The Leila was a Liverpool registered, full-rigged, iron hulled vessel of 1381 tons. She had been launched as the Dr Gall from the yards of Richardson, Duck and Company, Stockton, in June 1864 for James Baines and Company of Liverpool. In November, shortly before completion, she was sold to Stuart and Douglas of Liverpool and renamed the Leila.
Under the command of Captain C. Fairbairn she sailed from Shields on 2 January bound for Calcutta with a cargo of coal. Apart from the crew of twenty seven men she also carried a North Sea pilot. Nothing more was heard from her until large amounts of wreckage was washed ashore on the Caithness coast in the vicinity of Wick. There was some confusion as to the identity of the wreck, as apart from a name board with Leila in gilt letters coming ashore a parcel of lifebuoys addressed to - Gall, North Shields, was also recovered. There was no sign of any survivors and it was presumed that she had gone ashore under the cliffs South of Noss Head.
Under the command of Captain C. Fairbairn she sailed from Shields on 2 January bound for Calcutta with a cargo of coal. Apart from the crew of twenty seven men she also carried a North Sea pilot. Nothing more was heard from her until large amounts of wreckage was washed ashore on the Caithness coast in the vicinity of Wick. There was some confusion as to the identity of the wreck, as apart from a name board with Leila in gilt letters coming ashore a parcel of lifebuoys addressed to - Gall, North Shields, was also recovered. There was no sign of any survivors and it was presumed that she had gone ashore under the cliffs South of Noss Head.