Arrival of a Strange Sail.--Agitation at Astoria.--Warlike
Offer of Comcomly.--Astoria Taken Possession of by the
British.--Indignation of Comcomly at the Conduct of His Son-
in-Law.
ON the morning of the 30th of November, a sail was descried doubling
Cape Disappointment. It came to anchor in Baker’s Bay, and proved to be
a ship of war. Of what nation? was now the anxious inquiry. If English,
why did it come alone? where was the merchant vessel that was to have
accompanied it? If American, what was to become of the newly acquired
possession of the Northwest Company?
In this dilemma, M’Tavish, in all haste, loaded two barges with all the
packages of furs bearing the mark of the Northwest Company, and made
off for Tongue Point, three miles up the river. There he was to await a
preconcerted signal from M’Dougal, on ascertaining the character of the
ship. If it should prove American, M’Tavish would have a fair start, and
could bear off his rich cargo to the interior. It is singular that this
prompt mode of conveying valuable, but easily transportable effects
beyond the reach of a hostile ship should not have suggested itself
while the property belonged to Mr. Astor.
In the meantime, M’Dougal, who still remained nominal chief at the fort,
launched a canoe, manned by men recently in the employ of the American
Fur Company, and steered for the ship. On the way, he instructed his
men to pass themselves for Americans or Englishmen, according to the
exigencies of the case.
The vessel proved to be the British sloop of war Raccoon, of twenty-six
guns, and one hundred and twenty men, commanded by Captain Black.
According to the account of that officer, the frigate Phoebe, and two
sloops of war Cherub and Raccoon, had sailed in convoy of the Isaac Todd
from Rio Janeiro. On board of the Phoebe, Mr. John M’Donald, a partner
of the Northwest Company, embarked as passenger, to profit by the
anticipated catastrophe at Astoria. The convoy was separated by stress
of weather off Cape Horn. The three ships of war came together again at
the island of Juan Fernandez, their appointed rendezvous, but waited in
vain for the Isaac Todd.
In the meantime, intelligence was received of the mischief that
Commodore Porter was doing among the British whale ships. Commodore
Hillyer immediately set sail in quest of him with the Phoebe and the
Cherub, transferring Mr. M’Donald to the Raccoon, and ordered that
vessel to proceed to the Columbia.
The officers of the Raccoon were in high spirits. The agents of the
Northwest Company, in instigating the expedition, had talked of immense
booty to be made by the fortunate captors of Astoria. Mr. M’Donald had
kept up the excitement during the voyage, so that not a midshipman but
revelled in dreams of ample prize-money, nor a lieutenant that would
have sold his chance for a thousand pounds. Their disappointment,
therefore, may easily be conceived, when they learned that their
warlike attack upon Astoria had been forestalled by a snug commercial
arrangement; that their anticipated booty had become British property
in the regular course of traffic, and that all this had been effected
by the very Company which had been instrumental in getting them sent on
what they now stigmatized as a fool’s errand. They felt as if they had
been duped and made tools of, by a set of shrewd men of traffic, who had
employed them to crack the nut, while they carried off the kernel. In a
word, M’Dougal found himself so ungraciously received by his countrymen
on board of the ship, that he was glad to cut short his visit, and
return to shore. He was busy at the fort, making preparations for
the reception of the captain of the Raccoon, when his one-eyed Indian
father-in-law made his appearance, with a train of Chinook warriors, all
painted and equipped in warlike style.
Old Comcomly had beheld, with dismay, the arrival of a “big war canoe”
displaying the British flag. The shrewd old savage had become something
of a politician in the course of his daily visits at the fort. He
knew of the war existing between the nations, but knew nothing of the
arrangement between M’Dougal and M’Tavish. He trembled, therefore, for
the power of his white son-in-law, and the new-fledged grandeur of his
daughter, and assembled his warriors in all haste. “King George,” said
he, “has sent his great canoe to destroy the fort, and make slaves of
all the inhabitants. Shall we suffer it? The Americans are the first
white men that have fixed themselves in the land. They have treated us
like brothers. Their great chief has taken my daughter to be his squaw:
we are, therefore, as one people.”
His warriors all determined to stand by the Americans to the last, and
to this effect they came painted and armed for battle. Comcomly made a
spirited war-speech to his son-in-law. He offered to kill every one of
King George’s men that should attempt to land. It was an easy matter.
The ship could not approach within six miles of the fort; the crew could
only land in boats. The woods reached to the water’s edge; in these, he
and his warriors would conceal themselves, and shoot down the enemy as
fast as they put foot on shore.
M’Dougal was, doubtless, properly sensible of this parental devotion on
the part of his savage father-in-law, and perhaps a little rebuked by
the game spirit, so opposite to his own. He assured Comcomly, however,
that his solicitude for the safety of himself and the princess was
superfluous; as, though the ship belonged to King George, her crew would
not injure the Americans, or their Indian allies. He advised him and his
warriors, therefore, to lay aside their weapons and war shirts, wash off
the paint from their faces and bodies, and appear like clean and civil
savages, to receive the strangers courteously.
Comcomly was sorely puzzled at this advice, which accorded so little
with his Indian notions of receiving a hostile nation, and it was only
after repeated and positive assurances of the amicable intentions of
the strangers that he was induced to lower his fighting tone. He said
something to his warriors explanatory of this singular posture of
affairs, and in vindication, perhaps, of the pacific temper of his
son-in-law. They all gave a shrug and an Indian grunt of acquiescence,
and went off sulkily to their village, to lay aside their weapons for
the present.
The proper arrangements being made for the reception of Captain Black,
that officer caused his ship’s boats to be manned, and landed with
befitting state at Astoria. From the talk that had been made by the
Northwest Company of the strength of the place, and the armament they
had required to assist in its reduction, he expected to find a fortress
of some importance. When he beheld nothing but stockades and bastions,
calculated for defense against naked savages, he felt an emotion of
indignant surprise, mingled with something of the ludicrous. “Is this
the fort,” cried he, “about which I have heard so much talking? D-n me,
but I’d batter it down in two hours with a four pounder!”
When he learned, however, the amount of rich furs that had been passed
into the hands of the Northwesters, he was outrageous, and insisted
that an inventory should be taken of all the property purchased of
the Americans, “with a view to ulterior measures in England, for the
recovery of the value from the Northwest Company.”
As he grew cool, however, he gave over all idea of preferring such
a claim, and reconciled himself, as well as he could, to the idea of
having been forestalled by his bargaining coadjutors.
On the 12th of December, the fate of Astoria was consummated by a
regular ceremonial. Captain Black, attended by his officers, entered the
fort, caused the British standard to be erected, broke a bottle of
wine and declared, in a loud voice, that he took possession of the
establishment and of the country, in the name of his Britannic Majesty,
changing the name of Astoria to that of Fort George.
The Indian warriors, who had offered their services to repel the
strangers, were present on this occasion. It was explained to them as
being a friendly arrangement and transfer, but they shook their heads
grimly, and considered it an act of subjugation of their ancient allies.
They regretted that they had complied with M’Dougal’s wishes, in laying
aside their arms, and remarked, that, however the Americans might
conceal the fact, they were undoubtedly all slaves; nor could they be
persuaded of the contrary, until they beheld the Raccoon depart without
taking away any prisoners.
As to Comcomly, he no longer prided himself upon his white son-in-law,
but, whenever he was asked about him, shook his head, and replied, that
his daughter had made a mistake, and, instead of getting a great warrior
for a husband, had married herself to a squaw.