Hello Pete,   "Ships as vectors for the introduction of non-native species". Thank you; this is the first time that I can remember seeing that intriguing facet of shipping discussed here.   I can't help at the moment, but your question has sent me looking. Which two local species were made extinct? - the "large brown and black harmless species, something like a beaver in appearance, which burrows under the earth and lives in colonies"? - the "small and harmless" species "with a long snout"? - the reddish-brown with half-white tails "Devastator" (Mus Macleari)?   It would be sadly ironic if the invading rats had been brought by the same ship bringing someone making a professional/scientific visit. Have you been able to rule out the ships of Mr. Andrews of the Natural History Museum, Professor Murray of Edinburgh, Admiral McClear etc.? What about the small fleet of ships owned by the Ross family of Keeling-Cocos Island - they traded to Batavia?   Regards, Adi         --- On Wed, 5/25/11, Peter Green <P.Green@latrobe.edu.au> wrote: Dear Mariners, I am an ecologist with an interest in ships as vectors for the introduction of non-native species, and this is my first foray into this kind of forum.  Apologies if I've chosen the wrong place for this query! Does anyone know of an SS Hindustan operating in the southeast Asia in the very late 19th century?  This ship was supposed to have introduced non-native black rats to Christmas Island (360 km south of Jakarta) in Dec 1899, and in doing so introduced a blood-borne disease that caused the extinction of two species of local, endemic rats.  I have searched the shipping news in digistized newspaper archives (esp the Straits Times from Singapore) for the period, but cannot find a record of this ship sailing between Singapore and Christmas Island. Its entirely possible the ship sailed from Jakarta.  Its also possible the Dec 1899 date is incorrect, and may in fact be around Aug/Sep 1901. Any help appreciated! Many thanks, Pete Green Dr Pete Green Department of Botany | La Trobe University | Bundoora VIC 3086 T: 03 9479 3675| F: 03 9479 1188| W: www.latrobe.edu.au<http://www.latrobe.edu.au/> La Trobe University - ranked top in Victoria for student satisfaction (Sweeney Uni Student Report, 2009) CRICOS Provider 00115M J Please kindly consider your environment before printing this e-mail Warning to recipients: This email and any attachments are confidential and subject to copyright. If you are not the intended recipient any use, disclosure or copying is unauthorised. If you have received this email in error please advise us immediately by reply email and delete all copies. It is your responsibility to examine this email and any attachments for viruses. Any personal information in this email must be handled in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2000 (Vic). ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MARINERS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message