James Colnett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Colnett
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|---|---|
| Born | 1753 Devonport, Devon |
| Died | 1 September 1806 Great Ormond Street, London |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
 Royal Navy |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands held | HMS Merlin HMS Hawk HMS Hussar HMS Glatton |
| Battles/wars | |
James Colnett (1753 – 1 September 1806) was a brave officer in the British Royal Navy. He was also an explorer and a fur trader. He sailed with the famous Captain James Cook on his second big voyage around the world.
Later, James Colnett led two private trips to trade furs. He collected sea otter pelts in the Pacific Northwest of North America. Then, he sold them in Canton, China. This was where the British East India Company had a trading post. Spending winter in the recently discovered Hawaiian Islands was a key part of this new trade system.
Colnett is best known for his part in the Nootka Crisis of 1789. This was a big disagreement between British traders and the Spanish Navy. It was about who could use Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island. The problem grew into a major international crisis. Britain and Spain almost went to war, but they solved it peacefully. They signed agreements called the Nootka Conventions.
Because Colnett was so important in starting this crisis, his story of his second fur trading trip was published in 1940. His journal from his first trading trip was not published until 2005.
Contents
James Colnett was born in Devonport, Devon, in 1753. He joined the Royal Navy in June 1770. He started as an ordinary sailor.
He served as a midshipman (a junior officer) with Lieutenant James Cook. This was during Cook's second voyage to the Pacific Ocean, from 1772 to 1775. After returning to England, Colnett continued to serve in the Royal Navy. He fought in the American War of Independence. He became a gunner and then a master (another type of officer). He kept moving up in rank. By 1779, he became a lieutenant. In 1786, he took a break from the Navy.
Between 1786 and 1791, Colnett led two private trips to trade furs. The Royal Navy allowed him to take a leave of absence. His first trip involved two ships. The second trip, with the ships Argonaut and Princess Royal, led to the Nootka Crisis. These trips aimed to collect sea otter furs from the Native peoples of the Pacific Northwest. The furs were then sold for a good profit in China. This idea came from Cook's third voyage, where sea otter furs sold for very high prices.
First Fur Trading Voyage (1786-1788)
On his first fur trading trip, Colnett commanded the ship Prince of Wales. The second ship was the sloop Princess Royal, led by Charles Duncan. These ships left England in September 1786. They sailed around Cape Horn (the southern tip of South America). They reached the Pacific Northwest in the summer of 1787.
They traded for furs with the Native peoples around the Queen Charlotte Islands and other nearby islands. Colnett and Duncan then sailed to the Hawaiian Islands for the winter. While in present-day British Columbia, they met some of the Kitkatla Tsimshian people for the first time. In Hawaii, they had some disagreements and conflicts with the islanders.
During this voyage, Colnett was the first European to see parts of the southern Queen Charlotte Islands. He and his crew were among the first Europeans to step onto these islands. They were also the first British explorers to meet the Tsimshian and southern Heiltsuk people.
Even though his main goal was collecting furs, Colnett explored the coastline in great detail. He hoped to find the famous Northwest Passage. His journal includes many maps of the channels and harbors he found.
After wintering in Hawaii, Colnett and Duncan returned to the Pacific Northwest for more furs. They then sailed to Canton, China, arriving in November 1788. They sold their furs. Colnett stayed in China, while the Prince of Wales returned to England. The Princess Royal also stayed for a second fur trading trip. Colnett was given command of this new two-ship expedition. He commanded the Argonaut, and the Princess Royal was under Thomas Hudson.
Second Fur Trading Voyage (1789-1791)
During Colnett's first voyage, two other British ships, owned by John Meares, were also trading on the North West coast. Meares had not paid for the necessary licenses. To hide this, he used a Portuguese flag on his ships.
In early 1789, the owners of all four ships decided to work together. Colnett was put in charge of this combined effort. He was captain of the Argonaut. The goal was not just to trade furs but also to set up a permanent trading post at Nootka Sound. It was to be called Fort Pitt. Meares claimed he had bought land there from Chief Maquinna of the Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) people.
However, before the British ships arrived, Spanish forces had already taken over the harbor. They had built their own fort. By the time Colnett's Argonaut arrived at Nootka Sound, the first part of the crisis had already begun. The Spanish had taken control of the port.
Nootka Crisis
Why the Crisis Happened
For a long time, Spain believed it owned all the lands and waters along the west coasts of the Americas. They saw any foreign sailors in the Pacific Ocean as enemies. But in the 1700s, Russian fur traders started moving from Siberia into Alaska. This worried Spain.
Spain reacted by expanding its control in Alta California (present-day California). They also sent many exploration trips from San Blas, Mexico, to Alaska. These trips aimed to check on the Russians. They also wanted to show that Spain still claimed these lands. They did this by performing formal possession rituals, which were important back then. They also looked for the Northwest Passage. If another country like Britain found and controlled it, it would be bad for Spain's lands.
By the 1780s, Nootka Sound became the main point of conflict. It was not the best port, but it was well-known and easy to reach. It was also a good meeting place for fur traders. Russia, Britain, and Spain all wanted to build a fort there. Spain saw taking Nootka Sound as the first step to creating a new province. This plan meant stopping other nations from trading freely, which Spain had always done in its empire. Britain, however, believed its people had the right to sail, trade, and settle anywhere not already settled by a civilized nation.
Spain Takes Control
In 1789, a Spanish expedition led by Esteban José Martínez sailed to Nootka Sound. They arrived on May 5, 1789. The Spanish quickly built some buildings and a small fort. They raised the Spanish flag. Martínez officially claimed the land. He started checking the papers of visiting ships.
Two American fur trading ships were already there. More arrived later, including British ships like the Princess Royal and the Argonaut. Martínez was especially concerned when Colnett's Argonaut arrived. The Argonaut was carrying materials to build a permanent base. It also had a group of Chinese workers on board.
Martínez, whose warships gave him control, insisted that Spain owned the area. After a heated discussion, Martínez arrested Colnett and his crew. Martínez was also annoyed that Colnett had sailed the Argonaut under a Portuguese flag, which he felt was misleading. In the end, Martínez captured three British ships: the Argonaut, Princess Royal, and North West America. The Chinese workers were made to help build Fort San Miguel, a small Spanish fort.
The prisoners were eventually released, and the ships were returned.
The Nootka Conventions
The British ships and their crews, including Colnett, were taken to the Spanish naval base in San Blas, Mexico. In Britain, King George III and Prime Minister William Pitt soon learned what had happened. The arrest of James Colnett, a Royal Navy officer, was especially upsetting in England.
Britain was angry and threatened war with Spain. France, an ally of Spain, was dealing with the early stages of the French Revolution. This meant France could not help Spain in a war. Without France, Spain could not protect its huge territories in North and South America from Britain.
So, Spain gave in to Britain's demands. They agreed to sign the Nootka Conventions in 1790. This ended the Nootka Crisis peacefully. It also began Spain's withdrawal from the Pacific Northwest. Three separate Nootka Conventions were signed, and it took over five years to sort out all the problems.
Spain agreed to return the captured ships and pay money to their owners. Both nations sent officials to Nootka Sound to carry out the agreements. George Vancouver represented Britain, and Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra represented Spain. They respected each other and even became friends. However, they could not agree on how to follow their instructions. They decided to wait for more orders. At this time, they decided to name the large island where Nootka was located "Quadra and Vancouver Island." Years later, as Spain's power faded, the name was shortened to just Vancouver Island.
Spain continued to occupy Nootka Sound until March 28, 1795. Under the Nootka Convention, Britain and Spain agreed not to build any permanent base at Nootka Sound. However, ships from either nation could visit. They also agreed to stop any other nation from claiming the area.
More Trading Adventures
After the Nootka Crisis, James Colnett was held by the Spanish in San Blas, New Spain, until May 1790. His ship, the Argonaut, was returned to him. He was allowed to leave in July. He then sailed north to Clayoquot Sound and continued trading furs.
In early 1791, he visited Nootka Sound again. By then, Francisco de Eliza was the Spanish commander there. Colnett had a special pass from the Vice Roy of New Spain. This pass allowed him to go to Nootka Sound to get the Princess Royal, which had been seized in 1789. But he was told to leave the coast afterward because it was Spanish territory. He was also forbidden to trade with the Native peoples. However, when Colnett arrived, he told Eliza that his pass had been lost at sea. Colnett spent about five months trading along the coast. He collected about 1,100 sea otter furs.
By the time Colnett arrived at Nootka Sound, the Princess Royal had already sailed to San Blas. So, it could not be returned to Colnett as the Nootka Conventions required. The governments of Spain and Britain agreed that the ship would be returned to its owners in Macau. Manuel Quimper sailed it from San Blas to the Philippines, stopping in Hawaii. Another Spanish officer was to take the ship from the Philippines to Macau.
Meanwhile, Colnett, having finished trading, also sailed to China via Hawaii. By chance, both Colnett and Quimper arrived in Hawaii in March 1791. They met. Colnett demanded the Princess Royal be given to him right away. Quimper explained his orders were to take it to the Philippines. Colnett became angry and prepared to take the ship by force. The argument was calmed by John Kendrick Jr.. Quimper then quietly sailed away to Manila.
Colnett sailed from Hawaii to China, arriving in Macau on May 30, 1791. To his surprise, Chinese officials had banned all ships with furs from entering the port of Canton. China was at war with Russia and thought the ban would hurt Russia. The ban was lifted in May 1792. Unable to sell his furs, Colnett bravely sailed to Japan to try and trade there, but he was not successful. The Argonaut was the first British ship to try to trade with Japan since 1673. Eventually, Colnett sold some of his furs in northern China. He then sailed back to England with the rest of his cargo.
Later, in 1792, he sailed to the Galapagos Islands. He was working for private whaling companies. His work helped develop whaling near the Galapagos Islands. The maps from his survey in 1793-1794 were drawn by Captain James Colnett.
Later Life and Death
Colnett returned to England when the French Revolutionary Wars began. He was promoted to commander in December 1794. In March 1795, he checked the coastal defenses of eastern England. He was promoted to captain in October 1796. He was given command of HMS Hussar. His command was short. The Hussar was wrecked off the coast of Brittany, and Colnett was captured by the French. He was imprisoned for six months. When he was released, he faced a court-martial (a military trial) for losing his ship, but he was found innocent.
After his release, he tried to convince the Royal Navy to attack Spain's Pacific coast. In June 1802, he was given command of the transport ship HMS Glatton. This was his last trip to the Pacific. On September 23, he sailed with 399 convicts and some free settlers to Australia. Only 12 convicts died during the long voyage. He remained in command of Glatton until March 7, 1805, when he retired.
James Colnett died in London on September 1, 1806. He left most of his money to his daughter, Elizabeth, even though he had never married.
Legacy
Several places are named after James Colnett:
- Bahía Colnett (bay) and Cabo Colnett (cape) on Mexico's Baja California peninsula.
- Mount Colnett on New Caledonia.
- Cabo Colnett (cape) and Bahía Colnett (bay) in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.
- Mount Colnett on Meares Island, British Columbia, Canada.
- Argonaut Point, in Nootka Sound, British Columbia, is named for Colnett's ship.
