything they may require, and otherwise respecting their rights, so as to keep up friendly relations with them".

[33] Ingham's stint as the Queensland Government agent was short, as on 28 November 1878, he and 6 others were murdered and eaten on Brooker (Utian) Island in the Calvados Chain of the Louisiade Archipelago.

On 22 May 1889 whilst the Colonist was lying at anchor in Havannah Harbour in the New Hebrides Group the shipmaster William Greenless was shot and killed by the supercargo of the vessel Henry Ernest Weaver.

HMS Lizard was lying at Havannah Harbour at the time and a boat from her went all to the Colonist upon the report of firearms on board being heard.

On boarding the schooner It was found that the captain had been shot while lying in his berth, and the body subsequently carried up and laid on the main hatchway.

Subsequently HMS Opal arrived at Havannah Harbour from Noumea and Captain Bosanquet as senior officer and Deputy-Commissioner for the Western Pacific, assembled a High Commission Court on May 23 the result of the inquiry was that Weaver was committed or trial on a charge of wilful murder, and was remanded to the Court at Fiji and he and the witnesses were to be sent to Suva by the A.U.S.

[46] Captain Weaver later returned as a passenger of the steamer Norkoowa from the Solomon Islands in March 1906 and landed in Brisbane suffering from malaria just under seven years after the murder.

At 4:45 the vessel was on a tack from Shark Point heading for Garden Island, when the steamer Adelaide came into sight on the northern side of Pinchgut.

Two of the crew and Captain Wilson were picked up from the harbour although the mate Frederick Taylor was lost and his body recovered several days later.

[52] At the Marine Court of Enquiry it was found that the captain of the Colonist was at fault by lufting his vessel across the bows of the steamer Adelaide but under the circumstances they considered nothing more than a "reprimand and cautioned to be more careful in the future" would be required.

An immense volume of water was thrown into the air, and, after matters had subsided, it was seen that vast numbers of fish of all sizes and descriptions were floating on the surface.

It is intended to send the divers down at daylight today, and as the mines were so placed as to blow the bottom out of the schooner, and so release the topsides and the deck, the hull should now be readily floated.

The work was carried out solely by the Naval Brigade gunroom officer assisted by a few certificated men of the force, under the direction of the gunnery and torpedo instructors, Messrs. Rickwood and Baxter.

[55] Over the next days the pilot steamer Captain Cook hauled away the mainmast and another charge of gun-cotton was used to blow the foremast out of the submerged hull.