Mills was captain of the
Colinda which was chartered by the
Hudson's Bay Company
in
1854 to carry goods and over 200 passengers, servants, and coal miners from
London to
Victoria.
Instead of
Victoria, the ship arrived at the
Port of Valdivia
because his passengers forced him to stop there.
The passengers were tried in a naval court for
mutinous and piratical conduct.
However, Mills did not prove the charges and was in turn
charged with failure to provide enough food for the passengers.
After this, the passengers refused to travel with Mills and he sold most of his cargo.
He advertised his journey to those at the
Port of Valdivia before being towed to
Victoria by a steam
ship.
In
Victoria, Mills obtained an
injunction
for his failure to properly execute the
charter.
The
Colinda was then sent back to
London.
Mills refused to hand over the money that he received from selling the ship's goods.
Only after a
tedious process,
authorities received the money from
Mills.
Mills wrote to
Sir George Grey in
1855 to complain about the attitudes of the
Vancouver Island authorities.
Mills claimed that the
loose manner of the Company's Servants
and the promises they made to his passengers
created a tissue of grievances
which were
out of [his] power to control.
This, he argued, was why his passengers rebelled against him. He was thrown into
prison for four months and was interrogated
privately and not allowed visitors. Mills claimed to have been in solitary confinement
for two
months.
His ship was, according to Mills, seized in
the Queen's name
and
converted into a brothel for prostitutes and
drunkards.
A few months later Mills received a reply stating
that nothing could be done for his case. He reiterated his issue, but the case was
ignored.
- 1. Douglas to Grey, Sir George, 26 October 1854, No. 41, 1917, CO 305/5, 122.
- 2. BC Metis, John Powell Mills, Metis Nation of British Columbia.
- 3. Douglas to Grey, Sir George, 26 October 1854, No. 41, 1917, CO 305/5, 122.
- 4. Ibid.
- 5. Ibid.
- 6. Douglas to Grey, Sir George, 13 May 1855, No. 4, 6876, CO 305/6, 47.
- 7. Ibid.
- 8. Mills to Grey, 1853-08, 276, CO 305/6, 313.
- 9. Ibid.
- 10. Ibid.
- 11. Mills to Molesworth, 6 August 1855, 7488, CO 305/6, 319.