Astoria
Built in New York in 1807, the Tonquin was purchased by American John Jacob Astor on August 23, 1810. This vessel was to be used in the fur trade of the Northwest coast of America. Astor paid $37,860 to Fanning & Coles for the 290 ton bark that would be used by the Pacific Fur Company, in which Astor owned a half-interest. He then placed United States Navy lieutenant Jonathan Thorn in charge of the 10 gun merchant vessel.
On September 8, 1810 ship and crew departed New York harbor bound for the Columbia River in Oregon Country as part of the Astor Expedition. Cargo on board included fur trade goods, seeds, building material for a trading post, tools, and the frame of a schooner to be used on the coastal trade. The crew consisted of 34 people including the captain, 30 of whom were British subjects. There were four partners of the company: Duncan McDougall, David and Robert Stuart, and Alexander McKay. Additionally there were 12 clerks and 13 Canadian voyageurs, plus four tradesmen: Augustus Roussel a blacksmith, Johann Koaster a carpenter, Job Aitkem a boat builder, and George Bell a cooper. (Clerk Gabriel Franchère's account of his journey on the Tonquin later formed a large part of his Narrative of a Voyage to the Northwest Coast of America.)
On the voyage around South America the vessel put in at the Falkland Islands to make repairs and take on fresh water. Upon leaving Captain Thorn set sail without eight of the crew and only stopped to pick them up after Robert Stuart threatened to shoot Thorn if he did not stop for them, as his uncle David was one of those not on board. On December 25, they rounded Cape Horn and sailed north, reaching the Hawaiian Islands on February 12, 1811, where they dropped anchor at Kealakekua Bay (then known as the "Sandwich Islands" and "Karakakooa"). There they traded for sheep, hogs, goats, poultry, and vegetables. The Tonquin also took on 12 Native Hawaiians that were recruited for the fur venture before setting sail for the Columbia. One of the Hawaiians, Naukane, was appointed by King Kamehameha I to oversee the interests of Hawaiian laborers known as kanakas. Naukane was given the name John Coxe while on the Tonquin. He later joined the North West Company.
On March 22, 1811, the Tonquin reached the Columbia River. Here the dangerous Columbia Bar posed a problem of access to the river, so Thorn sent John Martin, Ebenezer Fox, and three others in a boat to attempt to locate the channel. However, the small boat was lost. The next day they tried again with William Mumford and four others to sound for the channel, but were unsuccessful and also nearly lost the small craft. A third attempt resulted in locating the channel, but the small boat with Aiken, Stephen Weekes, John Coles and two others sank before returning to the ship. Finally on the 24th the Tonquin was able to cross the bar and into the Columbia’s estuary where they laid anchor in Baker’s Bay and began searching for the lost men. Only Weeks and one other person were found.
The party then proceed upriver fifteen miles where they began building a fort, a shed, and a small boat where present day Astoria, Oregon is located. This new outpost was named Fort Astoria. Here some of the cargo was unloaded and the trading post was built. The ship remained there for 65 days before sailing with a crew of 23 plus a half-native half-British interpreter named Lamazu while construction continued. McKay remained with the ship as supercargo and James Lewis as clerk as Thorn ordered the ship downriver. On June 5, 1811 the Tonquin left Baker’s Bay and sailed north to trade for furs.
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