| The next few days saw the launch taking
Captain Courtenay ashore, parties on shore gathering wood and some fires
on shore being put out. 'Pandora' was in the harbour. There was some
gunnery practice on the 11th of August. Thursday the 17th of August has
historical significance since Captain Courtenay formally took possession
of the lands and mines around the area of Fort Victoria on behalf of her
Majesty, Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. A note was entered
in the log and a copy of the formal declaration glued into the log as
well. This was a significant step in claiming the land for the UK at a
time when the debate about Oregon was still fresh - the Washington
Conference being less that two years before. |
|
| The declaration
read; NOTICE. These and the adjacent lands together with the
coal and minerals contained therein are taken possession of through the
agency of the Honourable Hudson's Bay Company by me George Courtenay
Esquire, captain of Her Britannic Majesty's ship Constance, acting on
behalf of Rear Admiral Hornby, OM, Commander in Chief of her Majesty's
Squadron in the Pacific, for Her Majesty Victoria, Queen of Great Britain
and Ireland, Her Heirs and Successors. All persons are therefore
warned not to settle thereon or to visit these the said lands for the
purpose of working the coal or other mines. George Courtenay.
God save the Queen. Given on board the Constance in Port Esquimalt,
the 17th of August 1848. The Twelfth Year of Her Majesty's Reign |
| The entry in the log read: "Sent a
board with the attached inscription to Fort Victoria to be placed by the
Hudson's Bay Company at the point where the lands in question are taken
possession of. Which are accordingly from this day taken possession of for
Her Majesty, her heirs and successors. The same to be formally carried
into effect as early as possible by the Hudson's Bay Company and officers,
by the customary method of erecting a loghouse therein and placing the
before named board and inscription thereon". |
| There were native peoples in the area who
had previously sold land to the Hudson's Bay Company and who were not
particularly happy with the situation. On 24th August the ship's log
noted: "Heard the reports of Insurgents in the direction of Fort
Victoria, sent boats, men and Marines to Fort Victoria. 7.45 pm the boats
returned having invested the Honorable Hudson Bay company factory with
seven guns...on the boats arriving at the fort found a skirmish was about
to take place between two tribes of Indians". The display of arms
and weaponry from about
200 men and marines coming out from Fort Victoria pacified the locals and
deflected the Indians from a potential bloodletting. The local Hudson Bay
commander at Fort Victoria, Roderick Finlayson (1818 - 1891), has a brief
report of this incident in his autobiography. |
| The events around
Fort Victoria and the show of arms were recorded by one of the 'Constance'
ships company - John Tunstall Haverfield. He was the second in command of
the Royal Marines on the ship, having been promoted to first lieutenant
just a few weeks before. He was a capable amateur artist and several
of his sketches of the action around Fort Victoria are now in the archives
of British Columbia, including the original sketch of 'Constance' at anchor
[Vancouver island page].
He was posted to 'Constance' from the Plymouth marine headquarters and
continued in service after the voyage, retiring in 1868 as a major on full
pay. Haverfield's family came from North Devon - he was born at
Torrington - and he had a brother who emigrated to Australia. Their
father was a commander in the Royal Navy and seems to have died in
1839. John Tunstall Haverfield died on the 8th February 1885 at
Westbourne Terrace, London. It would be interesting to find if he
continued his sketching and if there are any more of his works remaining. |
| In the following few days
'Constance' took on coal from Fort Victoria, displayed more small arms
drill and did some gunnery practice with a field piece, then set sail for
San Francisco Bay. After two days there she continued to San Blas having
committed the body of William Crowley, 44, to the deep. He died of
syphilis on the 22nd of September. After five days at San Blas they set
sail for Valparaiso again, many hoping that this time they could expect to
be on their way home. The ship's complement had by then been more than two
years into the voyage. It would be another six months at least before they
could be back in England. In the event they were to be disappointed.
'Constance' arrived at Valparaiso in mid-November from a relatively
uneventful passage except for a heavy discussion between the captain and
Lieutenant Curzon. James Fitzpatrick died of a disease of the spine. |
|
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