HANNA, JAMES, pioneer in the maritime fur trade on the northwest coast of North America; d. 1787.

Nothing is known about James Hanna prior to his departure from Macao, China, on 15 April 1785 in the brig Harmon (60 tons) with a crew of 20 men. It is not clear whether the vessel sailed under Portuguese colours or under the British flag with a licence from the East India Company. Hanna, who had the financial backing of John Henry Cox, a merchant residing in China, headed for Nootka Sound (B.C.), which had been described by Captain James Cook as a likely place to acquire a profitable cargo of sea otter pelts.

Hanna and his ship arrived on North America’s west coast in August, and after initial interactions with the area’s Indigenous people, the Nootka (Nuu-chah-nulth), an incident transpired that ignited a violent conflict. Hanna claimed that the Nootka had stolen a chisel, and in retaliation he and his crew had opened fire. In the ensuing struggle 20 Nootka, including several chiefs, were killed. However, in 1789 the Nootka chief Muquinna told Esteban José Martínez that the violence had been in response to a humiliating and painful practical joke played on him by Hanna and his men, which involved setting off a charge of gunpowder under his chair as he sat on the deck. Whatever the cause, peaceful relations were eventually established, and in the resulting trade Hanna acquired 560 sea otter pelts. As a token of friendship he exchanged names with Cleaskina, chief of Ahousat, a Nootka village then located on Vargas Island, who was known to later voyagers as “Captain Hanna.” Hanna returned to Macao in December, selling his furs for up to $60 apiece and realizing $20,600.

Encouraged by the profit made from such a short cruise, Hanna’s backers fitted him for a second trip. He left Macao in May 1786 in the snow Sea Otter (120 tons) with a crew of 30. When he arrived at Nootka Sound in August, he found the situation greatly altered. James Charles Stuart Strange* of Bombay had already been there in July with two ships and had bought all the furs. Hanna remained at anchor for a fortnight, purchasing only about 50 good pelts. He then sailed northward, exploring and naming several sounds, islands, and harbours on his way. He appears to have thought that the north end of Vancouver Island was a separate island, naming it after Cox, and he is said to have sighted Haida Gwaii, to which, with the land north of them, he gave the name Nova Hibernia. By the end of September Hanna had managed to collect about 100 prime pelts, and on 1 October he sailed for China, reaching Macao on 8 Feb. 1787. The cargo brought $8,000, despite its small size. Plans were made for a third trip, but Hanna died before they were completed.

Hanna’s visits to the northwest coast were brief, and the information he kept concerning them was scanty, but his observations were useful to others. George Dixon, John Meares*, and George Vancouver all consulted his charts. In 1790 Alexander Dalrymple, the British geographer, cited Hanna’s explorations when he advanced British claims to the northwest coast and its fur trade.

Richard A. Pierce