Waterhouse, Henry

Henry Waterhouse (1770-1812), naval officer, son of William Waterhouse. In 1786 he joined the Sirius as a midshipman and in 1788 was present at the first British settlement of New South Wales. He accompanied Phillip on a number of excursions into the new country. He returned to England in 1791 and in 1792 was appointed lieutenant in the Swallow and was later transferred to the Bellerophon in March 1793. Bennelong was a guest of Waterhouse’s father, William.  Waterhouse was appointed as second commander of the Reliance under Governor John Hunter with Bennelong as one of the passengers. In 1796 he took the Reliance to the Cape of Good Hope to buy stock for the colony. He returned to Sydney in June 1797 with the first merino sheep imported into the colony. Waterhouse supplied lambs to many of the settlers including John Macarthur and Samuel Marsden; most of the flock was sold to William Cox when Waterhouse left the colony in 1800.  He was the brother-in-law of George Bass. Waterhouse died on 27 July 1812 and was buried at St John's, Westminster.