Little Stories

Unidentified Anderson-Seton descendants

I keep running across little stories that I had questions about, but no answers. One of the little stories was the theft of money at the Sandwich Islands in 1850. How did that happen? And another little story: why did Peter Skene Ogden loathe Warre and Vavasour, as everyone tells me he did. After all that is finished, I have a little little story to tell you about Fort Victoria, as the fort appeared to a new doctor just arriving at the place on the Norman Morison in 1850: his name was John Sebastian Helmcken. 

The first little story is this one: the theft at the Sandwich Islands in 1850, and the quick departure of George Pelly from that place. We all knew there was a theft or loss of some sort: did we know what it was?

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What I do know about George Pelly is that he was appointed to the Sandwich Islands in 1833, and remained there until 1851. In 1850, a large amount of company funds (I presume as much as $36,000.00) which was under the care of Pelly, went missing. His servants were arrested and put in jail, but it was likely that Pelly had full knowledge and, in fact, participated in the disappearance. (So says Bruce Watson.) As a result Pelly made restitution by turning over all his Hawaiian properties, and was issued a passport. He was in frail health when he sailed back to London, so he is the bed-ridden man mentioned below. Here is the story, from James Douglas’s letter to Peter Skene Ogden, December 27, 1850:

The robbery at the Sandwich Islands is a dreadful thing, it was very wrong to leave so much property in the hands of a bed-ridden invalid. Mr. [Dugald] Mactavish is not to blame, having no discretion in the matter. Pelly is responsible for the loss which, poor fellow, will be ruinous to him: but how was the vault entered? The door was locked and the keys in Mr. Pelly’s rooms. It must have been entered by some parties who had access to the keys, or in possession of duplicate keys. It is to say the least of it a bad business.

So, that is the first little story. The second is this: I know that Peter Skene Ogden did not like Henry James Warre and Mervin Vavasour, but I did not know why. Here’s the story that Ogden told Governor George Simpson after Warre and Vavasour left Fort Vancouver. As you may know, Ogden’s letters are lacking in punctuation, which makes them hard to read and to explain. But I have cleaned up this little story, and added some punctuation to make it understandable. This, from a letter written by Ogden to Governor Simpson, March 1847:

As for Messrs. Warre and Vavasour, all I shall remark is that on some occasions when their fancy led them to defame the character of the absent, I thought proper to differ in opinion with them. Last fall I received from the former, a very kind and friendly letter which ought to be taken as a proof of a kind feeling existing on his part as regards mine…They, however, appear not to have been sparing in their remarks against several worthy individuals from whom they received every kindness and attention, a convincing proof to me, if any even wanting, that their friendship or enemity is of trifling value.

Ogden also told Simpson that he was not surprised that the two military gentlemen had asked Francis Ermatinger to “accompany them to Canada to serve as a Butt for their amusement.” On one occasion, they had “carried the experiment rather too far and E[rmatinger] shewed pluck. It is a fact [they] raised [angered] him and Warre & V[avasour] were more guarded afterwards.” So they were just not very nice people. 

And the next little story is this one: John Sebastian Helmcken was born in Whitechapel, East London, on June 5, 1824. He apprenticed under a family physician, and went on to study medicine at Guy’s Hospital in London. He sailed to York Factory as surgeon aboard the London ship, Prince Rupert, before returning to London and passing his medical examination. For a year and a half he sailed aboard ships that were going to Asia, until the HBC offered him the post of surgeon at Fort Vancouver to replace the retiring Dr. Forbes Barclay. Helmcken arrived at Fort Victoria in the London ship of the year, the Norman Morison, in 1850, but he never made it to Fort Vancouver. Instead, he was sent as surgeon and clerk to Fort Rupert. But here is what he has to say of Fort Victoria as he was passing through. (I have changed the punctuation to make it more readily readable). Some of Helmcken’s descriptions of the men who worked in the fur trade, and even the Chief Factors, will also apply to Peter Skene Ogden and Dugald Mactavish, and anyone else who has been in the territory for a while: which is interesting.

I saw Mr. [James] Douglas. He did not impress me very favorably, being of very grave disposition with an air of dignity — cold and unimpassioned. A dark complexioned man, with rather scanty hair but not too scanty. Muscular — broad-shouldered — with powerful legs a little bowed, common to strong men; in fact, he was a splendid specimen of a man. His clothes were rather shabby and seedy looking, but I suppose he had plenty an outfit in the vessel. In fact, everyone’s clothes looked seedy, when compared with the Captain’s and mine, for we had of course dressed respectably for the occasion. But although the clothes were not fashionable, the wearers looked strong, healthy, active, and clean.

Now we come to Roderick Finlayson: Helmcken does give a good picture of the people he met at Fort Victoria.

Finlayson looked rather pallid, but was quiet and very agreeable, rubbing his hands slowly together. I talked about the Fort yard being so wet — round poles existed to walk on between the different stores, altho’ there was a waggon road through the centre of the Fort in a line with Fort Street. “Ah,” said Finlayson, “when the Reverend Mr. Staines came a few months ago it was much worse, and when Mrs. Staines landed we put down what we could for her to walk on…

The Reverend Robert John Staines, his wife and her nephew, had “sailed by the Columbia from London, to act in the double capacity of Chaplain and Teacher of the school about to be established.” The Staines family arrived at Fort Victoria on March 17, 1849. Although it was intended by the Board of Management that Staines served at Fort Vancouver, they changed their mind and asked that he remain at Fort Victoria. Helmcken’s story continues to describe Mrs. Staines, and others: 

“She wanted to know where the streets were? Whether this was the place they were destined for? Everything cannot be done in a day and now you have brought us more men I hope things will go on more quickly.” Finlayson had built the Fort. J. W. McKay was his second: a very active young fellow — full of vigor and intelligence, whose parents resided at Red River or someway thereabouts — Fort Garry, probably.

J. W. McKay was Joseph William McKay, born to a long line of fur traders and educated at the Red River Academy. He came to Fort Victoria in 1847, and after Helmcken’s arrival apprenticed as a doctor. There is a fairly recent book published about him, titled, Joseph William McKay: a Metis Business Leader in Colonial British Columbia, by Greg N. Fraser. Helmcken’s story continues:

Nevin had charge of the fleet and what not!! A good-natured active men, but too fond of grog and women. [James] Sangster, a short man — active but slow in speech, was or had been Captain of the Cadboro and was now pilot when required. He had been daily at Beacon Hill with his telescope, looking for the Norman Morison. At this time [it] was the custom of HB ships to fire two guns after rounding Rocky Point, to give notice of arrival and, I suppose, the want of a pilot. At all events, we followed the usual practice.

I don’t know who this “Nevin” is, so if you know, let me know please. But it is interesting that Beacon Hill was used as an outlook for incoming London ships.

Most of the men in the fort were either French Canadians or Kanakas [Hawaiians] — an Iroquois or two. The former were very jolly contented fellows. 

Helmcken was sent to Fort Rupert in 1850, travelling in the steamer Beaver, which was armed and had boarding nets (nets that kept First Nations, or anyone else, from boarding the ship uninvited.) The ship cleared Victoria Harbour and paddled through Dodd’s Narrows [between Vancouver Island and Mudge Island, just west of Gabriola Island], “Cowitchan Gap” [Sansum Narrows], and the Gulf of Georgia, to her journey’s end on the east coast of Vancouver’s Island. According to Helmcken, Seymour Narrows [west of Quadra Island] was “drowsy,” so the Beaver passed through without difficulty although, he said, when wide-awake ships had to remain until the boiling, seething currents and whirlpools subsided. Even the Beaver had to wait, not being able to stem the tidal currents. In these narrow passages between the many scattered islands in this part of the world, the tidal currents can and do flow at a speed of fourteen knots, either against you or with you.

If you want to know more about John Sebastian Helmcken’s arrival at Fort Victoria, see here: https://nancymargueriteanderson.com/dr-john-sebastian-helmcken/ 

I am looking forward to learning more about the Beaver in Helmcken’s reminiscences, or in the papers he has in the archives: so lots of interesting reading to come. But I don’t have that information yet, and so you have to wait. 

Copyright, Nancy Marguerite Anderson, 2025. All rights reserved. 

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