HMS Curlew (1812) was a Royal Navy Cruizer class brig-sloop built by (William) Good & Co., at Bridport and launched in 1812.

Her greatest moment was her role in the 1819 British occupation of Ras Al Khaimah, leading to the signature of the General Maritime Treaty of 1820, which established the Trucial States, today the United Arab Emirates.

She was still at Portsmouth on 31 July when the British authorities seized the American ships there and at Spithead on the outbreak of the War of 1812.

[8] In March 1813, Nymphe, Hogue and Curlew sent in to Halifax a ship from Wiscasset, that had been bound for Saint Barts.

[12] Actually, Volante was pierced for 22 guns but carried only ten 24-pounder carronades and four long 9-pounders,[13][14] giving her a broadside roughly half that of Curlew's.

[12] Lloyd's List describes Volant, of Boston, as being of 550 tons bm, armed with twenty 24-pounders, and having a crew of 90 men.

[17] Nineteen days later, Curlew and the frigate Tenedos captured the American privateer schooner Enterprise, of four guns and 91 men, out of Salem.

[23] In between, on 14 August, Nymphe's yawl (armed with a carronade), and supported by Curlew's boats, chased a schooner for eight hours off Cape Cod, in little wind, before they captured her.

The schooner was the letter of marque Paragon, of 157 tons burthen, 20 men, and pierced for 16 guns but carrying four, two 12-pounders and two 9-pounders.

[24] In March 1814 the American privateer Rambler captured Union, Rennie, master, sailing from Jamaica to Glasgow.

Two Brothers had been sailing from Liverpool to the Balti with a cargo of salt, crates of ware, rum, and coffee when she had been captured.

Curlew, Maidstone, Arab, and Junon shared in the detention, on 23 November of Firmina, of 260 tons (bm), Antonio Jose Fereira, master.

The naval force consisted of Liverpool, Eden, Curlew, and a number of gun and mortar boats.

Collier placed Captain Walpole of Curlew in charge of the gun boats and an armed pinnace to protect the landing, which was, however, unopposed.

[34] The bombardment of the town commenced on 6 December, from landed batteries of 12 pound guns and mortars as well as from sea.

[34] On the fall of Ras Al Khaimah, three ships - including Curlew - were sent to blockade nearby Rams, landing a force on 18 December which fought its way inland through date plantations to the hilltop fort of Dhayah on the 19th, where almost 400 men and another 400 women and children held out for three days under heavy fire until the two 24-pound cannon from Liverpool were once again pressed into use and, following two hours of fire, the last of the Al Qasimi surrendered on the morning of the 22nd.

[34] In December Commander George Gambier replaced Walpole who had received a promotion to Post-captain for his role in the attack on the pirates.

The reason Matheson bought a naval vessel was that the opium merchants had found that their firepower was an effective deterrent to Chinese pirates and customs officials.

In 1830, James Matheson chartered the new steam tug Forbes, and bet $1000 that she could reach Lintin from Sandheads in a month.

[42][43] William Jardine and James Matheson chartered four vessels to sail north to explore the possibility of new markets for opium.

Jamesina, James Innes, master, left Lintin on 8 November and returned in early spring 1833.

[44] In 1833 Jamesina sold £330,000 worth of opium at Fuzhou (Foochow), Amoy, Ningbo (Ningpo) and other Chinese ports.