Eliza spent the great bulk of her career as a merchantman, either as a coaster or in sailing between England and the western coast of the Iberian Peninsula.

Eliza entered Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1802 with B.Dunn, master, Fetado & Co., owners, and trade London–Tortola.

Lloyd's List (LL) reported on 13 January 1804 that Eliza, of Liverpool, Cattrall, master, had taken Rein Deer, from Batavia to Rotterdam.

Lloyd's List reported that on 5 April 1805 Eliza, Keen, master, and the lugger Greyhound, of Guernsey, had captured the Spanish ship Dos Amigos, sailing from Lima to Cadiz.

Dos Amigos, of 700 tons (bm), was armed with ten 18-pounder guns and had a crew of 90 men.

[2] Lloyd's List reported on 1 July 1806 that the privateer Eliza had taken Anna Margaretta, a Dane, Pedersen, master, sailing from Teneriffe to Tonningen and sent her into Falmouth.