The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Random
In 1864 an unknown culprit fired upon a pair of First Nations constables aboard the
sloop Random near Port Simpson—one of the constables died.1
According to Gough, incidents such as this prompted Rear-Admiral Denman to advise
the Lords of the Admiralty that a large force of small vessels would be essential
to keep the peace in the area—not only among the First Nations, but also to prevent
injustices experienced by First Nations individuals in the service of the The Crown
at the hands of white settlers.2
1. Barry M. Gough, Gunboat Frontier: British Maritime Authority and Northwest Coast Indians, 1846-1890, (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1984), 117.