Tonquin
Encyclopedia
The Tonquin was an American merchant ship involved with the Maritime Fur Trade
of the early 19th Century. The ship was used by John Jacob Astor
's Pacific Fur Company
to establish fur trading outposts on the Northwest Coast of North America, including Fort Astoria
at the mouth of the Columbia River
. The 290-ton bark was destroyed and sunk at Clayoquot Sound
a few weeks after leaving the Columbia River after a dispute with Tla-o-qui-aht, the indigenous people of the sound.
in 1807, the Tonquin was purchased by American John Jacob Astor on August 23, 1810. This vessel was to be used in the fur trade of the Northwest coast of America. Astor paid $37,860 to Fanning & Coles
for the 290 ton bark that would be used by the Pacific Fur Company that Astor owned half of. He then placed United States Navy
lieutenant Jonathan Thorn
in charge of the 10 gun merchant vessel.
On September 8, 1810 ship and crew departed New York
harbor bound for the Columbia River
in Oregon Country
as part of the Astor Expedition
. Cargo on board included fur trade goods, seeds, building material for a trading post, tools, and the frame of a schooner
to be used on the coastal trade. The crew consisted of 34 people including the captain, 30 of whom were British subjects. There were four partners of the company: Duncan McDougall, David and Robert Stuart, and Alexander McKay
. Additionally there were 12 clerks and 13 Canadian voyageurs
, plus four tradesmen: Augustus Roussel a blacksmith, Johann Koaster a carpenter, Job Aitkem a boat builder, and George Bell a cooper. (Clerk Gabriel Franchère
's account of his journey on the Tonquin later formed a large part of his Narrative of a Voyage to the Northwest Coast of America.)
On the voyage around South America the vessel put in at the Falkland Islands
to make repairs and take on fresh water. Upon leaving Captain Thorn set sail without eight of the crew and only stopped to pick them up after Robert Stuart threatened to shoot Thorn if he did not stop for them, as his uncle David was one of those not onboard. On December 25, they rounded Cape Horn
and sailed north, reaching the Hawaiian Islands
on February 12, 1811, where they dropped anchor at Kealakekua Bay
(then known as the "Sandwich Islands" and "Karakakooa"). There they traded for sheep, hogs, goats, poultry, and vegetables. The Tonquin also took on 12 Native Hawaiians
that were recruited for the fur venture before setting sail for the Columbia. One of the Hawaiians, Naukane
, was appointed by King Kamehameha I
to oversee the interests of Hawaiian laborers known as kanakas
. Naukane was given the name John Coxe while on the Tonquin. He later joined the North West Company
.
On March 22, 1811, the Tonquin reached the Columbia River. Here the dangerous Columbia Bar
posed a problem of access to the river, so Thorn sent John Martin, Ebenezer Fox, and three others in a boat to attempt to locate the channel. However, the small boat was lost. The next day they tried again with William Mumford and four others to sound for the channel, but were unsuccessful and also nearly lost the small craft. A third attempt resulted in locating the channel, but the small boat with Aiken, Stephen Weekes, John Coles and two others sank before returning to the ship. Finally on the 24th the Tonquin was able to cross the bar and into the Columbia’s estuary where they laid anchor in Baker’s Bay
and began searching for the lost men. Only Weeks and one other person were found.
The party then proceed upriver fifteen miles where they began building a fort, a shed, and a small boat where present day Astoria, Oregon
is located. This new outpost was named Fort Astoria
. Here some of the cargo was unloaded and the trading post was built. The ship remained there for 65 days before sailing with a crew of 23 plus a half-native half-British interpreter named Lamazu while construction continued. McKay remained with the ship as supercargo
and James Lewis as clerk as Thorn ordered the ship downriver. On June 5, 1811 the Tonquin left Baker’s Bay and sailed north to trade for furs.
. Here, off Vancouver Island
at a place named Woody Point in Clayoquot Sound
, the Tonquin engaged in the fur trade in June 1811. While trading with the local inhabitants, Captain Thorn tossed some otter pelts at a local chief that was on board the ship trading. This insult lead to the locals returning to the ship the next day to seek revenge. Under the guise of seeking further trading opportunities, these natives attacked the crew on board. Only five of the crew were able to survive this onslaught and eventually drive the attackers from the ship. The next day four abandoned ship in a canoe in an attempt to flee, but were later killed on shore. The remaining crew member, James Lewis, who was injured was somehow able to light the gunpowder magazine on fire and blow up the Tonquin, himself, and numerous locals that had returned to pillage the ship. The only survivor from the crew was a half Chinook and half British individual named Lamazee (also known as George Ramsay) who served as a pilot on the ship.
, Massachusetts, and owned by George R. Minot and Nathaniel Hooper of Boston. She sailed from New York to San Francisco. On November 19, 1849, she was wrecked at the entrance to San Francisco, on Whaleman's Reef.
Maritime Fur Trade
The Maritime Fur Trade was a ship-based fur trade system that focused on acquiring furs of sea otters and other animals from the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and natives of Alaska. The furs were mostly sold in China in exchange for tea, silks, porcelain, and other Chinese...
of the early 19th Century. The ship was used by John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...
's Pacific Fur Company
Pacific Fur Company
The Pacific Fur Company was founded June 23, 1810, in New York City. Half of the stock of the company was held by the American Fur Company, owned exclusively by John Jacob Astor, and Astor provided all of the capital for the enterprise. The other half of the stock was ascribed to working partners...
to establish fur trading outposts on the Northwest Coast of North America, including Fort Astoria
Fort Astoria
Fort Astoria was the Pacific Fur Company's primary fur trading post in the Northwest, and was the first American-owned settlement on the Pacific coast. After a short two-year term of US ownership, the British owned and operated it for 33 years. It was the first British port on the Pacific coast...
at the mouth of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
. The 290-ton bark was destroyed and sunk at Clayoquot Sound
Clayoquot Sound
Clayoquot Sound is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is bordered by the Esowista Peninsula to the south, and the Hesquiaht Peninsula to the North. It is a body of water with many inlets and islands. Major inlets include Sydney Inlet,...
a few weeks after leaving the Columbia River after a dispute with Tla-o-qui-aht, the indigenous people of the sound.
Astoria
Built in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1807, the Tonquin was purchased by American John Jacob Astor on August 23, 1810. This vessel was to be used in the fur trade of the Northwest coast of America. Astor paid $37,860 to Fanning & Coles
Fanning & Coles
Fanning & Coles engaged in the China trade from 1798 to 1815. The firm owned large sailing ships and acted as commission merchants importing $40,000 of Tea per year to New York from Canton, China. The firm also traded seal skins gathered from South America and the Pacific ocean while sailing to...
for the 290 ton bark that would be used by the Pacific Fur Company that Astor owned half of. He then placed United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
lieutenant Jonathan Thorn
Jonathan Thorn
Jonathan Thorn was an officer of the United States Navy in the early 19th century. He was born on 8 January 1779 at Schenectady, N.Y.. He was appointed a midshipman on 28 April 1800...
in charge of the 10 gun merchant vessel.
On September 8, 1810 ship and crew departed New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
harbor bound for the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
in Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
as part of the Astor Expedition
Astor Expedition
The Astor Expedition of 1810-1812 was the next overland expedition from St. Louis, Missouri to the mouth of the Columbia River after the Corps of Discovery, led by Lewis and Clark.-History:...
. Cargo on board included fur trade goods, seeds, building material for a trading post, tools, and the frame of a schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
to be used on the coastal trade. The crew consisted of 34 people including the captain, 30 of whom were British subjects. There were four partners of the company: Duncan McDougall, David and Robert Stuart, and Alexander McKay
Alexander MacKay (fur trader)
Alexander MacKay was a Canadian fur trader and explorer who worked for the North West Company and the Pacific Fur Company...
. Additionally there were 12 clerks and 13 Canadian voyageurs
Voyageurs
The Voyageurs were the persons who engaged in the transportation of furs by canoe during the fur trade era. Voyageur is a French word which literally translates to "traveler"...
, plus four tradesmen: Augustus Roussel a blacksmith, Johann Koaster a carpenter, Job Aitkem a boat builder, and George Bell a cooper. (Clerk Gabriel Franchère
Gabriel Franchère
Gabriel Franchère was a French Canadian author and explorer of the Pacific Northwest.Franchère was a native of Montreal and joined the Astor Expedition as merchant's apprentice, arriving at Fort Astoria on the Tonquin. After Astoria was sold to the North West Company, Franchère returned to...
's account of his journey on the Tonquin later formed a large part of his Narrative of a Voyage to the Northwest Coast of America.)
On the voyage around South America the vessel put in at the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
to make repairs and take on fresh water. Upon leaving Captain Thorn set sail without eight of the crew and only stopped to pick them up after Robert Stuart threatened to shoot Thorn if he did not stop for them, as his uncle David was one of those not onboard. On December 25, they rounded Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
and sailed north, reaching the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
on February 12, 1811, where they dropped anchor at Kealakekua Bay
Kealakekua Bay
Kealakekua Bay is located on the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii about south of Kailua-Kona.Settled over a thousand years ago, the surrounding area contains many archeological and historical sites such as religious temples, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places listings on...
(then known as the "Sandwich Islands" and "Karakakooa"). There they traded for sheep, hogs, goats, poultry, and vegetables. The Tonquin also took on 12 Native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.According to the U.S...
that were recruited for the fur venture before setting sail for the Columbia. One of the Hawaiians, Naukane
Naukane
Naukane , also known as John Coxe, Edward Cox, and Coxe was a Native Hawaiian chief who traveled widely through North America in the early 19th century...
, was appointed by King Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I , also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha preserved Hawaii's independence under his rule...
to oversee the interests of Hawaiian laborers known as kanakas
Kanakas
Kanaka was the term for a worker from various Pacific Islands employed in British colonies, such as British Columbia , Fiji and Queensland in the 19th and early 20th centuries...
. Naukane was given the name John Coxe while on the Tonquin. He later joined the North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
.
On March 22, 1811, the Tonquin reached the Columbia River. Here the dangerous Columbia Bar
Columbia Bar
The Columbia Bar is a system of bars and shoals at the mouth of the Columbia River spanning the US states of Oregon and Washington. The bar is about wide and long....
posed a problem of access to the river, so Thorn sent John Martin, Ebenezer Fox, and three others in a boat to attempt to locate the channel. However, the small boat was lost. The next day they tried again with William Mumford and four others to sound for the channel, but were unsuccessful and also nearly lost the small craft. A third attempt resulted in locating the channel, but the small boat with Aiken, Stephen Weekes, John Coles and two others sank before returning to the ship. Finally on the 24th the Tonquin was able to cross the bar and into the Columbia’s estuary where they laid anchor in Baker’s Bay
Youngs Bay
Youngs Bay, or Youngs River Bay, is located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Oregon. The Youngs River meets the Columbia River at this point, which is situated between Astoria and Warrenton. There are two bridges that cross the bay, with the busiest being Old Youngs Bay Bridge, a...
and began searching for the lost men. Only Weeks and one other person were found.
The party then proceed upriver fifteen miles where they began building a fort, a shed, and a small boat where present day Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
is located. This new outpost was named Fort Astoria
Fort Astoria
Fort Astoria was the Pacific Fur Company's primary fur trading post in the Northwest, and was the first American-owned settlement on the Pacific coast. After a short two-year term of US ownership, the British owned and operated it for 33 years. It was the first British port on the Pacific coast...
. Here some of the cargo was unloaded and the trading post was built. The ship remained there for 65 days before sailing with a crew of 23 plus a half-native half-British interpreter named Lamazu while construction continued. McKay remained with the ship as supercargo
Supercargo
Supercargo is a term in maritime law that refers to a person employed on board a vessel by the owner of cargo carried on the ship...
and James Lewis as clerk as Thorn ordered the ship downriver. On June 5, 1811 the Tonquin left Baker’s Bay and sailed north to trade for furs.
Demise
After leaving the newly created outpost on the Columbia, the ship and crew traveled north to Nootka SoundNootka Sound
Nootka Sound is a complex inlet or sound of the Pacific Ocean on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Historically also known as King George's Sound, as a strait it separates Vancouver Island and Nootka Island.-History:The inlet is part of the...
. Here, off Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
at a place named Woody Point in Clayoquot Sound
Clayoquot Sound
Clayoquot Sound is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is bordered by the Esowista Peninsula to the south, and the Hesquiaht Peninsula to the North. It is a body of water with many inlets and islands. Major inlets include Sydney Inlet,...
, the Tonquin engaged in the fur trade in June 1811. While trading with the local inhabitants, Captain Thorn tossed some otter pelts at a local chief that was on board the ship trading. This insult lead to the locals returning to the ship the next day to seek revenge. Under the guise of seeking further trading opportunities, these natives attacked the crew on board. Only five of the crew were able to survive this onslaught and eventually drive the attackers from the ship. The next day four abandoned ship in a canoe in an attempt to flee, but were later killed on shore. The remaining crew member, James Lewis, who was injured was somehow able to light the gunpowder magazine on fire and blow up the Tonquin, himself, and numerous locals that had returned to pillage the ship. The only survivor from the crew was a half Chinook and half British individual named Lamazee (also known as George Ramsay) who served as a pilot on the ship.
Tonquin, 1845 ship
The 1845 ship Tonquin, 496 tons, was built by Waterman & Ewell in MedfordMedford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
, Massachusetts, and owned by George R. Minot and Nathaniel Hooper of Boston. She sailed from New York to San Francisco. On November 19, 1849, she was wrecked at the entrance to San Francisco, on Whaleman's Reef.
External links
- Account of Tonquin Massacre by Edgar Allan Poe
- Tonquin Anchor
- The Tyee article "The Suicide Bomber of Clayoquot Sound, Revived" about a planned movie on the destruction of the Tonquin.