Madness, Betrayal and the Lash: The Epic Voyage of Captain George Vancouver

by Stephen R. Bown, Joe Barrett (reader)

From 1792 to 1795, George Vancouver sailed the Pacific as the captain of his own expedition and as an agent of imperial ambition. To map a place is to control it, and Britain had its eyes on America's Pacific coast. And map it Vancouver did. His voyage was one of history's greatest feats of maritime daring, discovery, and diplomacy, and his marine survey of Hawaii and the Pacific coast was at its time the most comprehensive ever undertaken. But just two years after returning to Britain, the forty-year-old Vancouver, hounded by critics, shamed by public humiliation at the fists of an aristocratic sailor he had flogged, and blacklisted because of a perceived failure to follow the Admiralty's directives, died in poverty, nearly forgotten. In this riveting and perceptive biography, historian Stephen Bown delves into the events that destroyed Vancouver's reputation and restores his position as one of the greatest explorers of the Age of Discovery.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Canada, Nautical, Maritime, Science

Audio CD

First published April 30, 2008

About the author

www.stephenrbown.net
www.facebook.com/srbown

Winner of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Popular Media: the Pierre Berton Award

I am a popular historian and author of 12 works of literary non-fiction on Canadian and international topics. I have also written more than 20 feature magazine articles highlighting lesser-known characters and events in Canadian history. I strive to make the past accessible, meaningful, and entertaining by applying a narrative and immersive style to my writing, which blends story-telling with factual depth.

My recent best-selling books The Company: The Rise and Fall of the Hudson's Bay Empire and Dominion: The Railway and the Rise of Canada offer fresh perspectives on Canada's foundational stories by casting a broader lens on events of the day and highlighting characters who were not previously part of the dominant narrative. My work has been recognized for enriching public discourse and creating a lasting impact on how Canadians view and understand our shared history.

The Company won the 2021 National Business Book Award and the J.W. Dafoe Book Prize. I also won the BC Book Prize for Madness, Betrayal and the Lash: The Epic Voyage of Captain George Vancouver, the Alberta Book Award for Island of the Blue Foxes: Disaster and Triumph on Bering's Great Voyage to Alaska and the William Mills Prize for Polar Books for White Eskimo: Knud Rasmussen's Fearless Journey into the Heart of the Arctic.

"Learning from the past isn't about judging the past by modern standards, or agreeing or disagreeing with the actions or decisions of historical characters. It is about understanding the challenges and struggles of past people within the context of their times, technology, education and infrastructure and state capacity to solve problems. In other words, it involves learning about and considering the good, the bad, and the ugly of the past in its full context, the way a visitor might explore a foreign country, open-minded to the differences from their own culture and experience.

Knowing how we came to be where we are as a nation - the choices made by people in the past - should be about understanding our origins, not glorifying or denigrating them. To deny knowledge and remain ignorant is an abrogation of responsibility that paves the way for future failure. Gaining knowledge of our shared history builds a sense of community and inoculates us against agenda-driven distortions of facts and events."

I live in a small town in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. When I'm not writing I'm usually reading, mountain biking, hiking and camping in the summer, and downhill and cross country skiing in the winter.

Reviews

[Phillip Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

VINDICATED AFTER 200 YEARS

A review by Phillip Taylor MBE

Little had been written about George Vancouver until Ernie Coleman's excellent and uncomplicated biography in 2000, and Stephen Bown's new, detailed and scholarly work in 2008.

Bown's work is a re-evaluation of Vancouver's life and work - it's excellent in every respect. And it fills an important gap in 18th century naval history and surveying in North West America.

I live where Vancouver spent his last days in Petersham, Richmond, Surrey. We celebrate his life annually at a service in the churchyard where he is buried at St Peter's Church, Petersham. I have also visited beautiful Vancouver and the island, and travelled part of the North West coast of Northern America being married to a Vancouverite. Therefore, I have a special interest and regard for this man and the area he explored!

Let's get a few things straight about Vancouver!

He was an experienced sailor, having served on the last voyage of Captain Cook as a midshipman. However, Vancouver was not an experienced diplomat, but his record as Master and Captain of HMS Discovery from 1792-5 was very good for the times. Only one person died during the voyages and I can see from Bown's work that Vancouver cared for his men although he had an inexperienced crew and some malevolent officers including Sir Joseph Banks, the aristocrat Thomas Pitt, and the ship's surgeon.

You can't do much against this sort of list!

Vancouver's reputation was shattered and he died alone with little money on the completion of his surveys and diaries at the age of 40. Our services in Petersham over the 25 years I have attended are often sad occasions for me as I reflect on his life during the commemorations.

Bown's book is one of the best I have read for ages about this unpleasant period of British naval history when Captain Vancouver's name and contribution were smeared ... and he vindicates him.

It is a well researched and referenced book with many recorded stories which give light onto the problems of the times. And one gets the feeling of the period with this book brilliantly. It has 13 chapters in four parts plus great photographs which delve into great detail with a splendid list of sources and a bibliography at the back.

Bown paints Pitt, in particular, as the baddie (rightly) with few redeeming features, and he exposes the aristocratic establishment of the time hard for their unjust behaviour towards Vancouver.

I would probably not liked to have served under Vancouver as I can see some of the leadership problems he had to deal with - challenging behaviour from senior officers is difficult at the best of times, and I have had my fair share of them in the past.

However, I have a tremendous regard for George Vancouver which remains strengthened by Bown's biography, ending with this tribute:

“He accomplished great things and, as our historical and cultural ancestor, he deserves a greater place in our collective memory.”

He just got it here from Stephen Bown!

So thank you very much Mr Bown from an admirer where Vancouver now rests.

[Chrisl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleased to see positive, informative reviews by other readers.
An inter-library loan. Star deducted for small print.
Become disinterested when British naval politics became the dominant theme after the halfway point and returned it to the library. (Library has a two book limit for ILLs. Have other books I'd like to get from nearby university libraries.)
But it is staying with me. Appreciated the author's perspective on the age of sail. He devoted an informative section to scurvy, among other topics. From the lack of vitamin C lack aboard ships, an estimated two million sailors died ... a great many after the cure was known.
Lot of topics related to the Pacific Northwest. If you are interested in that era of exploration, it is informative and I recommend it ...

Vancouver's time with Captain Cook remains the dominant memory.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visiting Vancouver BC for the first time I downloaded this to get a bit of context. It turned out to be a fascinating, detailed account of Vancouver drawing on many and varied sources.

The political objectives of the age of empire are set well against the varying intrigues and perspectives of those he sailed alongside. The machinations behind the scenes in the corridors of power are also well developed and I was drawn into the global sense of the times that Vancouver lived through.

Historical events and characters such as Captain Cook's voyages, the American Civil War, the French Revolution, European empirical ambitions and the quest for scientific and geographic knowledge whirl around our heads as Vancouver traverses the North West Pacific and battles the elements both outside and within.

The author builds a strong sense of Vancouver in relation to his men and his mission and carefully relates the conditions aboard ship and develops the main protagonists whom he had to deal with - on board and in passing. I was left more than once shaking my head in wonder at the strength of character and sheer bloody-mindedness it must have taken to be confined to a ship for 3 years in that era, let alone captain one.

There is occasionally a formality to the writing style when a flourish would actually have helped me better to feel the sense of an event, but overall I really enjoyed this book and valued the author's broad-based approach.

[Steve Birchmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered how the city of Vancouver and Vancouver Island and numerous other places in the Pacific acquired their names? The question has crossed my mind - was it a Dutch outpost perhaps? In fact George Vancouver came from King's Lynn and spent his life in the Royal Navy, starting as a 14 years old midshipman on Captain Cook's final voyage.

This is a fascinating yet sad story of the epic voyage of discovery of one of the great 18th Century explorers, whose daring, courage, achievements and life disappeared down the memory hole due largely to his relatively humble class background and the political machinations and vindictiveness of his well connected upper class enemies, some of whom sailed under his command and resented the application of Royal Navy discipline and punishments ordered by such a lowly born commander.

"VANCOUVER AND HIS epic voyage deserve to be remembered and acknowledged, if not celebrated, as one of the greatest naval adventures of the Age of Sail and as a testament of human perseverance in the face of insurmountable odds. Vancouver's story is a classic example of how messy, unfair and fickle the future can unfold, of how seemingly minor decisions can have major ramifications, and how fate or luck play a role in determining everyone's future. How could a man who devoted his life to his country and who accomplished great things that would benefit it in the future be shunned, humiliated and driven to an early death by anxiety and worry?"

Vancouver sailed more than 65,000 miles during four and half years of his voyage of discovery - the longest circumnavigation ever by sailing ship, significantly greater distance than Cook's second voyage, and accomplished just as much politically and scientifically.

A great read with a sad ending.

[Warren Wulff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this more stars if I could. It’s the best book I’ve read this year and one of the most well-written historical narratives I’ve come across. The story of George Vancouver and his incredible voyage is sympathetically but honestly told with accuracy and an eye for an inclusive approach to all individuals involved, including First Nations and the Spanish. As someone from Vancouver, BC, it was an honour to learn about the namesake of this city and I consider it a must read for every British Columbian. Extremely high recommend.

[LibraryCin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Captain George Vancouver served the British Royal Navy in the late 18th century. He initially did some exploring with Captain James Cook, and was later assigned to lead his own exploration to document/map the Pacific Northwest and to look for a Northwest Passage. No one yet had explored this large territory. Unfortunately for him, he was a stickler for rules and made some high-powered enemies (subordinates based on navy rankings, but high-powered back home in England) on this multi-year voyage. At the same time, he was very congenial towards the people they met along the way.

Overall, this was good. There were parts where I had trouble focusing, though, so I did end up skimming a bit of it. I debated between an “ok” rating (3 stars) or a “good” rating (3.5 stars), but decided on 3.5 (though I more often tend to round down when I'm having trouble deciding). However, the end of the book really picked up for me, and I felt badly for Captain Vancouver and how he was treated after the voyage was over. He was already ill and I felt he was being bullied. He was very strict, but it sounds like for the time, he was within his rights to be as strict as he was. I was very impressed with his dealings with the natives he came across, as well as the Spanish explorers they met along the way.

[Ted Hopkins]

An excellent read that combines biography and history in a well written narrative. Bown shows Vancouver as a complete and complex person fully combining his greatness and flaws. We see substantial achievement with limited resources both physical and personal and come to understand the perfectionist's drive in spite of chronic illness. However briefly mentioned, the other people involved come across as very real, especially Maquinna and Quadra, much more than just backdrop, as we also experience their strengths, weaknesses, and influence over the historical events in which Vancouver shared. I feel very satisfied to recommend this book.

[Lona Manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book on Vancouver Island two summers ago and the passages that stick with me are those that describe how Captain Vancouver and his crew carried out the painstaking and perilous job of rowing all around and along the coastline of what would become British Columbia, exploring, navigating and mapping all the islands, cove, and fjords. Sure it's a beautiful place but I could vividly imagine the tedium, the the drizzling Northwest Pacific rain, and the dispiriting cold.
I recommend this book for any British Columbian interested in the knowing about the endurance and hardihood of the first European travelers to this part of the world.

[Steven W Oatway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! It was smooth reading so difficult to put down, and so well researched that I learned quite a bit about George and that amazing voyage. I have since recommended this book to anyone researching George Vancouver or any of the history of this area, also including the story of Hawaii. I am a local Historian/Tour Guide so always reading and learning new things, but some books are very stuffy and hard to plod through. This one isn't!

[Donald Schopflocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The voyage of the last great 18th century seafaring explorer of the Pacific, George Vancouver. A fitting companion to The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides which documents Cook’s last voyage.

[Kris Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone genuinely interested in the history of the Pacific Northwest and the age of exploration, I was excited to dive into Madness, Betrayal and the Lash. Stephen Bown clearly has a deep understanding of the “age of sail,” and his perspective on that era—especially when tying Vancouver’s journey to Cook’s expeditions and the evolving fight against scurvy—was fascinating and well-explained. The historical groundwork is solid, and the early chapters had real momentum.

However, the book ultimately felt overlong and began to lose its narrative grip partway through. The lengthy focus on the diplomatic dance with the Spanish, while historically important, dulled the pace and distracted from the human story I was hoping to follow. I found myself struggling to stay engaged, despite my interest in the broader topic.

Vancouver, too, remained somewhat of a flat character throughout. For all the intrigue surrounding his voyage and the tensions with his crew, I never quite connected with him on a personal level, which made the final stretch of the book feel like more of a slog than an epic.

That said, Bown is a strong historian with a knack for pulling lesser-known stories into the light. While this one didn’t fully land for me, I’m still looking forward to reading more of his work. The Company: The Rise and Fall of the Hudson’s Bay Empire is next on my list, and I’m optimistic it will resonate more deeply.

A solid three stars for the research, the writing, and the parts that did manage to captivate—but I can’t quite call it a page-turner.

[Nancy Anderson]

It is unfinished; it seems I always get well into this book and then put it down. It is however outside my particular sphere of interest and that is part of it. Still, as far as I have got it is a good read and I do intend to sit down and get all the way through it. Part of my problem is time...

[John Bunge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting analysis of the life and times of George Vancouver, who in the early 1790's explored and mapped the west coast of North America, setting the stage for the subsequent determination of the national boundaries.

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It always kind of upsets me to find historical people who were once well known and who have since fallen into utter obscurity. Sure we’ve got places named after George Vancouver, but it’s not like most people know of the man.

This book follows along with him as he sails with Cook (including Cook’s grisly demise!) and then is eventually placed at the helm of his own journey of discovery, setting out to chart America’s western coast. He kept scurvy at bay and only 6 of 170 of his men died, and that was all while having to deal with their sour and surly moods. The book makes note of Vancouver’s explosive temper, but if my men started public brawls and then one specific man thought he was above the law because of his birth and was stealing and taking naps when he should be on duty all while other men are hostile, my officers won’t eat with me, and the fellow onboard to collect botanical samples is writing a slew of bad reports to send back home—let’s just say I wouldn’t be Miss Sunshine.

Depressing that not much has changed, however, in that his following the rules and punishing one of his subordinates led to his humiliation at the end of his life merely because the man was his social superior due to birth. He got away with murder (literally!) and one’s name and money still determines one’s place in society, at least when it comes to any sort of punishment meted out for misdeeds committed.

It’s funny that at the end the author admits not knowing much about Vancouver’s personal life because of a lack of anything left behind—no views on religion or love life, for example—yet the book still manages to give us a good look at his character (decent, hardworking, by-the-book rule-follower who was fairly respectful of indigenous cultures in a time that was certainly not the norm). Research was thorough and I feel I’ve learned a lot!

[Robert Bergstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

The mythic figure of Capt George Vancouver stands over the history and geography of the Pacific Northwest. He led a four year survey of the PNW coast from 1791-95, on the British Navy ships Discovery and Chatham. At that time the west coast of North America was uncharted and unknown. There were still hopes of finding a Northwest Passage from Atlantic to Pacific. Vancouver and his crew surveyed and mapped the complicated maze of waterways, islands, and channels of PNW. They named many well known landmarks, such as Puget Sound, Mt Baker, Whidbey Island, and the Strait of Georgia. However, Vancouver has been criticized for not including on his maps the locations and names of indigenous villages. He and his crew did a remarkably accurate job of mapping the coast from Puget Sound to Alaska. Their maps were still being used by the Admiralty one hundred years later.

See my blog for full review:
https://www.northernmists.photography...

[Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

George Vancouver sailed more than 65,000 miles over four and a half years at sea, providing the world with detailed nautical charts covering 1,700 miles of coastline, and named over 400 spots, much of which will be familiar to a Pacific Northwesterner (though of course those places HAD names, which he disregarded). He proved there was no Northwest Passage, secured trade markets, negotiated with the Hawaiians and the Spanish. But, he wasn't perfect and he certainly made some mistakes. Brown's excellently researched book does a good job of detailing what it was like in the British Royal Navy in the 1700s, the class issues at play, and the ups and downs of Vancouver's career. Reading the book was a bit like Vancouver's voyage, long, detailed, sometime a tad tedious, but on the whole, excellent.

[Vien Guenther · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read a lot about maritime exploration, but I haven’t read much about George Vancouver until I read The Company: The Rise and Fall of the Hudson’s Bay Empire by the same author. We know about Vancouver, British Columbia, but not about the person it was named after. This is a fascinating story, a new perspective on some of the characters involved in his expedition. I can’t imagine the job Vancouver had to do. Exploring and mapping the unforgiving northwest coast of North America for years, while dealing with politics and his men, was incomprehensible. He wasn’t given the accolades he deserved, despite the fact that he finished the maps and brought his men home alive after almost four years with very few casualties.

[Robert McIntosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favourite exploration book but that’s not the author’s fault. As interesting as this book is Captain Vancouver’s passive interest in the anthropological aspects of his voyage make it slightly less interesting to me. Especially compared to Cook, Vancouver doesn’t go too far into details about the Hawaiians or the Friendly Cove First Nations. I personally enjoy that aspect of exploration books so I was disappointed not to see it. I also thought the author spent a tad too much time in the beginning breaking down the context. It’s obviously important but I found it to be too much. Overall an interesting book that’s worth a read but isn’t perfect.

[R G G Currie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stopped in to my favourite Vancouver bookstore – Mcleod’s – and found a biography of George Vancouver, written by the same author who wrote Dominion, about the building of the CPR. I didn’t care for his version of the CPR and I didn’t care for this biography of Vancouver. He gives Vancouver credit for the survey work he did on the west coast, but there is too much emphasis on Vancouver’s health, occasional floggings, and conflicts with other officers. Morevoer, he makes reference to several previous biographies of Vancouver, so as with Dominion, I wonder what he brings to the table that’s new.

[Alexander Kulakov · Rating 5 out of 5]

An informative, entertaining, and accurate work telling the story of one of the greatest, but unfortunately less known and celebrated Royal Navy heroes of the age of Sail and his most famous expedition. Living on Vancouver Island - this book significantly broadened my understanding of the history of this region, along with sparking interest in further exploration of the the ever fascinating Pacific Northwest. Would certainly recommend!

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting man, George Vancouver. Now that I reside in the Pacific Northwest, learning about the history of the area has opened up an entirely new section of history for me.
Vancouver's accomplishments were so amazing! He is not given enough credit for his extremely detailed and accurate mapping of the Pacific North coast, which should be rectified.

[Kasey Lawson · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Well into the 1880s Vancouver’s charts of the Alaskan coastline remained the accepted standard. His surprisingly accurate chart of the vast stretch of previously obscure shoreline; a long, torturous and confusing line from Oregon to Alaska, was sent off to the Admiralty in London. The coast of Pacific America was no longer terra incognita—it was a place on a map. North America now had a shape.”

[Daniel K Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully informative. The book is in its element as it guides us through Vancouver’s voyages along the PNW and Hawaii, if not tedious toward the beginning and verbose and repetitive toward the end. Overall a highly enlightening account of 18th Century sailing, mariner life, geopolitics, and European-Hawaiian-First Peoples relations.

[Shanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't read the whole thing because it was a bit too boring. It had interesting information, but it is the type of book I can easily read before bed and still get to sleep on time if you know what I mean.

[Cooper Bentley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read west coast knowledge.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really slowed down in the beginning that it was a push to get through. Just read mainly cause live on Vancouver Island.

[Betty Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating account of the career of Captain George Vancouver.

[Jan Schmid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, but too much detail and too long for my liking

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seafaring at its greatest

[Alexandre Ackermans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book with a lot of details on captain Vancouver‘s journey. Great read for those who are passionate about the age of Sail.