Robert Bennet Forbes
Encyclopedia
Captain Robert Bennet Forbes (1804–1889), was a sea captain
, China merchant, ship owner, and writer. He was active in ship construction, maritime safety, the opium trade, and charitable activities.
. "As a member of the Forbes family
of Boston, much of his wealth was derived from the opium
and China Trade
and he played a prominent role in the outbreak of the Opium War
. Despite the ethical problems of dealing in opium, he was known to engage in humanitarian activities, such as commandeering the USS Jamestown
to send food to Irish famine sufferers in 1847."
His first ship was the Lintin, a 390 ton bark built by Sprague and James in Medford, Mass., in 1830. Forbes owned the Lintin from 1830–1832, after which time she sailed in Chinese waters. Forbes also owned the Paul Jones
, which brought the first cargo of ice to China. "During the Civil War he was employed as a volunteer by the government to inspect the building of nine gunboats and at the same time built for himself and others the Meteor, of 1500 tons."
Great Republic
was originally rigged with Forbes' double topsail
yards
.
The Forbes rig was also well received on the Mermaid, as this 1852 excerpt from the "Boston Atlas" transcribed by Bruzelius shows:
However, the Forbes rig was publicly rejected by the captain of the N.B. Palmer
in 1855, in favor of the Howe rig.
, designed by Isaiah Rogers
(1833), that is now the Captain Robert Bennet Forbes House
Museum.
Captain Forbes was awarded the medal of the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society in 1849 for gallant conduct. The Cunard steamship Europa, on which Forbes was a passenger, ran down and sank an emigrant ship, Charles Bartlett. Forbes jumped from the bulwarks of the Europa into the water and rescued first a woman and child, and then a man.
In 1852 he was one of the founders and first president of the Sailors' Snug Harbor of Boston, a retirement home for "decrepit, infirm or aged sailors".
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
, China merchant, ship owner, and writer. He was active in ship construction, maritime safety, the opium trade, and charitable activities.
Captain, opium trader and humanitarian
He was born in Jamaica Plain, near Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Ralph Bennet Forbes and wife Margaret Perkins, of the Perkins family, and brother of John Murray ForbesJohn Murray Forbes
John Murray Forbes was an American railroad magnate, merchant, philanthropist and abolitionist. He was president of both the Michigan Central railroad and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad in the 1850s....
. "As a member of the Forbes family
Forbes family
The Forbes family is a wealthy extended American family originating in Boston. The family's fortune originates from trading between North America and China in the 19th century plus other investments in the same period. The name descends from Scottish immigrants, and can be traced back to Sir John...
of Boston, much of his wealth was derived from the opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
and China Trade
Old China Trade
The Old China Trade was the name given to the early commerce between the Qing Empire and the United States under the Canton System, spanning from shortly after the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783 to the Treaty of Wanghsia in 1844...
and he played a prominent role in the outbreak of the Opium War
First Opium War
The First Anglo-Chinese War , known popularly as the First Opium War or simply the Opium War, was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty of China over their conflicting viewpoints on diplomatic relations, trade, and the administration of justice...
. Despite the ethical problems of dealing in opium, he was known to engage in humanitarian activities, such as commandeering the USS Jamestown
USS Jamestown (1844)
The first USS Jamestown was a sloop in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.Jamestown was launched in 1844 by the Gosport Navy Yard, Virginia; and commissioned there on 12 December, with Commander Robert B...
to send food to Irish famine sufferers in 1847."
Voyages and seafaring career
"On October 19, 1817, then aged thirteen years, he shipped before the mast in the Canton Packet and made his first voyage to China, arriving at Canton in March of the following year, the vessel having sailed by the eastern passage. "Here," says the captain in his narrative, began an epoch in my life which was of great importance: a connection which led directly to fortune and which never ended but with the life of my cousin (John P. CushingJohn Perkins CushingJohn Perkins Cushing , called "Ku-Shing" by the Chinese, was a wealthy Boston sea merchant, opium smuggler, and philanthropist...
, then head of the house of Perkins & Co., Canton), in April 1861." In June, 1818, he returned to Boston, and thus ended his first voyage to China and return. In 1819 he made a second voyage to the Orient in the Canton Packet and on the passage made a thorough study of navigation; and on his next voyage to the far east it was as third mate of the ship. From this rank he became second mate in 1821, and in 1825 as master of the Nile he sailed for Manila, Philippine Islands. Previous to this time he had been for a short time master of the Levant, and thus was captain of a deep sea vessel before he had attained the age of twenty years. From Manila the Nile went to China, thence to California, and from there to Buenos Aires, South America; and thence to Boston at the end of a long and successful trading voyage. In 1828 he sailed the Danube for Sturgis & Perkins on a trading voyage to Smyrna, Turkey, and other European ports, and afterward he commanded the NianticNiantic (whaling vessel)Niantic was a whaleship that brought fortune-seekers to Yerba Buena later renamed San Francisco during the California Gold Rush of 1849. Run aground and converted into a storeship and hotel, she was a prominent landmark in the booming city for several years. The site of Niantic beside the...
. About 1832 he made his last voyage to China and in 1840 became head of Russell & CompanyRussell & CompanyRussell & Company was the largest and most important American trading house in China from 1842 to its closing in 1891.Samuel Russell founded Russell & Company in Canton, China, in 1824. Dealing mostly in silks, teas and opium, Russell & Company prospered, and by 1842, it had become the largest...
, the largest American commercial house in China. Of his large means he made generous provision for his mother and younger brother. He visited China several times and at one time was American vice consul at CantonGuangzhouGuangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
. He traded between the United States, China, Europe. California and South America and was almost invariably successful in his voyages."
Ships
Captain Forbes owned or was involved in the construction of approximately seventy vessels.His first ship was the Lintin, a 390 ton bark built by Sprague and James in Medford, Mass., in 1830. Forbes owned the Lintin from 1830–1832, after which time she sailed in Chinese waters. Forbes also owned the Paul Jones
Paul Jones (1843 ship)
The Paul Jones was a Medford-built ship, launched in 1843, that brought the first cargo of ice to China.-Voyages:Paul Jones sailed from Boston on Jan. 15, 1843, on her maiden voyage, arriving in Hong Kong in 111 days, under captain N.B...
, which brought the first cargo of ice to China. "During the Civil War he was employed as a volunteer by the government to inspect the building of nine gunboats and at the same time built for himself and others the Meteor, of 1500 tons."
Forbes rig
The famous clipper shipClipper
A clipper was a very fast sailing ship of the 19th century that had three or more masts and a square rig. They were generally narrow for their length, could carry limited bulk freight, small by later 19th century standards, and had a large total sail area...
Great Republic
Great Republic
Launched on October 4, 1853 the Great Republic is noteworthy as the largest wooden clipper ship ever constructed.-Construction of the largest wooden clipper ship:...
was originally rigged with Forbes' double topsail
Topsail
A topsail is a sail set above another sail; on square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails.- Square rig :On a square rigged vessel, a topsail is a square sail rigged above the course sail and below the topgallant sail where carried...
yards
Yard (sailing)
A yard is a spar on a mast from which sails are set. It may be constructed of timber, steel, or from more modern materials, like aluminium or carbon fibre. Although some types of fore and aft rigs have yards , the term is usually used to describe the horizontal spars used with square sails...
.
The Forbes rig was also well received on the Mermaid, as this 1852 excerpt from the "Boston Atlas" transcribed by Bruzelius shows:
"THE CLIPPER BARQUEBarqueA barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
MERMAID, Captain Smith, recently arrived, made the passage from Canton to New York in 87 days. The telegraph, when she arrived, reported Capt. Forbes as her commander, instead, no doubt of stating that she had Forbes's rig. This rig is working its way slowly into favor with ship-owners, and when its advantages are known, it will soon be universally adopted. It is the proper rig for large clippers ... The Mermaid ... has tested it in a voyage around the world, and like other vessels with it, has sailed with less men, than if she had been rigged in the usual style."
However, the Forbes rig was publicly rejected by the captain of the N.B. Palmer
N.B. Palmer (clipper)
The N.B. Palmer was a clipper ship owned by A.A. Low & Brother which was active in the China trade.One report states that the N.B. Palmer was "the first clipper ship out of New York to China."...
in 1855, in favor of the Howe rig.
Family
In 1834 Captain Forbes married Rose Greene Smith. She died September 18, 1885, having borne her husband three children: Robert Bennet Forbes, born 1837, died June 30, 1891; Edith Forbes, married Charles Eliot Perkins; James Murray Forbes, born July 17, 1845.Captain Robert Bennet Forbes House Museum
He built a Greek Revival mansion for his mother in Milton, MassachusettsMilton, Massachusetts
Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 27,003 at the 2010 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush and architect Buckminster Fuller. Milton also has the highest percentage of...
, designed by Isaiah Rogers
Isaiah Rogers
Isaiah Rogers was a US architect who practiced in Mobile, Alabama, Boston, Massachusetts, New York City, and Cincinnati, Ohio.-Background:...
(1833), that is now the Captain Robert Bennet Forbes House
Captain Robert Bennet Forbes House
The Captain Robert Bennet Forbes House, also known as the R. B. Forbes House, is a house museum located at 215 Adams Street, Milton, Massachusetts. It is now a National Historic Landmark, and is open several afternoons per week. An admission fee is charged.The house was built in 1833 for their...
Museum.
Charitable activities, awards and distinctions
"Captain Forbes was a member and an officer of the Massachusetts Humane SocietyHumane Society of the United StatesThe Humane Society of the United States , based in Washington, D.C., is the largest animal advocacy organization in the world. In 2009, HSUS reported assets of over US$160 million....
, one of the Boston pilot commissioners, member of the government of the Board of Trade, one of the vestry of King's ChapelKing's ChapelKing's Chapel is "an independent Christian unitarian congregation affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association" that is "unitarian Christian in theology, Anglican in worship, and congregational in governance." It is housed in what was formerly called "Stone Chapel", an 18th century...
, member of the Boston Port Society, and at one time and another a director of various railroad and insurance companies."
Captain Forbes was awarded the medal of the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society in 1849 for gallant conduct. The Cunard steamship Europa, on which Forbes was a passenger, ran down and sank an emigrant ship, Charles Bartlett. Forbes jumped from the bulwarks of the Europa into the water and rescued first a woman and child, and then a man.
In 1852 he was one of the founders and first president of the Sailors' Snug Harbor of Boston, a retirement home for "decrepit, infirm or aged sailors".
Pamphlets and other writings
Forbes' writings, most of them pamphlets, include:- An Appeal to Merchants and Ship Owners, on the Subject of Seamen (1854)
- On the Establishment of a Line of Mail Steamers . . . to China (1855)
- Remarks on Ocean Steam Navigation (1855)
- Remarks on MagnetismMagnetismMagnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
and Local Attraction (1875) - The Forbes Rig (1862)
- Means for Making the Highways of the Ocean more Safe (1867)
- The LifeboatLifeboat (shipboard)A lifeboat is a small, rigid or inflatable watercraft carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard ship. In the military, a lifeboat may be referred to as a whaleboat, dinghy, or gig. The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors sometimes...
and other Life-saving Inventions (1880) - New Rig for Steamers (1883)
- Notes on Navigation (1884)
- Loss of Life and Property in the Fisheries (1884)
External links
- Website of the Captain Forbes House Museum
- The Forbes and the Howe Rig, 1855
- Howe's Patent Rig
- Letter from R.B. Forbes to Captain Bradbury, ship N.B. PalmerN.B. Palmer (clipper)The N.B. Palmer was a clipper ship owned by A.A. Low & Brother which was active in the China trade.One report states that the N.B. Palmer was "the first clipper ship out of New York to China."...
, New York, 1855 - A Letter from Geo. H. Bradbury to R.B. Forbes, 1855
- Forbes biography, Answers.com