Waterhouse, Henry (1770-1812), a British naval officer, introduced Merino sheep to Australia. While serving aboard the H.M.S. Reliance during a 1796 voyage carrying stock from the Cape of Good Hope to New South Wales, Waterhouse bought a number of Spanish Merino sheep. He sold some of the sheep to settlers in New South Wales, including John Macarthur and Samuel Marsden. He also kept some of them for himself. Waterhouse increased his flock to 99 pure Merinos and sold them to William Cox before leaving the colony to return to his native England in 1800. The date of Waterhouse’s birth is unknown. Waterhouse died on July 27, 1812.
