Talk:HMS America (1810)

Excerpt from F.W. Howay

I found comments about the presence of the America in the Pacific Northwest in "British Columbia: From the earliest times to the present" by E.O.S. Scholefield and F.W. Howay, largely quoting from Roderick Finlayson's journal. I'll quote teh whole section here for interest's sake, though it's the end of the chapter on the Oregon Question and in some ways more relevant there; still it contains crew and mission information which can be adapted to this article. Not just now as I don't have the time or patience to augment the Oregon boundary dispute article, unless someone else would care to:

During the summer of 1845, Captain Gordon, a brother of Lord Aberdeen, visited the colony in command of H.M.S. America. There is a hoary tradition that the British relinquished Oregon because the salmon in the Columbia would not rise to a fly. This harmless little fiction has passed current so long that it is to be feared it may obtain the stamp of genuineness if allowed to circulate much longer unchallenged. Considering that this officer was here in June, 1845, adn remembering the very slow - painfully slow - means of communication of those days, it is extremely doubtful whether any report he might have made would have reached England in time to affect the situation; further than that it is very plain that in England this western coast was regarded as of small moment and so long as Britain had a portion of this coast the home authorities seemed satisfied. We will now offer our readers a quotation never before in print, from Mr. Roderick Finlayson’s manuscript history of Vancouver Island in the Archives of the Province of British Columbia. This will show how the story, in all probability originated.

EXCERPT FROM RODERICK FINLAYSON’S HISTORY OF VANCOUVER ISLAND MANUSCRIPT IN PROVINCIAL ARCHIVES

In 1845 a fleet of five whalers visited this place [Ft. Victoria]. They belonged to the States and called here for supplies, &c. They got what they wanted & left on their canoe Northwards & among the whalers there happened to be curiously enough the very vessel which fetched me from England to New York. They called yearly after that year ’45 until the Sandwich Island were found more convenient for a port of call. In the same year we had a visit from H.M.S. America, Capt. Gordon, brother of the Earl of Aberdeen, then prime Minister of England. She visited Port Discovery near Port Townsend. Esquimalt and Victoria were comparatively new then. In passing up the Straits a dispatch was sent to the office in charge here to proceed on board of the vessel. I was in charge & leaving to go on board, I placed the 2nd officer in charge. Proceeding to the vessel I went on board accompanied by the officers sent for me, remained three days and during that time I gave the commander all the information I could about the country. The object of the vessel coming here was to obtain full information concerning the country & report to the English Government previous to the settlement of the boundary line. During my stay on board Capt. Parke of the Marines, Lieut. Peel, a son of Sir Robert Peel were sent across to the Columbia River to obtain information & to report on the country in relation to its value to Great Britain. Capt. Gordon crossed with me to Victoria in a launch, where he remained some time. We had some find horses for the use of the Captain & his officers & we paid them every attention. We went out on one occasion to Cedar Hill to shoot about the first of June. The country looked beautiful, carpeted as it was with beautiful wild flowers. Capt. Gordon was a great deer stalker. We met a band of deer & had a chase after them on horseback. The deer ran for a thicket into which the horses with their riders could not penetrate and of course no deer were had.

The Captain felt much disappointed & was anything but happy. I said to him that I was very sorry we had missed the deer &c, and also remarked how beautiful the country looked. He said in reply - “Finlayson I would not give the most barren hills in the Highlands of Scotland for all I see around me.” We went back to the fort. I was then a bachelor, had a cot slung in the bare walls which I handed over to the Captain, whilst I and the officers slept on the floor. In the morning we had a nice salmon for breakfast. The Captain seemed somewhat surprised & asked where the salmon was had. O! We have plenty of salmon was the reply. Have you got flies & rods, said the Captain. We have lines & bait was the answer & sometimes the Indians take them with the net &c. No fly, no fly, responded our guest. So after breakfast we went to fish with the line, from a dingey. When we came back we had four fine salmon, but he thought it an awful manner in which to catch salmon. Capt. Gordon felt greatly dissatisfied because he could not have the use of a rod fly.

After they remained here for a week or 10 days the Captain & his officers returned to Port Discovery to the vessel. By this time Messrs. Parke & Peel had returned from the Columbia river. Their report of the country was not very encouraging, at least that was the inference at the time. Mr. Douglas (the late Sir James) came across from Fort Vancouver to the Demon of War. He remained some little time, & the vessel left shortly afterwards for the South. This was the end of the ‘’America’’.

In 1846 Mr. Polk was President of the U. States and the cry used to be 54-40 or fight. There was a great hue and cry in England to the effect that British interests were going to be swamped, & so forth. Several ships of war were ordered up from the South. Among them were the Fisgard, Capt. Duntze, the Herald, Capt. Kellett; the Pandora, Capt. Wood. The last two were mentioned were used as surveying shipt. There was also the Constance, Frigate, Capt. Courtney, & the Inconstant, Capt. Shepherd. Before these was the Cormorant - another Capt. Gordon. These were all here in 1846. I was constantly on board to dinner & the officers used to chaff us about being here. They only wanted to be sent & that they could take the whole of the Columbia country in 24 hours.”

pp. 454-455 in Howay/Scholefield Vol. 1 (no direct pagelink)

Which yard at Blackwall?

She was "launched at Blackwall", but at which yard was she built? Robkam (talk) 23:07, 8 February 2010 (UTC)

Death at sea

Memorial to Robert James Darley Waddilove in Ripon Cathedral

The ship on Oct 7 1844 was within a few days sail of Valparaiso.

Lieutenant Robert James Darley Waddilove, R.N. of H.M.S. America who died at sea Oct 7 1844 within a few days sail of Valparaiso. His remains are committed to the depths of the south pacific, till that great day when earth and sea shall give up their dead. Aged 25 years, 13 of which were spent in H.M. Service. He was born at Thorpe. May 12 1829. The eldest grandson of the Very Revd R. D. Waddilove D.D., many years Dean of this Church. This slab is dedicated to his memory by his afflicted parents, April 17, 1845.Broichmore (talk) 11:40, 26 February 2019 (UTC)