https://vids.kvie.org/video/kvie-viewfinder-impact-frolic/
Augustine Family in Ipswich
Augustine Heard & Co. appointed Edward Horatio Faucon as captain of Frolic, and
in keeping with the tradition of the day, Faucon invested in a part ownership share of
the ship (Layton 1997:65-66). Smith reasons, “This practice of shares and
partnerships in 19th century oceanic trade often produced aggressive sea captains,
whose personal stake in the success of each and every venture added a unique
dynamic to trade. These captains sometimes took risks that others did not” (Smith
2006:5). Captain Faucon’s brash and pompous character was commented upon in
Richard Henry Dana’s (1840) autobiography, Two Years Before the Mast, in which
Dana chronicles his experiences as a seaman aboard the ship Pilgrim under the direction of Captain Faucon as part of the 1830s fur trade along the Pacific coast
of North America.
Captain Faucon had extensive knowledge of the Californian coast from his
involvement in the fur trade during the 1830s, and it was believed that he could
oversee Frolic’s safe arrival (Smith 2006:7).
Frolic left China on 10 June 1850