A Voyage to the North West Side of America: The Journals of James Colnett, 1786-89 - Hardcover

Galois, Robert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0774808551 ISBN 13: 9780774808552

Publisher: UBC Press, 2003

Synopsis

The journal of James Colnett is the last unpublished account of the early maritime fur trade on the Northwest Coast. Between 1786 and 1789, Colnett's expedition traversed the coast from Prince William Sound to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Its members were the first Europeans to encounter the Tsimshian and the southern Heiltsuk, and the first to land on the southern Queen Charlotte Islands.The journal is reproduced with full scholarly apparatus, as well as extracts from a second journal by Andrew Bracey Taylor, 3rd mate on one of the ships in Colnett's command. Focusing on the expedition's remarkable encounters with the Native peoples of the Northwest Coast, Galois' introductory essay also addresses the geopolitical context of the voyage and the intellectual background that shaped the writing of the journals.This fascinating account gives us a new understanding of early European presence in the Northwest and of Native responses to these developments. It will interest historians, geographers, and ethnographers of the Northwest Coast and beyond.

About this title

Product Description:

Colnett’s journal of this expedition is published here for the first time. Editor Robert Galois provides extensive annotations, along with an introductory essay addressing the geopolitical context of the voyage and the intellectual background that shaped the writing of the journal. Galois supplements Colnett’s writings with extracts from a second journal -- also previously unpublished -- by Andrew Bracey Taylor, third mate on one of the ships under Colnett’s command. Also included are illustrations from Colnett’s journals and a variety of maps, both contemporary and historical.

Review:

This is a fine work of scholarship which gives access to a significant and valuable piece of literature about early European contact on the northwest coast.

--Scientia Canadensis: Canadian journal for the history of science technology and medicine

About this edition

• Publisher: UBC Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0774808551
• ISBN 13: 9780774808552
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 456