JOHN PASCALL Larkins, who had managed the family business for a quarter of a century, had died in August 1818. In his will John expressed his regret at not having provided more adequately for his children. However, as managing owner of nine ships in the Company's service between 1793 and 1818, he had provided a living for several members of his extended family. Henry Morse Samson took over the management of Larkins & Co.'s remaining ships: Marquis Camden, Warren Hastings (2) and (3) and Larkins.

John's own son, always called Tommy by family and friends, had been sworn in to the command of Marquis Camden in August 1816. Just married, he joined the Society of East India commanders and in time-honoured tradition promised to provide a hogshead of claret to celebrate the birth of his first child. He was only twenty-two years old, three years short of the minimum age for a commander according to Company regulations, but lying about one's age was in the tradition of the family and of the Company's maritime service generally. Nevertheless, his ship had the reputation of being one of the smartest in the service. On 23 January 1821 Thomas was at Portsmouth on his second voyage commanding Marquis Camden, one of the six ships bound for Bombay and China, with 200 Company recruits and their commanding officer, the only passenger, on board. The Court's instructions required its commanders to take observations by the lunar method, a practice no longer rigorously followed as chronometers became more reliable. On Marquis Camden the longitude by chronometer only was entered on most days. The committee investigating the loss of Cabalva, 1200 tons, on a rocky island near Mauritius in 1818 had been struck by her officers’ inability to take lunar observations and their general ignorance of good navigational skills. They concluded that the relevant section in the mates’ examination should be extended to include working time for correction of chronometers and taking angular distances. Perhaps this was the reason why Captain Larkins invited one of his midshipmen, John Miller, who showed great promise as a navigator, to come to his cabin every day at noon to ‘work the time’ and compare the chronometers with him, for which Miller was very grateful.