Biography Charles William Barkley

1 biography

1.1 life
1.2 merchant career
1.3 later years

biography
early life

at age of 11, charles barkley went sea father, commander of east india company ship pacific. father drowned in hooghly river, calcutta, india while charles still boy. charles went on sail west indies in merchantman bestsy. made 7 voyages far east east india company , rose rapidly in company s service.

he married in 1786, after left east india company, taking apparently first command, 400-ton ship loundon, ready trading voyage pacific northwest coast of north america. ship, renamed imperial eagle , falsely registered austrian in attempt avoid cost of acquiring trading license east india company, owned various supercargoes, including several east india company directors in england, called austrian east india company. daniel beale organised voyage of imperial eagle when returned london canton on hcs general coote in august 1786. beale had been purser of, successively, hc ships walpole , general coote on voyages between london , canton in 1783–1786: in 1783 joined canton partnership of john henry cox , john reid in mercantile ventures. beale s brother or cousin, john beale, sailed in imperial eagle purser, killed in affray natives on north west coast. barkley among backers, subscribing £3,000 venture. john meares, attempting avoid license fees falsely sailing under portuguese flag, 1 of backers.

merchant career

wynee, native of owyhee, 1 of sandwich islands, engraving john meares depicting hawaiian maidservant of barkley s.

barkley , wife, frances barkley, left pacific via cape horn on 24 november 1786. stopped in hawaiian islands maidservant named wynee (winée) taken aboard. wynee became first native hawaiian, or kanaka , reach british columbia. hawaii barkley sailed imperial eagle nootka sound, on west coast of vancouver island, arriving in june 1787. @ 400 tons, imperial eagle largest ship ever enter main harbour of friendly cove in nootka sound. barkley stayed @ nootka sound month, acquired 700 prime skins, , many more of inferior quality. nootka sailed south, trading, exploring, , naming various parts of coast between nootka sound , strait of juan de fuca, including barkley sound, loudoun channel, cape beale, , imperial eagle channel. in honour of indigenous chief wickaninnish barkley gave name wickinninish sound called clayoquot sound. rediscovered strait allegedly described juan de fuca , named strait such on chart. barkley s imperial eagle first non-indigenous vessel enter neah bay, in july 1787. john meares, in feliz aventureira, stopped @ neah bay in june 1788, , charles duncan in princess royal did in august 1788. robert gray, in lady washington, entered neah bay in april 1789, , in july 1789 josé maría narváez did in santa gertrudis la magna. within next few years number of others visited neah bay , became important fur trading stop during maritime fur trading era.

after 6 members of crew killed indigenous people, on 24 july 1787, near mouth of hoh river, barkley decided set sail guangzhou (canton), china, sell sea otter pelts. arrived in macau in december 1787. trading venture resulted in profit of £10,000. barkley gave name destruction river called hoh river, after crew members killed indigenous people. name has since been transferred nearby destruction island. native hawaiian maidservant named wynee (winée) left in china. later found there john meares , sailed him homeland died of illness on 5 february 1788 during voyage , body committed deep.

he left china , sailed cargo mauritius. while in mauritius, barkley learned east india company taking legal action against owners of imperial eagle trading without license. owners, including john meares, decided avoid legal problems selling imperial eagle , breaking contract barkley. charles , frances barkley stayed in mauritius on year, had first child. sailed kolkata (calcutta), india, imperial eagle confiscated. barkley sued damages , received £5,000 loss of ten-year contract. @ same time, john meares gained possession of barkley s nautical gear , journal. frances barkley later wrote meares, greatest effrontery, published , claimed merit of husband s discoveries therein contained, besides inventing lies of revolting nature tending vilify person pilfered.

later years

after series of events charles , frances barkley found stranded in mauritius, without ship , burdened newborn. on course of 2 years managed make way netherlands, england. frances first woman sail around world without deception. 2 women known have sailed around world before frances: jeanne baré, disguised man, , rose de freycinet, wife of louis de freycinet, stowaway.

barkley continued merchant captain career. commanded princess frederica, sailing in indian ocean 1791. returned pacific northwest coast, in command of 80-ton brig halcyon. traded sea otter pelts in sitka sound, sailed hawaiian islands, china, , mauritius.

little known of latter years. not prosperous. upon death @ age of 73 left 2 sons , 2 daughters, , survived wife frances.