The Remarkable World of Frances Barkley, 1769-1845

Rating:
Summary: An intriguing tale
Review: Frances Barkley was only 18 years old when she visited the coast of British Columbia in 1787. She was the newlywed wife of Charles Barkley, captain of the ship _Imperial Eagle_, when she accompanied him on his fur-trading voyage. She may also have been the first woman to circumnavigate the world. In 1792, Capt. and Mrs. Barkley sailed to North America again, travelling down the Alaska panhandle and trading for sea-otter furs.

This book is well-titled; although it does rely on memoirs penned by Frances Barkley, the authors have done much work to fill in the missing pieces of the story. And it is a fascinating one, involving the rediscovery of the strait of Juan de Fuca (despite Captain Cook's insistence that it wasn't there); the Machiavellian maneuverings to attempt to avoid the monopoly of the East India Company on the coastal fur trade; the role of women in shipboard life; and early visits to Macao, India, Hawaii and Indochina. Although this book definitely left me, like the authors, wishing that more of Frances Barkley's writing could be found, it was definitely an interesting and intriguing introduction to the maritime fur trade and the life of Frances Barkley.