Historical Reminiscences 1850
Cruise of the U. S. Steamer Massachusetts on Puget Sound
Washington Standard
April 18, 1868

By orders of the War and Navy departments of the United States November 30, 1848. Brevet Colonel J. L. Smith, Major Cornelius A. Ogden and Lieutenant Danville Leadbetter of the Engineers Corps, U. S. Army, and Commanders Louis M. Goldsborough. G. J. Van Brunt, and Lieutenant Simon F. Blunt, U. S. Navy, were constituted a commission with the duty of "making an examination of the coast of the United States lying upon the Pacific ocean, with reference to points of occupation for the security of trade and commerce and for military
and naval purposes."

In 1849 the U. S. steamer Massachusetts, belonging before that time to quartermaster's department, U. S. army, had been transferred to the naval service and she was detailed for the exploration. In the spring of 1850 (April) she arrived in Puget Sound, remaining several months engaged in a thorough examination of all these waters. After accomplishing all that was required in the Puget Sound region, the commission examined the coast from Cape Flattery to the Columbia river.

A party was employed in the examination of Shoalwater bay and the name of Leadbetter's Point, the south cape of its entrance, will continue as a memorial of this thorough reconnaissance. This expedition was accompanied by Major H. A. Goldsborough, a younger brother of the commissioner, who remained in the territory and was long one of its most prominent and able citizens. All the old settlers will remember him and later comers know him as the first and very efficient collector of U. S. internal revenue for Washington territory.

It is also worthy of remark that Major Godsborough devoted much of his time during his early residence in explorations of the country, the results of which were embodied in numerous valuable articles on the resources, climate and general features of Northern Oregon and Puget Sound, published in Eastern journals and in the papers of the territory, which did much to attract attention to this unknown region.

In one of his numerous expeditions and as early as the fall of 1850, to the headwaters of several of the effluents of Puget Sound, he discovered on the Stillaguamish river, about 20 miles from its mouth, a workable seam of coal. At that time considerable interest was being manifested in the question of supplying coals to vessels on the Pacific. Desirous of inviting the attention of the department to the coal beds then supposed to exist in northern Oregon. Major Goldsborough forwarded a specimen to the secretary of the navy. This was the coal analyzed by Professor Walter R. Johnson February 11. 1851.

Seizure of the British Ship Albion and Hudson's Bay Company Schooner Cadborough.

By the act of congress establishing Oregon as a territory, approved August 14, 1848. a collection district was established and Astoria was made a port of entry. General John Adair of Kentucky was commissioned as the first collector of customs, on the day the act was signed by the president. He arrived at Astoria by sea in April, 1849, and immediately appointed Hon. George Gibbs deputy collector.

By the same act the president was authorized to locate two ports of delivery. This was done by proclamation bearing date January 10, 1850, designating Nisqually on Puget Sound and Portland on the Willamette river. Such being the condition of affairs, information was lodged at the custom house at Astoria that the British ship Albion was at Dungeness on the Straits of Juan de Fuca, taking a cargo of spars which were being felled on the neighboring shore by her crew and the native Indians. 

In addition to trespassing on government lands, quite a trade was being carried on between the ship and the natives. Eben May Dorr, Esq., was appointed U. S. inspector, sent over to the Sound and, finding matters as reported and that they had continued from January 5, 1950. with the assistance of a detachment of U. S. troops from Fort Steilacoom, commanded by Lieutenant John B. Gibson. Jr., he seized the Albion and cargo on April 22 and brought her to Steilacoom. placing her in custody of Charles R. Kinney, Esq., as deputy
U. S. marshal.

This seizure became a subject of negotiation between the governments of Great Britain and the United States. From the documents and records relating to the matter, it appears that the owner of the Albion, a London merchant, contracted with the British government to supply a cargo of spars to be obtained on the northwest coast of America. The master. Captain Henderwell, states that the vessel proceeded direct from Sydney to the Strait of Fuca, anchoring at New Dungeness January 5, 1850. after having "previously traversed the coast and into every place between said New Dungeness and the top of Port Townsend."

The master of the ship seems to have made no attempt to enter the vessel or to obtain any consent from any United States authorities to cut the timber. Indeed, in his protest lit avows ignorance that a port of entry existed in the territory. Her owner could not have been ignorant of the treaty of 1846 fixing the boundary between the possessions of the respective governments, or of the passage of the Oregon organic act locating a custom house at the mouth of the Columbia river, and authorizing the establishment of a port of delivery on Puget Sound.

From the official report of Inspector Dorr we learn that the Albion was "126 feet long, 25 feet beam and 23 feet hold" and that she took in at New Dungeness 17 square spars, 60 to 96 feet long and 18 to 26 inches square at the butt, and 19 round spars of various sizes and lengths. Mr. Dorr also remarks: "There is evidence enough from two or three of the settlers to prove that the owners were ready to and did sell goods and also evidence that they were and had been trafficking with Indians for cargo and labor."

At the October term of the United States district court, held at Vancouver, in Clark county Hon. William. Strong presiding the ship and cargo were condemned as forfeitures to the United States and sold at Steilacoom November 23. The secretary of the treasury, January 11, 1851, remitted the forfeitures. About the same time that the Albion had arrived at Steilacoom, May, 1850, Mr. Dorr seized also the Hudson Bay Co's schooner Cadborough together with a quantity of goods imported from Fort Victoria direct to Nisqually.

Peter Skene Ogden, chief factor in charge at Vancouver, had previously, however, given notice that an arrangement was desirable by which vessels could go direct from Victoria to Nisqually instead of entering at the Columbia river, and General Adair permitted entry to be made of the goods by the original invoices, The duties were paid and the seizure released by special advice of the U. S. district attorney of Oregon.