Victoria - Portland - San Franciscorun and it became part of the North Pacific Transportation Company's fleet in the 1850s and 60s.1 An advertisement poster from 1867 lists the Active as part of California Steam Navigation Company's steamship line.2
seized, libeled, condemned, and soldthe Albion.6 Later, a commission ruled that the United States was responsible for damages done to the Albion and was obliged to pay Lidgette $20,000.7
the big sternwheelerAlexandria, note the alternative spelling, and the Fidelater, which
sank the latter vessel off Clover Point, bringing on a damage suit.1
is now finally laid up by her owners till the termination of her pending lawsuit.2 The paper goes on to print transcriptions of the Vice Admiralty Court case in subsequent papers.
was carried by the high windand struck the Maria Scott which sustained
slight damage.4
the owner and masterof the Alexandra had been
obstructed in the prosecution of Lawful Voyages, between this Port [Victoria, presumably] and Ports on Puget Sound.
ill-starredship.5
the most importantBritish vessel on the North Pacific coast during the Oregon Crisis, despite its leaving for England before the conflict was concluded.2 This controversial decision resulted in ship's captain, John Gordon, being court-martialed.3
Gov[ernment] Steamerupon which Cadell had requested, from Lytton, free transport from England to Vancouver Island. In the same despatch and included documents Merivale expresses that Cadell was a
restlessman and that free passage on the Archer was out of the question.
the actual naval headquarters in the Pacific,despite not being
formally declared so by the Admiralty.4 When Bacchante's heavy '68-pounder' pivot gun was upgraded in 1862, its surplus weaponry was transferred to Esquimalt's defensive fortifications, reducing the number of guns carried to thirty-nine.5
American customs officersand notes this event's effects on
trade, colony morale, and US relations.This despatch, in the following year, reports that the ship was employed as part of
A difficulty which nearly led to a fatal affray with the Songies Tribe.
to proclaim the Act of Parliament providing for the Government of British Columbia.
the destruction by Fire of the BarqueBriseison 8 December 1858.
under orders to repair to Vancouver's Island.
American Steamer,whose purpose at the time, in 1858, was to disembark some
450 passengers on board, the chief part of whom [were] gold miners for theCouteaucountry.
murder of 42 miners,at the hands of, apparently, Indigenous men, at Fraser River. And, in another correspondence in the same year, the Calypso is ordered to Vancouver Island to re-provision the Satellite and Plumper.
threatening attitude.5
[was] considered by all nautical judges to be a beautiful specimen of her class.8 The Cameleon was sold in 1883.9
Her Majesty's Government have ordered theAnother document, from 1866, reports that Rear Admiral DenmanTopazeandClioto join the Squadron on the North West Coast of America.
sent the Clio to afford protection and support to the British Settlers of Metlakahtla [Metlakatla], British Columbia.
in the Queens Nameand
converted [the ship] into a brothel for prostitutes and drunkards.Douglas's response to Mills's complaints can be found in this despatch.
reinforcements of Troops with munitions of War,in answer, presumably, to ongoing conflicts with Indigenous groups.
built by Messrs Green Wigram & Green and launched in 1835.3 In 1835 it served as escort to another famous West Coast ship, the Beaver, on its journey to
the coast.4 the HBC sold this well-travelled ship in 1850.5
on board HMSConstanceat sea.
a Cargo of Coalsfor the Cormorant.
supposedit to
be a letter of recommendation.Staines writes that the Demaris Cove returned to Olympia to bear news of the Georgianna's wreck on Haida Gwaii.
a Revenue Vesselby the
U.S. Collector of customs,Moses, to retrieve the Georgianna's crew from
the East sideof
[Queen] Charlotte's Island.According to Scott, Captain Balch, with the Demaris Cove, managed to safely ransom all the Georgianna's crew.1
British interestsin Sitka Sound and the Stikine River region .2
authorities learned that Banfield had been stabbed to death by an Ohiet chief named Klatsmick,who was taken to stand trial in Victoria, but the case was dismissed for lack of solid evidence.5
hurriedly erectedFort St. Dionysius and claimed that the surrounding territory was off-limits to the HBC, despite the Convention of 1825, which gave the British the right to access the Stikine.3 Rather than risk conflict, Ogden headed south, to the Nass River, where he and the Dryad's crew helped relocate Fort Simpson to its current location.4
the total lossof the Labouchere.4
laid up,and eventually sank while at a dock in Seattle; however, it would be later refitted and used on the New Westminster-Seattle route.6
natives of the northern part of Vancouver's Island,who, according to this document, had been mistakenly told by George Blenkinsop that there would be a reward for
the white mens[sic] heads.
100 Seaman and Marines,in January of 1859.
Hen-coops.1
SteamerDouglas adds thatFlying Dutchman,lately employed in Fraser River, is now plying on the Stickeen, and has successfully accomplished its ascent to the distance of 140 miles from the sea.
her enterprising ownerintends to push on to
about 160 miles,to reach
theUpper Narrows.
the Pioneer Mills located inside the First Narrows on Burrard Inlet.4 The captain at the time, Captain Deighton, would become the famous figure “Gassy Jack”, of Vancouver's Gastown district.5
to the water's edge.7
the last sailing ship-of-the-line that the Royal Navy would ever commission to service abroad,and a transcribed minute in this despatch from 1858 notes that
Ad. Baines would himself leave Callao for Vancouver [Island] the 28th of August in his Flag ship,to bolster
all adequate naval support to that important part of H.M. Dominions.1
the handsomest and swiftest ship in the British Navy.3
of Sydneywas a 41-tonne sloop owned by William Rowland of England. Georgianna sailed to Haida Gwaii in 1851 in search of gold. It was wrecked on the East side of Haida Gwaii and the crew were held by the Indigenous people.
prevent the illicit traffic in spirits on the East Coast of Vancouver Island,particularly for the Indigenous population, who had, according to the same correspondence,
committed outrages on White Men.A later despatch, from 1865, notes the Grappler's
alleged illegal seizure of a vessel suspected of smuggling.
a large number of persons, said to be seventy-two, principally Chinese passengers on their way to the canneries.3
the passengers and crew [spoke] in the severest terms of the conduct of Captain Miller during the voyage.3 They claimed that Miller was drunk for the majority of the trip, and, as a result of this, while moored at Honolulu, the British Consul had ordered him to remove all liquor from the ship. Miller appeared to comply, but when the voyage resumed, he was found drunk again. A search of his cabin revealed
two casks of ale, two casks of porter, and six dozen and a-half casks of sherry wine.4 The day after this report appeared, Miller rebutted the charges against him in a letter to the editor of the paper, denying that he had been ordered to
throw my liquor overboard,and arguing that
the only liquor in my room was the sherry wine.5
performed the best day's work that [had] yet been done on the Fraser.2 The Colonist relates that the Hope's successful run is proof of the benefits of river trade and travel, compared to the
old dangerous mountain travel.3
as a hotelat Wrangel when, during a storm on the 14th of January, it
was washed from the beach up on the hill side, going through several houses and making the occupants scatter very quickly.4 Subsequently, after its grounding, the vessel does not appear to have been fit for duty, as the machinery from the Hope was up for auction in September, 1877.5
were dissatisfied about the absence of their Employer,and wanted to,
in the character of Distressed British subjects,make for San Francisco.
shot, and their bodies were hacked to pieces and mutilatedby a number of Hesquiat First Nations individuals, who also plundered the vessel's wreck.2
disgraceful and criminal neglect.4
pillaged and [burned]the Kingfisher, a sloop involved in seal oil trade near the mouth of Matilda Creek, and murdered its crew.1
the Royal Navy's most extensive punishment [on the north west coast].3 In total, the Royal Navy destroyed nine villages and 64 canoes; as well, at least 15 First Nations individuals were killed in the struggle.4
until the arrival of the Queen's Messenger from Osborne,at the behest of Lytton. And, another 1858 despatch, in an enclosure, suggests that the La Plata was commanded at the time by one Captain Meller, who appears as one node in a web of communications critical to the conveyance of the Royal Engineers to the Vancouver Island.
Royal West Indian Mail Company's steam ships,(La Plata) arrived in Southampton from Saint Thomas bursting with yellow fever.1
start from the port of London on Thursday morning the 2nd [September]for Vancouver Island. By 1859, it had arrived on the coast and began work as a trade vessel, and it was a skookum craft, indeed, built of Baltic oak and teak, and, no doubt, imposing at over 61 m in length.1 Labouchere was driven by a large paddle wheel, the engine for which could generate a respectable 180 horse power.2
the total lossof the Labouchere in April of 1866, which, the paper adds, is an
announcement not so melancholy in its nature or so important to the interests of mankindas this same ship's news that President Lincoln had been assassinated.5
most successfuland that
the machinery [was] working well, and no casualty whatever occurring to cause delay.
the only vessel sailing direct to Vancouvers Island,from
London Docks,in late 1860, and it was slated to transport
the wives and families of the seven Men belonging to the detachment of Royal Engineers stationed in British Columbia.
The paddle-wheel, 25 horse-power Steamer [was] a small boat of 50 tons burden, built by Mr Decker, an enterprising American, conveyed my party in four hours to Port Pemberton at the further extremity of Lillooet Lake.
his tenderness and delicacy in dressing the injuriesof the rescued, particularly, three badly burned women.
part of the Squadron employed in the Pacific,and another mentions Bruce's arrival on the Monarch at “Esquimalt Port”.
natives of the northern part of Vancouver's Islandwho had mistakenly been told by George Blenkinsop that there would be a reward for
the white mens[sic] heads.
on the rocks at Corlaers Hook.3 It was soon repaired and sailed again, but not without incident, this time political:
At Naples the authorities refused Mr Vanderbilt permission to land, deeming it, in their wisdom, quite an impossible thing for a single individual to travel about the world so independently, and fearing some sinister design by those detestable Yankees against the peacein Neapolitan dominions.4
Pacific Mail liner.6 In January of 1859, San Francisco newspapers noted the North Star as part of a line of steamers intended to run between New York and San Francisco by way of Panama.7
noble ship,described as
probably the strongest fastened vessel of her tonnage afloat,8 was finally broken up in New London, Connecticut, in 1866.9
an American vessel, the Orbit, was on route to Honolulu from Olympia when it ran into the
same galethat
ruinedthe Una. Apparently, the Orbit was blown aground and lost its rudder; it sustained other damages. Thereafter, Douglas
bought her & proceded [sic] to fit her out,and renamed it the Recovery.
American interests along the coasts of Mexico and Central America.2
one of the most terrible calamities the world has ever known.9 And, it would seem that the Orpheus fared better, but barely, as an auction notice for its salvage appears to the right of the Pacific report.10
gold excitement throughout this Colony.
stores for the use of the Lighthouses at Vancouvers Islandwill be sent aboard the Prince of the Seas, which, according to Booth, sailed from London on May 20th. The same document lists said supplies for both the Race Rocks and Fisgard lighthouses.
English Drugsand
English Chemicals,
Pilot Jackets, Oil Paintings,and
Bandannas.2
much satisfaction in having so effective a force available in case of Emergency.
surveying the Oregon Boundary,to Victoria.2
Brigthat was
chartered by Government at £250. stirling a month.On June 3rd, presumably in 1846, it delivered a
Cargo of Coalsfor use by the Cormorant.
an experimental ship to test new propulsion concepts.Finally launched in 1850, the San Jacinto had a long and notable career of service, despite a number of engine and machinery problems.2
German martyr St Saturnina, patron saint of farmers and wine merchants.5
Esquimalt's finest hour as a British naval base.2
110-horsepower walking-beam engine.1 It was brought from New York to San Francisco in 1850-51.2 It was owned by Captain J. T. Wright and Sons and brought to the Fraser River in 1858 by Captain Francis Connor to transport miners to the gold fields.3
ply with passengers,mostly miners, between
this Port [Victoria] and Fraser's River.
with all her Sails, Boats, Chronometer, Barometer, Sympiesometerand other gear.1
new Master,who saw that all passengers were comfortable, and ensured that the Sea Nymph was in a proper state by the time it departed to sea.
warlike activitiesdespite the end of the war.
interpreter & to Lord Elgins Japan Expedition.
Captain Grant of the Royal Engineers,and a contingent of engineers, transfered to the Sonora, bound for San Francisco.
embarkingon the Southern Eagle for San Francisco.
narrowly [escaped] destructionon what would later be named Peacock Spit, as it surveyed the bar in the Columbia River with its escort, the Starling.5 Captain Belcher would later admit he was given
secret instructionsto collect information on the dispute between the British and the United States over the Oregon Territory .6
Mr. David K. Welden,entered Barclay Sound, and was, as Douglas relates, abandoned and thought to be
plunderedby
the natives.
plundered.2 The crew was only able to survive and escape by the assistance of
a highly intelligent and widely respected Makah or Cape Flattery chief, pilot and interpreter called Swell.3
disabled state.4
the general serviceat
the Stationat the River Plate, or Río de la Plata, on the eastern coast of Argentina.
caught in the tideripsand damaged its copper sheathing, and planking, and was freed from the rocks with several trees still caught in its rigging.2 The damage was so severe that it could not be fully repaired in Nanaimo and was forced to head for a dry dock at San Francisco,
still leaking rather badly.3
a Survey of the Southern Shore of Vancouvers Island.
119 men of the Expedition,presuambly these were Royal Engineers. Wymond Ogilvy Hamley, customs collector, was also aboard, as indicated in Richards, Charles to Merivale, Herman 29 September 1858, CO 60:2, no. 9929, 15; Reverend James Gammage was aboard, too, as indicated in this despatch.
North West Coast of America.HMS Topaze appears to have remained in service at Esquimalt Harbour in several capacities, until at least November 1866.
the greater part being servants of the Hudson's Bay Company,were brought to the island to establish farms in Victoria, Esquimalt, and Metchosin.
119 miles on 33 tons of coalin one day.2
was boarded some time last month, on the high seas by an armed partyfrom the United States Corvette Jacinto under the Command of Commodore Wilkes. Douglas recognizes the political gravity of the boarding, and warns that
complications may grow out of so rash and insolent an act, Endangering our friendly relations with the United States,who were roughly seven months into their Civil War.
a very large assemblage of the native tribesat Victoria, who were, in his view,
well armed and equipped for war.
ironclad rambuilt to attack Federalist warship blockades at ports and rivers along the same coast.2
Ship however met with a series of disasters and did not reach Vancouver's Island until more than Twelve months afterwards.
on suspicion of being concerned in the extensive robbery of goods from the bark True Briton at Esquimalt.1
185 feet long,is to be
sent to England by the True Britonfor display in the
Worlds' Fair of 1862, in London.3 This article provides the length, at least, of the True Briton, as it reports the spar to be
40 feet longer than the vessel.4
Marquesas Shoal, Florida Reefsin January of 1889.6
a force of Thirty-five non-commissioned officers and men,to report on the state of affairs at Fraser River.
minor Chief,who was, apparently, involved in the sack and plunder of the Susan Sturges.
American Schooner.This same despatch notes its arrival to Victoria on the 23rd of July, 1854, and that
the Collector of Customs denied Compliance with the application [to ply the coast] under the plea of the Schooner being a foreign bottom.A customs kerfuffle ensued, as referenced further in this despatch, and this despatch.
a regular trader between Victoria and the Ports on Puget Sound.
