William Douglas (died 1791) was a Scottish ship captain and an oceanographer maritime fur trader during the late 18th century. He worked with the British trader and Captain John Meares, commanding the ship Iphigenia Nubiana. He was involved in the Nootka Crisis of 1789, which brought Britain and Spain to the brink of war. A few years later he was captain of the American ship Grace. In 1791 he partnered with Captain John Kendrick in an attempt to open trade with Japan.
Captain of Iphigenia
Trading voyages of 1788
Preparations Douglas was an officer on Nootka during Meares's first fur trading voyage to the Pacific Northwest coast from 1786 to 1787. In 1788, in Macau, China, Meares formed a partnership of several merchants and captains, and purchased two new vessels, the snows Felice Adventurer and Iphigenia Nubiana—generally called Felice and Iphigenia. Meares took command of Felice. He made Douglas captain of Iphigenia and second in command of the expedition, noting in his later account that Douglas "was well acquainted with the coast of America".
Felice Adventurer was of 230 tons burthen (bm) and Iphigenia Nubiana of 200 tons (bm). Meares described them as having bottoms sheathed with copper. Felice had a crew of 50, Iphigenia 40. In order to avoid the cost of acquiring licenses from the East India Company and South Sea Company—required for British merchant ships trading across the Pacific Ocean—and to evade the high port costs China demanded of foreign ships other than those of Portugal, Meares and his partners had Felice and Iphigenia sail under the Portuguese flag. The ships were registered in Macau under a Portuguese merchant named João Carvalho. They sailed under the titular Portuguese command of Francisco José Viana, who pretended to be the captain of Iphigenia, while Meares pretended to be the supercargo of Felice. This tactic of sailing under false colors was not uncommon at the time and was used by other British maritime fur traders such as Charles William Barkley.
Departure Felice and Iphigenia sailed from Macau on 22 January 1788. Meares intended to establish permanent fur trading posts on the Pacific Northwest coast. Felice carried materials for constructing a house and a schooner, both to be built at Nootka Sound. To assist with building and running the posts 50 Chinese men were hired and sailed with the expedition. They became the first Chinese known to have visited the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii. Also sailing with Meares and Douglas were a number of Native Hawaiians and Native Americans, including Tianna (Kaʻiana – also spelled Tyaana & Tyanna), a chief of Kauai, who Meares had brought from Hawaii to Macau, and Wynee (or Winee), a Hawaiian girl who Charles William Barkley had brought to Macau in 1787. The ships also carried two natives of Maui, a boy and a man who Douglas referred to as Tawnee. There was also a Nuu-chah-nulth—a native of Vancouver Island—called Comekela. Kaiana, Wynee, and Comekela were aboard Felice. The others were on Iphigenia. Wynee became ill shortly after the ships left Macau. On 5 February 1788, she died.
Meares, Douglas, and their partners had planned for Meares to sail Felice to Nootka Sound, on Vancouver Island, while Douglas sailed Iphigenia to the Aleutian Islands and down the coast of North America to Nootka Sound, collecting furs along the way. The ships would rendezvous in Nootka Sound or, failing that, Hawaii.Nokes, pp. 49–58 While Douglas was exploring the coast from Alaska to Nootka Sound, Meares would explore south along today's Washington and Oregon coasts. By this plan the two ships would be able to explore the whole coast from Spanish California to the Bering Sea. At the time the Pacific Northwest coast was still largely unexplored. Only its general shape and a few small harbors such as Nootka Sound had been charted. The possibility that a Northwest Passage might exist was taken seriously. Meares hoped to find it.
Separation While crossing the South China Sea Iphigenia proved to be a "heavy" sailer and much slower than Felice. Iphigenia sprang her foremast and began to leak, and also suffered an outbreak of scurvy. For these reasons the two ships sailed to the Spanish port at Zamboanga in the Philippines, where Iphigenia was repaired. Meares did not want to wait for the repairs to be finished. He transferred Kaiana and the other native Hawaiians to Iphigenia, charging Douglas with taking them to their homeland. Comekela remained on Felice, which sailed from Zamboanga soon after arriving.
Douglas left with the repaired Iphigenia on 22 February 1788. Because of the delay he decided to sail first to the Pacific Northwest coast, instead of Hawaii, in order to arrive in time for the fur trading season. Douglas sailed Iphigenia from the Philippines north through the Celebes Sea and the Philippine Sea, then crossed the Pacific directly to the northwest coast.
Nootka Sound Felice reached America first, anchoring in Nootka Sound near the native village of Yuquot on 13 May 1788. Comekela returned to his people. A few days later Meares was visited by the chiefs Maquinna and Callicum. According to Meares, on 25 May 1788 Maquinna sold or granted a tract of land to Meares as a site for the construction of a trading post house. Whether Maquinna actually did this became a point of contention between Britain and Spain, and in 1792 Maquinna denied in an affidavit that he had. This was one of the key issues of the Nootka Crisis. Another issue was what kind of "house", if any, Meares built. By Meares' account it was finished on 28 May 1788 and boasted two floors, an attached blacksmith shop, a surrounding breastwork and a cannon emplacement. Work was begun on a schooner, which was finished, named North West America, and launched in September.
Douglas and Iphigenia had not arrived at Nootka Sound by June and Meares decided to sail south to collect furs, leaving a group of men and officers at Nootka Sound under the command of Robert Funter. Meares left on 11 June 1788 and returned on 26 July. Douglas had still not yet arrived with Iphigenia.Nokes, pp. 61–63, 80, 87 In August Meares took Felice on another fur trading cruise, this time to Clayoquot Sound. He returned to Nootka Sound on 24 August. On August 26 Iphigenia was spotted. Captain Douglas anchored in Nootka Sound on the 27th.Nokes, pp. 89-94
Northern voyage As planned, Douglas had crossed the North Pacific to the Aleutian Islands. He entered Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound in Alaska, then cruised south, trading for furs along the way. Meares wrote that Douglas's voyage had confirmed that there was a "Great Northern Archipelago"—today's Alexander Archipelago and British Columbia Coast—and that earlier voyages had been exploring offshore islands rather than the mainland.
Between the two of them Douglas and Meares had collected a valuable cargo of hundreds of furs. Meares decided that as soon as the new schooner, North West America, was launched he would sail Felice to Macau, China, with the combined cargo of furs. Douglas and Iphigenia would remain at Nootka Sound until North West America was ready for sea, then the two vessels would sail to Hawaii and spend the winter there. The following spring they would return to the Northwest Coast.
Departure On 17 September 1788, before North West America was finished, the American maritime fur trader Robert Gray arrived at Nootka Sound with Lady Washington. The British and American captains were suspicious of each other from the start. North West America was launched on 20 September 1788. Robert Funter was given command of the schooner and a crew was selected from Felice and Iphigenia. The combined cargo of 750 furs was loaded into Felice, which left Nootka Sound on 24 September 1788. In October, Meares stopped at a few places in the Hawaiian Islands, communicating and trading with the Hawaiians but not going ashore. He discovered that the political situation on Kauai might prove dangerous for Kaiana, who was to return with Douglas on Iphigenia. Hoping to warn Douglas and Kaiana, Meares left a letter to Douglas with a Hawaiian of Niihau, who both captains had met before and called Friday (after the character Friday from the novel Robinson Crusoe). Meares left Hawaii on 27 October 1788 and arrived at Macau on 5 December.Nokes, pp. 106–108
North West America was ready for sea a few weeks after Meares had left Nootka Sound. Captain Douglas, in preparing to sail, had all the tools and supplies on shore loaded onto Iphigenia and North West America. He also had his men tear down the "house" that Meares had built, not knowing, or not caring that Meares had promised to give it to the natives. Douglas gave some of the planks to John Kendrick, the American captain of Columbia Rediviva, which had arrived at Nootka Sound shortly after Lady Washington.Nokes, pp. 113-121
Douglas traded some cannons to Kendrick in exchange for additional provisions. Kendrick's longboats towed Douglas's ships out of Nootka Sound. After the British ships left, the local natives who had been very skittish since the Americans arrived, suddenly came in great numbers and soon a friendly trading relationship was established. According to the journals and logs of the Americans, Douglas and his men had treated the local natives very poorly—repeatedly taking food and provisions from them under the threat of force.
Wintering in the Hawaiian Islands On 27 October 1788 Iphigenia and North West America, under Douglas and Funter, left Nootka Sound for the Hawaiian Islands, where they spent the winter. The purpose was to avoid the unpleasant winter storms of the Pacific Northwest coast and for "refreshment". They arrived off the Hawaiian island of Maui on December 6. From there they sailed to the island of Hawaii. News of the return of Kaiana spread and many of his friends and relatives came to the ships to visit with him. Douglas anchored the ships in Kealakekua Bay. Other than Queen Charlotte, under Captain George Dixon, and King George, under Nathaniel Portlock, Iphigenia and North West America were the first European ships to visit Kealakekua Bay since James Cook was killed there. Kamehameha I came to Iphigenia on December 10. In 1795 Kamehameha established the Kingdom of Hawaii over most of the islands, but in 1788 was still struggling to gain control over the island of Hawaii. Kamehameha gave Douglas a large fan and two full-length cloaks made from the feathers of mamo and ʻŌʻō birds (both now extinct). Later, Douglas gave these cloaks to Captain Robert Gray, who in turn gave them to Esteban José Martínez.
On December 19 Douglas, wanting to find an anchorage more protected from squally weather, ordered Iphigenia's anchor raised only to discover that the line had been cut. Kamehameha and his chiefs, who were on board, immediately left and paddled quickly to the shore, making it clear they were to blame for the sabotage. Douglas sent Kaiana to tell Kamehameha if the anchor was not returned the Hawaiian village on the bay would be "blown about his ears". Kaiana returned with several swimmers who dived to a depth of 20 fathoms and attached a rope to the loose anchor. Before Douglas set sail the next day Kamehameha and several chiefs came aboard unabashedly to say farewell. Kaiana decided to stay on Hawaii with Kamehameha, who promised him a rich life of honor and security, instead of returning to his native Kauai. Kaiana correctly feared that the political situation on Kauai would make his return dangerous. He became an important lieutenant of Kamehameha, leading troops into battles in support of Kamehameha, but the two had a falling out. Kaiana and his warriors eventually changed sides and fought against Kamehameha in the 1795 climactic Battle of Nuʻuanu. Kaiana was killed in that battle.