New Albion: A Different Division of North America

NEW ALBION- An alternative division of North America; POD: 1740
(A revision- hopefully improvement – of an ATL I posted a long time ago)
[Foreword- one of my complaints with some of threads here is they often go deep into the woods. The author has done a lot of research in a particular time and place, but non-experts (like me ) can quickly find themselves lost. As well, AH being a branch of H, it’s nice to know what is OTL and what is ATL, especially for slowly-unfolding timelines which expand to cover other areas. Did the Great Muck-a-Muck actually defeat the Droogle Confederation OTL, or is that a result of the butterfly’s wings?

I will be posting notes in square brackets [ ] showing when something is OTL; also a reference [OTL] which applies only to the immediately preceding statement:

“Hitler’s strategy of firing Goering and appointing a more competent leader of the Luftwaffe had paid off. After his surprisingly quick victory over France due to pushing through the Ardennes [OTL] he was thus able to proceed with operation Sea-Lion and conquer Britain.”

Since this is set in the age of exploration, with a lot of places being differently named, references to OTL place-names will often be repeated- I get mixed up myself at times.]

Flag of New Albion



Image courtesy of trejiokla- many thanks!

The Great Bear for defiance to Russians, Spaniards, and Yankees; seven stars for seven provinces; the Pole Star originally for Britain; later came to mean "True North(West) Strong and Free"

Background-OTL
In 1738 Master Mariner Robert Jenkins appears before the House of Commons and produces an ear in a bottle, which he claims was cut off by the Spanish.

“What did you do?” he was asked. “I commended my soul to God and
my cause to my country”, was the answer put in his mouth by the
Opposition…. Whether it was indeed his own ear or whether he had lost
it in a seaport brawl remains uncertain, but the power of this shriveled
object was immense.

Click to expand...

Winston Churchill: History of the English-Speaking People.

Though Prime Minister Robert Walpole is reluctant (“They’re ringing the bells now, they’ll be wringing their hands soon enough”), the clamour for war, stirred up by a group of opposition politicians who call themselves the Patriots, is so great that he gives in.

As part of the war effort, Commodore George Anson is commissioned to attack the cities on the west coast of Spanish America, and to intercept the annual Treasure Galleon sailing from Acapulco to Manila.

(The Treasure Galleon [OTL] is a ship that annually sets sail from the west coast of Mexico to the Philippines, also a Spanish colony at that time. It's load of Mexican silver is broken down in Manila and shipped to the Canton (Guandong) Trade Fair to be traded for tea, silk, and...china (porcelain which only the Chinese knew how to make at the time). Some of this was shipped back to Mexico, some on to Spain.)

Not being enthusiastic to start with, the Government tries to do it on the cheap. Anson is given a load of decrepit Chelsea Pensioners for his sailors (not one of whom is to survive), and a gang of raw recruits for his Marines. Lack of resources causes delays; he finally sets sail in September 1740 and rounds Cape Horn in stormy weather in January. Two of his six ships mutiny and turn back to Brazil: the “Wager”, with midshipman John Byron on board, is shipwrecked off the coast of Chile, and when Anson's surviving three ships rendezvous at Juan Fernandez Island in June 1741 he has lost two-thirds of his crew, and is forced to abandon two of his vessels.

Still, he manages to raid Paita in Peru in November, then proceeds to Acapulco, missing the inbound galleon by three weeks. His bad luck continues when the Spaniards spot him and decide to keep the galleon 'Pilar' in port. After fruitless months he gives up, sails to Tinian Island (Saipan), then Macao, and –finally!- gets lucky in June 1743, capturing the 'Nuestra Senora Covadongo' off Manila, loaded with 1.3 million silver pieces of eight. He returns to England, is greeted with great acclaim, is made a Baron, and ends up as First Lord of the Admiralty[OTL]

Part1: Anson’s Voyage: 1740-1743
POD: A young Opposition firebrand, William Pitt, a member of the “Patriots” who support war with Spain, gets wind of the Government’s reluctance to support Anson, and launches a savage attack on Walpole, contrasting to the men who sailed with Drake the destitute, decrepit and despairing Pensioners, even suggesting that the elderly Walpole should be among them.

Stung, the Government’s purse-strings are loosened -reluctantly, and with some grumbling about Anson being in cahoots with the Patriots. Anson obtains better crews, Marines, and stores in good time, sets sail earlier, and ends up on the west coast of South America in much better shape, with four ships, in early 1741.

When the treasure galleon, loaded with Mexican silver, sets sail in March, it is spotted, and Anson chases it westward , closing in on it just off the Revillagigedo Islands, where, alas, disaster strikes- in attempting to flee, the galleon runs onto the rocks and is sunk in deep water[1].

With a year to wait for the next sailing, and aware of the suspicions cast upon him in London, Anson decides to recover his fortunes by sailing north, hoping to discover the long-sought North-West Passage. He charts the west coast of North America up to the 49th parallel, where he finds what he hopes is the opening to a strait. The “Gloucester” is sent to explore, while the flagship “Centurion” continues north. However, the main passage turns north, and the “Gloucester” rejoins “Centurion” at the north end of what is now called Anson Island.[Vancouver Island]

The squadron (now down to three ships) continues north- the mountains get higher and the forests darker.

Reasoning that the country to the south was Sir Francis Drake’s ‘Nova Albion’, they name this territory ‘New Caledonia’. Anson claims the entire coast north of New Spain for Britain.

They make friendly contact with the natives, trading for provisions and furs

The coast starts to bend westward- after following what turns out to be a long peninsula south westward, they head north, but soon run into grinding pack ice and fog- no Passage to the East here. Disappointed, they turn back south in August 1741

Sailing south-west, they are passing a group of larger islands when the men spot a huge sea mammal grazing on the sea-weed. They harpoon it, and cut some meat off. To their surprise, it’s delicious, tasting like beef. Deciding to renew his provisions with these “sea cows” Anson approaches one of the islands. To their great astonishment, they spot the wreck of a European ship with a small camp of survivors.

It turns out not to be Spanish, as they had feared, but the remains of a Russian expedition, shipwrecked the previous month while returning from their own explorations. Through conversations with the crew, Anson discovers some interesting facts about how much the Chinese are willing to pay for the pelts of the sea otter, abundant in these waters. Short of manpower, he impresses the remainder into his crew, claiming the pelts they had collected as salvage. Though they had been building a boat out of the wreckage of their own ship, most (though not the leader) are glad to just get off the island. [2]

In honour of the captain of the expedition, the island is named for him, while the naturalist names the 4-ton sea mammals after himself.
He does name the ubiquitous foxes after his British rescuer. This may have been a back-handed compliment, as his published notes later reveal that the foxes had a nasty habit of scavenging: chewing the ears, noses and fingers off of the bodies of the Russians who perished. If so, the British Commander had the last laugh- Anson’s foxes still inhabit Bering Island, while Steller’s sea cows have long since been driven to extinction.


In spite of the protestations of Vitus Bering, leader of the Russian expedition, he and his men and the furs they have collected are bundled onto the two surviving British ships.


Anson heads for Macao with a very valuable cargo and two ships, his flagship “Centurion”, whose 24-pounders impress the local Chinese officials, and the “Gloucester”, under the command of Richard Norris. Though both the Chinese and the other Europeans (including those from the British East India Company) are annoyed with him for disrupting the Manila trade, they decide the best method of dealing with him is to help him on his way home.

Anson has other ideas however; after refitting he persists in his original mission, he sails to Manila and captures the inbound treasure ship “Senora Neustra de Covadango” in May of 1742.

His return to Canton causes dismay; but again, the Chinese decide to allow him to load supplies and leave- after a couple of ‘salutes’ fired by the ‘Centurion’.

He returns home a hero, arriving in early 1743. His account of his voyage, including the part concerning the potential value of the fur trade with China, is met with a good deal of interest. Parliament hurries to pass the “Discovery of North-West Passage Act 1743” [OTL 1744], offering a 20,000 pound reward to the finders (British subjects only). Soon ships are heading from British ports for the American west coast, and the British are entrants in the Great Sea Otter Hunt [forty years early].

[1]Similar to what happened OTL to the “San Sebastian”; attacked by British pirate George Compton in 1754; it ran aground and sunk in 170 feet of water off Santa Catalina Island.

[2]Based on what actually happened to Bering's expedition. In OTL the survivors completed their boat, left Bering Island in spring 1742, and reached Kamchatka safely, though with more deaths, including Bering who died of scurvy in the winter. The otter pelts they gathered were enough to pay the entire costs for both ships of the original expedition, and return a profit.

Part 2: A Young Man's Dream

The coast of Brazil, December, 1743: An eighteen-year-old Shropshire lad stands looking glumly at the repairs being done to the ship he and his future colleagues had been wrecked in, and contemplates putting a bullet through his skull. It’s not the fact that they have already been stranded there for months, with obviously months to go before the repairs are completed- it’s those colleagues, and their descriptions of the life as East India Company clerks that they are returning to, that fills him with gloom.

A wild and rebellious youth, he has had a position as a factor in the East India Company purchased for him by his father. [1]However, listening to his fellows he realizes his dreams of adventure in the East are not likely to be fulfilled; instead he’ll be nothing more than a glorified shopkeeper on a small salary.

Just then he feels a hearty hand on his shoulder and a booming voice in his ear. “Why if it isn’t young Rabbie!” Wincing a bit at the ‘Rabbie’ he turns and sees a familiar face- a Scottish ship-owner who had been one of his father’s legal clients for many years. He’s somewhat surprised at the friendliness of the greeting, for the last time he had seen the man in his father’s office, there had been an altercation between the two over unpaid fees. The trader had pled the poor state of the fur-trading business, with the Hudson’s Bay Company holding a monopoly in the north, the French controlling the St. Lawrence, and even for the inferior furs found in the British colonies there was strong competition from sharp-nosed Yankees.

Now, however, the man was all smiles, and over a glass the young man found out why- inspired by the stories of Anson’s voyages, the trader had decided to head for the unexplored waters of the Pacific Northwest to get in on the sea otter trade with China. As the captain spread out his plans, the younger man becomes engrossed in thoughts of adventure- and the money to be made from a share in the cargo: far more than a clerk’s stipend.

Not to mention the reward for discovering the North-west Passage, as Parliament, inspired by Anson’s voyage, has passed the “Discovery of North-West Passage Act 1743” [OTL 1744], offering a reward of 20,000 pounds.
So, when the fur-trader sets sail, the young man is on board - and thus the East India Company loses the future services of Robert Clive.

[1] All as in OTL, including the suicide attempt.

Comment and criticism welcome

Sorry, don't know what's happening to the font and size

Clive cnt'd.

Clive soon finds adventure enough in the waters of what is later called the Gulf of Alyeska, sailing into the dark fjords, meeting the natives in their dug-out canoes, making deals in the smoke of the longhouses. The climate is also much more salubrious for a young (English)man than the heat and diseases of India. Four years later he returns to England with enough to pay his father back for his aborted apprenticeship, and more besides.

Restless as always, he quickly returns to the Pacific North-West, where his ability is soon recognized. He argues for the establishment of trading forts, both for protection and to set up centralized points for the Indians to bring furs to. The major one is Fort Sheeka [roughly OTL Sitka], in the territory of the powerful Tlingit nation, established in 1750.

Clive is the head trader on an expedition to a large group of islands south-west of what is coming to be known as the Alyeska coast; following the nomenclature of Nova Albion/New Caledonia, the islands are named New Hibernia [OTL Queen Charlottes/Haida Gwaii] and he establishes friendly relations with the powerful tribe controlling them.

In 1752 the Tlingit launch an attack on Fort Sheeka, capturing and killing the British traders inside. Clive is on a trading mission to New Hibernia at the time; recruiting some local warriors, he launches a successful counterattack. The Hydahs, having a short time previously expanded into the southern tip of Tlingit territory on the mainland, are quite happy to join in this attack on their enemies. From that time on they were favoured by the British who recruited them as rowers, traders and soldiers, training them in the use of firearms. In a joking reference to the East India Company, they were referred to by the British as ‘sepoys’ (later corrupted to 'sea-boys’). [Haidas- the original wank.]

The British government is alarmed at these reports of the death of Britons in this unorganized territory. Claims are made for control by both the Hudson’s Bay Company- on the grounds that North American fur trading comes under its charter; and the East India Company on the grounds that its charter extends all around the Pacific, plus the traders are doing business with Canton- where the Company is already established.

The HBC claim is undercut by the obvious fact that none of these waters are flowing into Hudson’s Bay; as well, over the last eighty years the Company has not ventured a foot away from the shore, and has in fact forbidden its factors from doing any inland exploration.

Meanwhile, the East India Company has its hands full dealing with the French in India.
[The abence of Clive has its effects]

Then, in 1753, the Qianlong Emperor, needing money to pay for his expensive campaigns in the south and northwest, opens the small fishing port of Lushun [OTL Port Arthur/Dalian] to the barbarians; restricting licenses to his fellow Manchu officials (who promptly farm it out to Han Chinese traders.)
With the voyage to Canton cut by so much, and the whole trade shifting to the north-west, the claim of the East India Company is strongly undercut.

While, at a time when Adam Smith is already approaching thirty, the idea of monopolistic trading companies has an old-fashioned ring, something has to be done; with the assistance of his now gratified father, Richard Clive MP, and his father’s patron the Earl of Powis, the Western America Trading Company is established. To mollify the Spanish (who remain distinctly unmollified) the name is changed to the North-West Company, with a looser charter than the HBC or John Company (though it did restrict the trade to ships which had departed from ports in Britain, infuriating New England merchants hoping to get in on the take). But of course, to a man like Robert Clive, a charter is what you can make of it.

The North- West Company (NWC) establishes a series of trading posts down the coast, including one at the southern tip of Anson Island, named Fort Edward [OTL Victoria BC]

Meanwhile, the Royal Navy has not been idle. The War of Jenkin’s Ear having led into the War of Austrian Succession, Britain is still at war with Spain. A flotilla commanded by Richard Norris, captain of the ‘Gloucester’during Anson’s voyage, is sent back to the west coast of South America in 1748 with similar orders. As the cities of Spanish America were now alert to the activities of the British, and the treasure galleons have been broken down into smaller cargoes and have increased the unpredictably of their sailings, not much is accomplished against the Spanish.

So Norris continues north, exploring the coast past Alta California, including discovering the mouth of the great river named after him [OTL Columbia River], noting the possibility of settlement.

Part 3: Russians: 1744--1764

Vitus Bering, along with the other surviving members of the Second Kamchatka Expedition, is released from impressment by Anson after arriving in London, and he and his crew are even given their share of the prize money- though Bering feels he deserves a larger share as a commander in his own right. However, he has bigger problems than this- his expedition, funded by the Russian government, has come to nothing, and, as a foreigner, he can certainly expect a great deal of blame; he therefore takes the time to write an account of his voyage before returning to St. Petersburg.

In his book, which attracts great attention in Russia, he puts the blame on the perfidious British. Denying that he had been shipwrecked and claiming he had just put into Bering Island for repairs, he presents the actions of Anson as just about outright piracy against a friendly country.

A storm of indignation against the British breaks out, and remonstrances are made, all of which are stoutly refuted by Anson, very much the hero of the hour who in Britain is being hailed as a second Drake. Anson insists the Russians were stranded and in danger of their lives, thus making their cargo fair claim for salvage; furthermore he denied the crew had been impressed. They simply had been rescued and, fairly enough, had to work their passage home- and had been given a share of the prize money, which Bering has not mentioned.

The Russians decide to launch more expeditions, including making a permanent settlement on the American side of what they insist on calling the Bering Straits, ignoring Anson’s naming it after himself. Bering himself decides to sit this one out, and the Third Kamchatka Expedition is led by his lieutenant, Alexei Chirikov.

(After the historian Gerhart Muller, a veteran of Bering’s expedition, finds Semyon Dezhnyov's reports of his 1648 passage through the straits,and publishes it in 1758, [ as in OTL] it is tactfully agreed by both sides that the earlier discoverer should have precedence, and the name Dezhnyov Straits is adopted.)

The Russians establish a settlement first on Unalaska, and then on Kodiak Island, which becomes their main center. They exploit and enslave the local Aleuts, leading to several harshly-suppressed revolts, and begin to push their activities farther east, causing disruption to the North-West Company trade networks.

Part 4: The Life and Tragic Death of James Cook: 1763-1766

The Seven Years War breaks out, but this section of the world is barely affected (things are different in India; see below). There are some clashes between the British and the Spanish in the seas off California, but nothing major. The area is not even mentioned in the various treaties ending the war except for noting the Spanish claim to Alta California- without mentioning how ‘alta’ it goes.

After the war, James Cook, a British naval officer who has distinguished himself in mapping the mouth of the St. Lawrence River ( as well as assisting in Wolfe’s capture of Quebec) is dispatched to do the same for the coast of New Albion, as the whole region is coming to be known. He explores the water between Anson Island and the mainland, charting the mouth of a great river he names the Cook [OTL Fraser] then continues north, meeting Clive briefly in Fort Sheeka. Unfortunately, In 1765 tragedy strikes- Cook and some members of his crew are attacked and killed by hostile natives while charting the coast to the west of Sheeka.

There is some dispute over the course of events; Clive immediately dispatches his version to London, in which Cook was deliberately attacked by a Russian-led party of traders and their Aleut followers, trying to drive the British out. The Russians deny this, saying that Cook had been attacked by Tlingit Indians after he had tried to steal the furs which they had gathered for trade with the Russians.

The truth seemed to be that Cook was indeed attacked by Tlingits, but who had themselves been previously attacked by the Russians, thought to be returning on another raid.


Fearing retaliation from the British and their Haydah allies, and fearing continued Russian depredations even more, the Tlingit call for an alliance to drive the Russians back. Clive eagerly accepts before word returns from London, and leads an expedition which attacks and occupies Kodiak- outraging the Russian public and court, including the newly-crowned Czarina, Catherine II.

Part 4: India 1744-1767]
Meanwhile, things haven’t been going so well for the British in India.

[A pretty well straight-up crib from the beginning of Tony Jones Clive-less World ATL, and other French India timelines. With Clive absent, the French do much better.]

With the victory of their ally Chanda Sahib, the French take control of most of the Karnatic, plus other parts of southern India. The British still hold Bengal in the east and Bombay in the west.
From here to the end of the Seven-Years War, and after, the French gradually expand their control in southern India. The British put more energy into the East Indies, taking control of Penang in 1767.

Nice to see these consequences bouncing all over the world.

Codae said:

Nice to see these consequences bouncing all over the world.

Click to expand...

Yeah, it starts in a small area -the west coast of North America-and that's where the main focus is, but it does start to butterfly.

Part 5-Alta California 1764-1769: "Fairweather Jack" Byron, and why Francistown is not called San Francisco:

After the end of the Seven Years War, both Britain and Spain begin to take a closer interest in the west coast of North America. In early 1764 John “Fair-weather Jack” Byron [1] is commissioned to explore the Pacific: seek out the North-West Passage and discover the great southern continent, Terra Australis-with private instructions to investigate what the Spanish are up to in California.

He rounds Cape Horn on HMS ‘Dolphin’, accompanied by the sloop ‘Tamar’ and sails north up Spanish America. He discovers the opening into a large bay- Byron Bay, of course- and, quickly recognizing its value as a harbour on this coast which is somewhat bereft of good anchorages, builds a fort on the headland guarding its approach. He names it Fort Drake [OTL Presidio of San Francisco], reasoning the famous navigator had landed somewhere in the vicinity, and hoping to establish a prior claim.

Continuing north, he makes contact with the North-West Company traders at Fort Edwards on Anson Island[Vancouver Island], before sailing west into the Pacific. He discovers the Hawayee Islands, claiming them for Britain, then heads south, circumnavigates New Zeeland (quickly) in 1765 and heads west, sailing south and out of sight of Van Diemen’s Land [Tasmania], arriving back in England in 1766.


On receiving Byron’s information, and speculating that this might be the opening to the North-west Passage, Robert Clive voyages down the coast, bringing some traders and a company of Haydah sea-boys (now organized into companies with European officers), occupies Fort Drake in 1767, and explores the immediate area down to the northern end of Monterey Bay [OTL Santa Cruz], though he never enters the bay itself, or even realizes it is there. He returns north that fall.

[1]- OTL The poet's grandfather. Byron’s nickname "Foulweather Jack" comes from his encounters with bad weather, such as his being shipwrecked in HMS Wager off the coast of Chile on Anson’s circumnavigation. Here the butterfly works in his favour. In the end his ATL name betrays him, however. Being as incurious as in OTL, he spends less time in exploring New Zeeland, and thus misses the gales that drove Cook northwest to New Holland.

Part 5-Alta California: The Battle of Saint Francis
In 1767 Byron is sent off on another circumnavigation, with basically the same orders- in reverse, as he’s sailing west-to-east via the Cape of Good Hope -once more on the ‘Dolphin’, plus another frigate and the ‘Tamar’ again. Under the influence of Alexander Dalrymple, geographer of the Royal Society and leading propounder of Terra Australis, he once again sails on a southerly latitude, though far enough north to touch the southern mainland of New Holland, which he claims for Britain. He then returns to Hawayee, confirms friendly relations, then sails eastward to New Albion.

The Spanish, meanwhile have plans of their own. In 1765 Jose de Gálvez arrived in New Spain, which included all of Spain's colonial possessions in North America. As visitador del virreinato de Nueva España (inspector general for the Viceroyalty of New Spain) he exercised sweeping powers in Spanish North America. There were fears in Spain's ruling circles that rival powers would muscle in on territories Spain claimed along the Pacific coast, Gálvez suspected plans by the British rulers to add California to their own empire[OTL].

However, all the missions in Baja California are under control of the Jesuits, and it is not until November 1767 that the orders for their suppression by King Carlos III are brought by the new Governor of Las Californias, Don Gaspar de Portola.

In January 1768 the Viceroy of New Spain, following instructions from the King, orders Portola to head north and establish colonies at San Diego and Monterey Bay (discovered and claimed by Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaino in 1602).

Portola marches north to San Diego, where he is joined by two Spanish ships which, however, are in too rough a shape to continue. The overland expedition sets off in July. They march past Monterey, and on October 31[all as in OTL] arrive at the great bay earlier discovered by Byron, which is named San Francisco by Father Juan Crespi, the Franciscan priest and diarist accompanying the expedition ( the Franciscans have been awarded control of the missions from the Jesuits).
[Everything about the Spanish up to here as in OTL]

Their activities exploring the area draw the attention of the NWC traders from Ft. Drake, who tell them in no uncertain terms to clear off. Portola has more men, but no boats and few supplies, so he beats a retreat to San Diego, where he discovers another ship has arrived, bringing supplies and reinforcements. Meanwhile, the traders in Ft. Drake sent frantic word north, calling for help.


Portola heads north again in the spring of 1769 bringing his three ships with him. The NWC traders have only one ship capable of fighting, though also some war canoes which they towed with them. Their flotilla retreats into Byron Bay. Portola is set to launch an assault on the fort. Things look bad for the British, when suddenly a savior appears on the horizon. It is HMS ‘Dolphin’ and her sister frigate, plus the sloop ‘Tamar’, again under the Captaincy of ‘Fairweather Jack’ Byron . Having heard the call for help while wintering in Ft. Edward, [Victoria B.C.]he sets off south, arriving just in time.

The Spanish ships ‘San Antonio’ and ‘San Carlos’ are forced to flee, while the third ship, the ‘Santa Cruz’, founders on the rocks on the point later named after her. Portola retreats to the south end of Monterey Bay, finding a strong point where he establishes the Presidio of Monterey [OTL…the Presidio of Monterey].

In Monterey, Portola discovers the appeal he sent off for help the previous December has also paid off, with two ships carrying men and stores arriving from Acapulco. Though not able to face the British at sea, he marches overland again along Monterey Bay.

Meanwhile, Clive has come down from the north, also with a strong party of reinforcements of traders and sea-boys (by now including Tlingits and other tribes). He heads out to meet the attack, and both sides take casualties in the ironically named ‘Battle of Saint Francis’.

Portola is forced to retreat. Clive, not feeling conciliatory toward anyone after his victory over the Russians at Kodiak, wants to drive the Spaniards back to Baja California but Byron objects. Aiding fellow Britons is one thing, but Britain and Spain are officially at peace, and nobody knows where the northern border of Alta California really is. Besides, after five years almost continually at sea, he wants to head home. After it is reported that Portola has left, taking all but one ship with him, leaving his deputy, Captain Pedro Fages, in charge, Byron sails off. Fighting settles down to desultory exchanges, and even these die out once Clive also departs, with Point Santa Clara being the tacitly established dividing line (though neither side actually agrees to it)


['San Antonio’ and ‘San Carlos’ were actual ships involved in the expedition, with ‘Santa Cruz’ being chosen for convenience.]
[Retcon: 'Britain' substituted for 'England' originally used. Thanks to RMcD94 for pointing out the mistake]

Alta California Postcript: The Battle of the Falkland Islands

Byron’s voyage is not to end uneventfully, however. After rounding Cape Horn he sails north, and stops at the Falkland Islands (where he had established Port Egremont on his earlier voyage in 1765[OTL]), in June 1770.


He sails into the middle of a crisis- the governor of Argentina has dispatched five frigates and 1400 marines to occupy the British port
Byron is outgunned and outnumbered, but has the advantage of the sea and surprise. After sinking two Spanish frigates and damaging another, terms are reached. The Spanish retreat to Argentina, ending the Falklands Crisis[1] and the British sail home, where Byron is hailed a hero twice-over.


“The should call you Lucky Byron” he is told
“It’s t’other fellow’s luck,” he replies.

The Spanish are not happy about being challenged twice in their own possessions, and are itching for battle, but the French King overrules his ministers and won’t support war- for now.

After news of Byron’s claims come out the VOC, now worried about British encroachment in the East Indies, sent a couple of ships down the east coast of new Holland, mapping it and claiming it for the Netherlands

.[1]-OTL the Spanish overpower the British, but without the support of France are forced to back down and allow the British back .

Part 6: Robert Rogers to the Pacific, or There and Back Again, and What Happened After. 1763-1769
Robert Rogers raised and commanded Ranger forces during the French and Indian Wars (Seven Years War) and became a celebrated figure. After the war he suffers financial hardship. He returns to Britain to try and cash in on his exploits, publishing two non-fiction books which are generally well received, and a play which has a less kindly reception: one review saying “in turning bard and writing a tragedy, he makes just as good a figure as a Grub Street rhymester would as head of one of our Author’s corps of North-American Rangers”[OTL review]

However, his fame gains him an interview with King George III, to whom he proposed a trans-continental expedition to the Pacific, uniting His Majesty’s eastern ( and recently greatly-expanded) American territories to his western ones of New Albion. His proposal meeting Royal Favour, Rogers returns to America to prepare to launch his expedition from Fort Michilimackinac, Michigan[1]


In 1767, after first cementing the enmity of Thomas Gage, commander of British forces in North America, who despises him as a boaster and gambler, and suspects him of seeking to make a deal with the French, Rogers sets out on a journey that will last three years. He hires couriers-du-bois and Indian paddlers to go with the few former Rangers he has recruited.

Taking advantage of the newly-acquired British territory of Canada, he travels across le lac superiuer, quickly reaching the trading post established by the French explorer du Luht. Heading due west, he crosses the great Indian trading center of Mandan in late summer, finally wintering in the eastern foothills of the Rockies. Crossing a high mountain pass in spring, he reaches the Norris River [OTL Columbia] He and the surviving members of his expedition reach the Pacific mouth of the Norris River in early September, 1768.

They wait in vain for a British or NWC ship to appear, and reluctantly turn back for the overland trip. Rogers labels the area Ouragan [as in OTL] Realising the northern pass he has taken is not a viable route for trade or settlers, Rogers takes a more southerly route, following a tributary of the Norris that arcs in a great S-shape. Rogers names it the Serpentine River, possibly to curry favour with Queen Charlotte, the patroness of the newly-created (1730) Serpentine Lake in London.[OTL Snake River].

He winters in a fruitful stretch of the river [Ft. Boise, Idaho]. Early next spring, he crosses a much more accessible pass, which he names the Southern Pass (but which is later called “Rogers’ Pass”). He then follows the Nebraskier River [original name for the Platte] to the Missouri, which he travels down, hoping to reach the Mississippi and then continue east.[2]

Unfortunately for Rogers, while he was in London, the settlement of St. Louis has been founded by French refugees from British rule [OTL]. As one of the heroes of the French and Indian Wars, who has been illegally trespassing in Spanish territory obviously trying to increase British influence, Rogers is not treated kindly. Rogers and his two surviving companions are promptly imprisoned as spies, and everything they possess is confiscated- particularly his journals.

However, Rogers escapes, with only the buckskins he is wearing, and heads north to Fort Michillimackinack, expecting to be received as a hero. Unfortunately, his return from such a quarter, with a tall-tale of reaching the Pacific, but without a speck of evidence, only serves to inflame Gage’s suspicions that Roger’s has been double-dealing with the French, and he promptly has him arrested for treason and shipped to Montreal to stand trial in August 1769.



George III, angered that his money has been thrown away to no purpose (for even if Roger’s story is true, the expedition has shown that there is no easy route to the treasures of the Orient) and now more likely to cast a suspicious eye on all colonials, doesn’t intervene- while treason charges are dismissed, Rogers is convicted of fraud and embezzlement.



[1]=[OTL King George turns Rogers down but appoints him governor. He clashes with Gage, who has him arrested for treason-same charge, suspicion of dealing with the French- but OTL Rogers is acquitted- and slips into debt and drunkenness
[2]-[Basically Rogers' westward voyage from Mandan on follows Lewis and Clark's; his return follows the later route of the Oregon Trail.
Wiki says:"The discovery of the [South Pass] by European Americans as a natural crossing point of the Rockies was a significant but surprisingly difficult achievement in the westward expansion of the United States." Here it's easier.]

Part 8: You Got a Friend- 1770-1776:
Luckily, Rogers has a champion. Jonathan Carver had served under Rogers in the Rangers, and was a surveyor and mapmaker. On his return to America, Rogers had tried to look him up, but Carver had been out exploring the Wisconsin area – at the age of fifty-seven! However, Carver has been turned down for reimbursement for his expenses, and, on the edge of ruin, is considering going to England to appeal to the King directly[up to here, OTL]. Travelling back to Fort Detroit with Rogers (who is in captivity) he listens avidly to his tales- and believes them. The possibility of claiming the prize for the discovery of the North-West passage is still open. Carver is able to find some backing from those who believe in Captain Rogers, and heads west following the same route in 1770- at the age of 59.

Upon reaching Mandan, however, the party follows the Missouri south until it starts to bend east again, at which point they strike southwest. After wintering south of what they name the Black Hills, they travel through Rogers’ Pass in early spring.


Now trouble develops. They begin to hear tales from the local Indians of a great bitter lake, so vast you can’t see the other side. Carver has brought two fellow ex-Rangers along, who become convinced this must be the Pacific- or at least an arm of it., Carver pooh-poohs the stories- he knows they are still much too far to the east. His fellows, rough backwoodsmen, in turn discount his book learning. With a great deal of acrimony, the party splits up.


Carver continues down the Serpentine, while his fellows turn south, and find the shore of a vast salty body of water. They write in their journal they have reached the Pacific, and might even have believed it- neither of them has ever seen the sea.

Unfortunately, one of them dies soon after and the other is forced to turn back. He too dies after re-crossing Rogers’ Pass, but gives his journal to a young Indian who has accompanied them, charging him to get it back to the Colonies- which, against all odds, a year and a half later, he does.

Meanwhile Carver has continued down the Serpentine to the Norris, reaching the mouth in October 1771. Here he finds out that a fort and trading post (Ft Norris) has been established in the two years since Rogers’ visit. Using the information Rogers has given him, he is able to locate the cache marking the earlier expedition’s reaching of the Pacific. He also describes the great fertile valley just inland of the coastal mountains, on what he has named the William River in honour of the King’s youngest son Prince William (born 1765)

Carver faces somewhat of a moral dilemma- to claim the achievement for himself, or admit he was following Rogers’ footsteps. The problem is solved when he dies during the winter, finally worn out by his endeavors.



Rogers meanwhile spends the next few years in prison before the posthumous testimony of Carver leads to his release in 1774 (though the journal reaches both England and America in 1772). While locked up he writes a very widely-read account of his journey, and gains great sympathy as an American unjustly imprisoned by an overbearing Crown

[OTL Rogers sails to England to seek redress after his acquittal, and ends up in debtors’ prison for various stretches, the longest being for two years- by then he has a serious drinking problem. In this ATL he avoids that through the rigors of his expedition and a prison cell- unlike debtors’ prison, booze is less available as a guest of His Majesty.]

Part6: Overland to the Pacific-Westward Ho: 1774-1776
The news of Rogers’ and Carver’s expedition causes a buzz, which is greatly increased by the story of the discovery of the Great Bitter Sea- Speculation abounds that it is an extension of Byron Bay, California
(News that the bay has been explored and found to be a dead end has not permeated the Colonies.).

Though political turmoil rocks the colonies, another stronger and more well-equipped expedition is launched in 1774 (the Great Western Expedition, sponsored in part by a Virginian, Thomas Jefferson), following the now-established route across Lake Superior to Mandan.


Here trouble occurs, as the French and Spanish have become aware of British encroachments, and have warned their Indian trading partners against them. In spite of some tension, the exploring party- the largest European encounter so far- continues, slanting southwest to Rogers’ Pass, crossing in spring 1775.

They then turn south, circling the Bitter Sea, and proving to their disappointment that it is just a large lake- the name sticks, however, partly owing to the explorers' feelings. They now split up, but by agreement. One party continues down the Serpentine, while the other heads west, trying to find a passage through the mountains. They follow the Heartbreak River [OTL Humboldt] and after tremendous deprivation finally break through into the California Valley in spring of 1776. Most of them are too worn out to continue, so a scouting party heads out to try and reach Fort Drake. They run into an exploration party which is the first probe westward from the settlement at Byron Bay; rushing up with supplies, they manage to rescue most of the survivors- one of whom, the party’s official naturalist, has picked up some interesting mineral samples on the banks of a local stream.

Part7: Russians, Part Dva: 1771-1775


Having attacked and occupied Kodiak, Clive has confined the Russians to the far southwest of Alyeska: the Chirikov Peninsula and adjoining Aleut Island chain. These are rapidly becoming stripped of furs, as the sea otter population is driven into extinction. The Russians constantly try to slip past Kodiak, now occupied by the North-West Company; this provides a continual stream of incidents and aggravations. Since the Russians are supposed to ship their furs back to metropolitan Russia, they are also tempted to meet smugglers among the British traders who ship their own furs to the far more lucrative trading port of Lushun, China [Port Arthur/Dalian].

Czarina Catherine the Great was exceedingly annoyed upon hearing the news of the loss of Kodiak, but had at the time (1765) a great deal of more important fish to fry, having recently assumed the throne (by having her husband strangled) and then becoming involved in a war with the Ottoman Empire. The war goes very well for Russia, and by 1771 Catherine can turn her attention outward.

Desirous to see Russia accepted as one of the European Great Powers, she takes a step that seems required to put Russia on the same footing as France, Spain, Britain, and even Denmark and Sweden- sending ships out onto the High Seas to explore, seek out scientific knowledge, boldly go etc- and show the Russian flag like good modern imperialists- and where more appropriate than in Her Imperial Highness’ American territories? (The loss of Kodiak still rankles.)

Thus in 1771 two frigates, accompanied by supply ships, set out from Kronstadt to make the long voyage to the North Pacific. Realising they are heading out to confront-or at least annoy- the British, they are welcomed by Spanish and French ports and ships along the way and provided with assistance.

In spring of 1773 they reach Unalaska, and take an ‘exploratory’ trip eastward. Clive, suspecting they will attack Kodiak, strikes first, sending a band of Company men and sea-boys to ambush them in an inlet on the Chirikov Peninsula. They capture one of the frigates and drive the other one onto the rocks. Adding insult to injury, Clive then uses the captured frigate in an attack on Unalaska, the last Russian outpost, driving them out of North America altogether and claiming the whole coast for England, from the Dezhnyez Straits to Francistown [Bering Straits to San Francisco]

When word of his actions reach Europe the next year, the British government is angry enough, but Catherine is furious- to her it seems a deliberate slap in the face, and not even from a foreign power but from a gang of scruffy privateers. She demands compensation, not only in Alyeska- a minor problem- but also in Europe. The French in particular are happy to agree with her, pointing out the dangers of the growing power of Britain.

Part 8: Settling in New Albion: 1763-1775

Robert Clive has become the master of the North-West, but master of what? Thousands of miles of coast, but just a few scattered forts/trading posts. He wants more. Starting in the 1760s, he tries to recruit settlers from both Britain, and the Thirteen Colonies on the East Coast.

The distance is a huge problem, compared to the much shorter voyage across the Atlantic, but he manages to entice a few colonists. The first settlement is at Ft. Edward, Anson Island [Victoria B.C.] in 1765. With fertile soil and a suitable climate (for the English- mild and wet, wet, wet) the settlement begins to prosper by supplying fresh meat, dairy and vegetables to the hungry traders on the coast. In 1774 they change the name to Charlottesville, after Queen Charlotte. An off-shoot colony is soon established in Suquamish [original name of Seattle]

In 1772 the British claim to have discovered the brass plaque left by Francis Drake on the north side of Cape Santa Cruz, Monterey. The Spanish denounce it as a fake. It appears to be authentic, but there is speculation that Clive had it surreptitiously moved from its original place of discovery north of Byron Bay [OTL Drake’s Bay] to this more auspicious location.


In 1773 a group of settlers arrives in Byron Bay where they establish Francistown- thus named to honour the great explorer, the British claim; to mock the great saint, the Spaniards darkly suspect- Godforsaken Protestants!


The British frigate ‘Lizard’ is sent to New Albion as part of a squadron to prevent any further trouble with Spanish or Russians- or Clive.

Elsewhere

-The East Indies: The British East India Company takes control of Singa Pura [Singapore] in 1771; the Dutch East India Company (VOC), recognizing this as a dagger pointed at Batavia, attack in 1774, but are driven off.

-The French, interested in securing their Indian possessions, have explored the west coast of Terre Australie, claiming it for France, establishing Fort Louis in the more habitable south-west.
[roughly Perth]

- In response to what they see as French and British threats to the East Indies, the Dutch re-establish their claim to eastern New Holland, establishing their own fort at a great harbour which they call Tasman Bay, to establish their prior claim. [Sydney]

New Albion:Summary to 1775:

1740: During the War of Jenkin's Ear between England and Spain an expedition commanded by George Anson is sent to the west coast of South America to harass the Spanish and try to capture the annual treaure galleon taking Mexican silver to Manila to trade with China.

POD:
1741-Hanson chases the galleon but it sinks on some rocks, taking the treasure with it. Empty-handed and with a year to wait he sails north to try and discover the fabled North-West Passage

1741-1743- Hanson claims the west coast for Britain, realising it's Francis Drake's Nova Albion; doesn't find the Passage , but does find shipwrecked Russians, and the sea-otter furs they have been collecting. Hanson sells the furs for a large sum in Canton, alerting the British to the value of the trade.

1743-1775- British ships engage in fur trade; one trader is young Robert Clive, diverted from a life working for the East India Company
(Without Clive, the French do much better in India, dividing it with the British)

-The North-West Company is created, forts are built and Clive trains local Indians as sepoys, using them to attack the Russians and Spanish. The Russians are driven out altogether and the Spanish confined south of Francistown (San Francisco)

-Captain George Cook is sent to survey the West Coast but is killed by natives. Without Cook, British explorers in the Pacific fail to discover Australia (though they still find Hawayee)

-1767- Hoping to link his eastern and western possessions, George III sponsors Ranger Captain Robert Rogers in an overland expedition to the Pacific. Rogers is successful, but, captured and stripped by the French, has no proof. He is thrown into prison for embezzlement.

1770-1775- Further expeditions follow Rogers' footsteps, proving his claims.

Geography to Date: The whole area claimed by the British is now called New Albion with various names slowly coming into use (anticipating further developments a bit here for the sake of clarity)

-New Caledonia: [OTL Alaska and northern British Columbia down to the tip of the Alaska Panhandle]
-the coast of the great westward extension is referred to as Alyeska, but is included in New Caledonia.

-New Hibernia: [Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwai] home of the Haida sea-boys, recruited as Company mercenaries.

-Anson Island: [Vancouver Island] -Charlotteville [Victoria B.C.], first settlement


Western Columbia: the central region, from Ft George [OTL Prince Rupert],
down to Salish Sound [OTL Puget Sound, thus including both OTL Vancouver B.C. and Seattle], borders not yet delineated
-Ft Columbia [Vancouver]
-Suquamash [Seattle]

-Ouragan: both banks of the Norris River [Columbia] down to the 42nd Parallel, [OTL Oregon/California boundary] (not established in 1775 ).

British California: from Ouragan border ( 42nd parallel) down to Cape Santa Cruz –(37th parallel), just south of Francistown [San Francisco]

The Company has established trading posts along the cost, the most important being, from north to south:
-Kodiak (taken by Clive from the Russians)
-Sheeka [Sitka]
-Ft Edwards/Charlottesville, Anson Island [Victoria, Vancouver Island];
-Ft Columbia, at a point on a bay just north of the Cook R. [Vancouver B.C.]
-Ft Norris, mouth of Norris River [Columbia R.]
-Ft Drake/Francistown, Byron Bay [San Francisco]
Just south of which the Spanish have established a fort at Monterey.

Other Geographical Features: New Albion[
-Dezhnyov Straits [Bering Straits]
-The Cook R. [Fraser]

-Overland expeditions from the east- Rogers’, Carver’s, the Great Westward- have explored the Serpentine [Snake], Norris [Columbia] and William Rivers. [Willamette]
- Bitter Sea [ Great Salt Lake]; overland route along the Hearbreak R. [Humboldt] to Central California Valley.
Elsewhere:
-The British have discovered Hawayee, and established trade
The Qing Emperor has opened the port of Lushun in northern China [Ft. Arthur/Dalian] to restricted trade on the comprador system.
-India: The French have the Carnatic region (south-east); the British have Bengal and Bombay; the Maratha Empire (allies of the French) the rest, except for Mysore
-The British East India Company has established control of Penang and Singa Pura, and has resisted Dutch attacks.
-Both Britain and the Netherlands have claimed control of New Holland; the French have put in a claim on the western shore.

[If you’ve followed this far, now the butterfly’s wings begin to beat- Yep, it's the American Revolution]

Interesting TL!

Just to make sure - this Western America business is almost entirely separate from British North America on the East Coast, right? There's no keen-eyed Yankee sailors plying the waters for fish and furs, no industrious Pennsylvania Dutch trying to establish farms around Byron Bay, nothing like that?