Grecian
Grecian was a British bark, captained by Robert B. Miller, that carried passengers
and cargo to
Vancouver Island via the Sandwich Islands in
1860.
The ship's cargo included construction materials intended for lighthouses at Esquimalt
and Race Rocks. Lighthouse keepers William Roberts and
George Davies, who was accompanied by his family, also made the
voyage.
According to Victoria's Daily British Colonist, when the ship arrived at
Victoria, the passengers and crew [spoke] in the severest terms of the conduct of Captain Miller
during the voyage.
They claimed that Miller
was drunk for the majority of the trip, and, as a result of this, while moored at
Honolulu, the British Consul had ordered him to remove all liquor from the
ship. Miller appeared to comply, but when the voyage resumed, he was found drunk again.
A search of his cabin revealed
two casks of ale, two casks of porter, and six dozen and a-half casks of sherry
wine.
The day after this report appeared, Miller rebutted the charges against him in a letter
to the editor of the paper, denying
that he had been ordered to throw my liquor overboard,
and arguing that the only liquor in my room was the sherry
wine.
- 1. Grecian for Vancouver Island, Times (London), 9 January 1860, 1; Arrival of the Bark Grecian, Daily British Colonist (Victoria), 7 August 1860, 2. http://n2t.net/ark:/13960/t6932s823
- 2. Newcastle to Douglas, 3 February 1860, LAC RG7:G8C/2, 198. V607006.html
- 3. Arrival of the Bark Grecian, Daily British Colonist (Victoria), 7 August 1860, 2. http://n2t.net/ark:/13960/t6932s823
- 3. Ibid.
- 3. Card from the Master of the Bark Grecian, Daily British Colonist (Victoria), 8 August 1860, 2. http://n2t.net/ark:/13960/t00z93z0n