Ear: Franchere

The Ear came across a rather long-winded title online, “Narrative of a Voyage to the Northwest Coast of America in the Years 1811, 1812, 1813, and 1814 or, The first American Settlement of the Pacific,” the journal of Gabriel Franchère, about the early settlement of Astoria, among other things. If you would appreciate a dollop of history instead of yet another helping of turkey, the 384-page tome can be perused at tinyurl.com/gabesdiary.

The Dictionary of Canadian Biography notes that Franchère was on the Tonquin, captained by the insufferable Jonathan Thorn, as they rounded Cape Horn and headed for the Columbia River in 1810.

His diary entries about the Astoria outpost were meant to be for family and friends to understand “what I had seen and learned.” It also became a valuable source for Washington Irving’s “Astoria,” commissioned by John Jacob Astor.

A little excerpt: “Mr. Clapp and I were left with the entire charge of the post at Astoria, and were each other’s only resource for society … we amused ourselves with music and reading, having some instruments and a choice library.

“Otherwise, we should have passed our time in a state of insufferable ennui, at this rainy season, in the midst of the deep mud which surrounded us, and which interdicted the pleasure of a promenade outside the buildings.” Sounds familiar, even now. (Photo: Find a Grave)