Easterby was a
San Francisco-based merchant who instructed
Rooney to explore the
Queen Charlotte Islands for trade opportunities; the expedition claimed to have discovered gold and silver
in a quartz vein near
Una Point in
April 1852. Easterby unsuccessfully applied for a lease to mine the area. The crew of the
Una had previously discovered the vein, however, and mined it in
November 1851, before running aground;
Rooney, on his journey north, rescued the crew. Masset Haida later plundered and burned
Rooney's ship, the
Susan Sturges, when it returned to the coast against
Captain Kuper's as well as the HBC's warnings. In
1858-9, Easterby sought reimbursement from the British Government for the expenses of the
lost ship and exploration of the island, suggesting he was misled about the lease
being granted.
Easterby set sail from England in
1832 and spent 16 years at sea, visiting Mediterranean, Asian and South American seas.
Settling in
San Francisco in
1848, Easterby became a successful merchant with businesses in multiple Californian cities,
many with business partner
Francis Gray. After marrying
Gray's sister, Emily, they moved to Napa where he became a prominent figure in railroad
and irrigation works.