Last Days Of George Vancouver, RN

Ron Palmer

Description

Britain's interest in the Northwest coast of America had been enlivened during the late eighteenth century showing little regard to Spain's blanket claim for the whole coast from Cape Horn to the very north of America. Britain was determined to establish as their own, claim to the fur trade and whaling industry. Tensions arose between the two countries and Britain mobilised her fleet in preparation of hostilities breaking out, this became known as the Spanish Armament. Tensions eased by negotiation and Britain gained equal trading rights and posts on the Northwest Coast north of any Spanish settlements, this became known as the Nootka Sound Agreement. An expedition was prepared with two ships fitting out. George Vancouver was given command, his professionalism in chart and surveying work during his time in the West Indies noted by the Admiralty. The expedition sailed on all Fools' day 1791 and returned 17th September 1795. Although Vancouver suffered from acute ill-health a thorough survey of the Southwest coast of Australia, and the whole west coast of America from just north of San Francisco to the Aleutian Islands was undertaken. He carried out the diplomatic meeting with the Spanish commissioner on the terms of the Nootka Sound Agreement and negotiation with the Hawaiian chiefs for the islands to become a protectorate of Great Britain. Alas for all these credible achievements he was never recognised until long after his death.

Sujets

• Historical fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Pneuma Springs Publishing
• Date de parution: 02 juillet 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781782283904
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Last Days Of
George Vancouver, RN




Ron Palmer
Copyright

First Published in 2015 by: Pneuma Springs Publishing The Last Days Of George Vancouver, RN Copyright © 2015 Ron Palmer Ron Palmer has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this Work Mobi eISBN: 9781782283898 ePub eISBN: 9781782283904 PDF eBook eISBN: 9781782283911 Paperback ISBN: 9781782283874 Pneuma Springs Publishing E: [e-mail] W: www.pneumasprings.co.uk Published in the United Kingdom. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. Contents and/or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the publisher.
Foreword
In writing this account of part of George Vancouver’s life I have taken much inspiration and conviction from George Vancouver’s journals edited by that eminent Canadian scholar W. Kaye Lamb. Having myself journeyed along much of the British Columbia coast by ship in my early days in the Merchant Navy and by boat after retirement experiencing the daunting majesty of the intricate waterways and the difficulties of their winding channels and dangers, I can well appreciate the difficulties experienced by the original explorers. Thankfully, because of Vancouver and his dedicated surveying teams and the surveys of those who followed, these dangers are much less of a pitfall to the modern mariner. The vagaries of the weather however, appear to have changed very little presenting much the same unseasonable cold and miserable wet conditions at times, even during the summer months, interspersed with periods of brilliant sunshine to display the beautifully awesome country, with its wooded mountains reaching up from trees growing at the very water's edge to their highest wooded mountain peaks.
The references to his problems with the troublesome Midshipman Thomas Pitt I leant heavily on the account of this man's life by Nikolai Tolstoy in his book: The Half Mad Lord . To these two authors I give my unequivocal appreciation for their scholarship.
George Vancouver’s difficulties with Sir Joseph Banks is not a unique situation as the world has had it’s share, even in this modern age, of people in positions of influence who take umbrage at those in a lesser station in life for the real or an imagined slight perceived against them and do as much harm as possible in their petty vindictive ways and in their small mindedness, as their status can enact. Banks had negotiated special conditions from the Admiralty for the Surgeon Botanist Archibald Menzies who reported his findings on botanical matters and comments on the conditions on board the Discovery directly to Banks, a situation which made him virtually independent of Vancouver’s authority and due to his own animosity vis-à-vis Vancouver a willing spy.

Ron Palmer., Pender Island. BC
[e-mail]
Introduction
George Vancouver was born at Kings Lynn in Norfolk on 22 nd June 1757, the sixth and youngest child born to John Jasper Vancouver and his wife, Bridget Berners. As the name suggests the Vancouvers were of Dutch origin, descended from the titled van Coeverden in the province of Drenthe. Vancouver’s great grandfather was probably the first of the Vancouvers to settle in England. John Jasper’s wife was descended from an old Essex and Norfolk family and could trace her ancestry back to Sir Richard Grenville, of Revenge fame. The English and Dutch sides of the Vancouvers kept in touch and George’s brother Charles would in 1798 marry his cousin Louise Josephine van Coervorden.
George’s father was Deputy Customer at Kings Lynn and had recently retired after twenty years in this post. As the position of collector of customs was a sinecure it would suggest that he had political and maritime connections, a great advantage in an age of influence which would be required to place a young man in the Royal Navy. What influence was brought to bear to place young George to sail with Captain Cook is not known, but it was generally acknowledged that his father’s connections included one Charles Burney who had connections with the Earl of Sandwich. To sail with Captain Cook was a feather in any young man’s cap.
Training under Cook was recognised as being rigorous but without peer as the young gentlemen were required to go aloft and take part with the sailors in furling and reefing the sails, learning to steer the ship and all duties concerned with good seamanship. Later in the voyage came instruction in navigation, chart-work, observation and the understanding and naming the stars and planets and their usage in fixing the ship’s position. In this respect George was fortunate in William Wales the astronomer who also sailed with the expedition, a gifted teacher to whom George formed a strong attachment, and remembering him with gratitude and affection by naming the west point of Observatory inlet after him during his surveying of the Northwest coast.
George Vancouver joined the Resolution at Deptford Yard on the Thames on 22 nd January 1772. The Resolution and her companion ship Adventure sailed to the Southern hemisphere to search for a temperate land mass the armchair theorists claimed had to be there to balance the land masses in the Northern hemisphere, calling at Cape Town and New Zealand, returning via Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope. The Resolution’s voyage ended at Spithead late in July 1775. The voyage must have been quite an extraordinary experience for a young man of eighteen and would be remembered by an incident at the highest latitude when the vessel reached, as when the ship was faced with an impassable wall of ice and preparing to come about young George had run out to the end of the bowsprit waved his hat and shouted ‘Ne Plus Ultra’, claiming that he was the one to be the nearest to the South Pole. This claim was disputed by Anders Sparrman, the Swedish botanist and supernumerary on board who claimed that to get away from the activity on deck during the busy time of coming about had gone to his cabin. As the ship when coming about would drop back before starting to make forward progress, he was therefore claiming the honour of being the man nearest the South Pole. Undeterred George held onto the claim and often regaled company at dinner of his experience.
George was a crew member on Cook’s third voyage, although on the companion ship Discovery under the command of Charles Clerke. The expedition was to look for a route to the Atlantic from the Pacific over the top of North America, the fabled North West Passage, an alterative route to the markets of China and the Far East, avoiding territory controlled by Spain.
Cook was killed at Kealakakua Bay on this voyage; George was not witness to this sad event having been badly beaten by the natives on the previous day and was assigned another duty under Lieutenant Rickman on the other side of the bay out of sight and away from the terrible events of Cook’s murder taking place on the beach below Kawaloa village. However, having developed a strong and lasting respectful regard for this great man he was nonetheless grief stricken over the tragic loss.
When the expedition returned to England arriving on the Thames 7 th October 1780, Vancouver had completed his second voyage around the world, and when paid off three days later immediately applied to be examined for promotion to lieutenant. His service record showed that he had completed 8 years, 3 months and 3 weeks in the Resolution and Discovery. As a minimum of six years sea time was required he was well within this requirement. His passing certificate was dated 19 th October.
As Britain’s traditional enemies France and Spain were now involved in the American Revolutionary War which was still in progress, Vancouver was not long unemployed. Just two months after his return he was appointed to the sloop Martin on escort duty and patrol in the English Channel and North Sea, and after a year on this duty the Martin was ordered to the West Indies. It was there that Vancouver was to spend this period of his career before embarking on his great voyage of discovery, leading to the charting of the coast of North-west America. The Martin left Plymouth 11 th February 1782 arriving in the Caribbean early March. Her first assignment was to assist the Invincible , a 74 gun ship of the line, in convoying merchant ships to Port Royal, Britain’s Naval Base at Jamaica. The West Indies and Jamaica in particular were to be Vancouver’s base for the most of the next seven years.
On the 17 th May Vancouver left the Martin and joined the Fame, a 74, as 4 th Lieutenant. A duty he performed for thirteen and half months before a preliminary peace was signed with the French on 5 th April 1783 and the Fame sailed for England arriving in June to be put out of commission on 3 rd July and Vancouver went on half pay. With the coming of peace, appointments were few and far between. A vacancy arose after nearly eighteen months of waiting and he had the good fortune to be appointed to the Europa, the flagship of Rear Admiral Alexander Innes, the commander in chief in the West Indies. In January 1786 Admiral Innes died and Commodore Sir Alan Gardiner took over, he became a good friend and patron to Vancouver.
The Admiralty recognised the need for more charts and accurate surveys and all ships were instructed to make surveys of all harbours they visited. In September Joseph Whidbey joined the Europa as master and he and Vancouver were instructed to survey Port Royal and Kingston harbours, the harbours were extensive and included the complicated shoals outside the harbour. The resulting chart was dedicated to Sir Alan Gardiner published in London in 1792 for Vancouver and Whidbey showing the New Channel and proved to be very correct by later surveys. No doubt Vancouver’s time training under Cook’s professionalism had proved its worth.
Jamaica was at this time a fever