Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-07-26


} feet discoveries.
Beginning soon after the conquest of Mexico, the
Spaniards, from about $40, carried explorations
up the coast of the Pacific in the interior l543) as
high perhaps as 40 degrees north, and by sea, abou
the time, as far 40 degrees, and perhaps IA
north. (See the accounts cited By Mr.. Greenlo,c
, PIP. g. g., 81 Here they for some time stopped
their efforts.
The next navigator in these higher seas was SiI
FRANCIS DRAKE, who in $40 sailed along the coas
from Guatulco, fourteen hundred leagues north, to
point beyond latitude 4s degrees NORTH mol stated
in the one of the narratives of his voyage and given
as 4s degrees in the other. See Greenhow, ~
3, A, '5.) The English, as is natural, prefer the
account most favorable to themselves. Mr.. GREEN
HOW gives the reasons which, in his view, invali-
date that account. BuRNEY, however, one OF the
highest and exaces authorities in maritime history,
sustains the second narrative; and, indeed, on one
= point he has the advantage. By all the rules oil
proof, the definite and, specific statement is to be
preferred to that which does mention the latitude
which was the northern limit of his (DRAKEs)
course. Turning back thence, he ran down to
good port latitude 80 degrees, probably the great
weeks and upon formal tender to him by the
natives of the sovereignty, took regular possession
Of the region in the name of his mistress, Queen
ELIZABETH Here again for a considerable interval
ceased the English discoveries, as the Spanish had
done.
| In 1888, upon the narrative of one MALpoNApo,
arose and obtained some belief the story of Strait
of Anian, reaching the Pacific in latitude 60 de-
grees morrill, from the Atlantic, through which he,
and, after him, another nautic romancer Admiral
FoNTE pretended to have passed. These are now
in all their particulars mere recognised fctions
(See Greenhosc, PIP. 1910 s6) More, but we think
very little more, reality attaches to the supposed
discovery, in 500, by JUAN DE FucA, of the long
strait to which his name is now given-that be-
tween Vancouver's land and the continent. Mr..
GREENHow and some others credit it Cook. who
examined rejected it; and so do Spanish writers,
finding no traces in their archives of any such ex-
petition that of De FUcA To us il seems OBJ
vions that the pilots whole tale is only revival of
the story of MALDoNADo and his Strait of Anian.
II is true that strait opens about degree north Of
the mouth of his strait and as it winds about in all
directions it is easy for ingenious person to Disco
yer therein Its identity with the meanderngs of the
pilots strait. Mr. GREENHow seems, however, to have
overlooked fact that stamps the whole story as
fable The Hispano-Greek plainly says that, after
sailing out of the South Sea, (he means the Pacific,
through this strait, in foenty days he came into the
North Sea, by which he as plainly means the
Atlantic.
In 1896, under an order from PHILIP III, the
Spanish efforts TO explore this coast were renewed
in an expedition under VIzcAINo; but which pro-
ceeded no further north than the Gulf of Califor
mia. The attempt under fresh royal order, was
renewed in 1902, under the same commander. with
AcuTLAR for his lieutenant. They surveyed with
some accuracy The coast far latitude ~ degrees
From ihatpont VIzoAINo turned back but AcuILAR's
smaller vessel passed Cape Mendocino, and reach
ed in latitude 43 degrees the supposed mouth
OF great river, which they took once again
Though there is none here) for the ideal Straits of
Anian. This voyage ended in l6O3, and with il,
until after the expulsion of the Jesuts from Cali
fornia in 1867, ended the Spanish progress of ex-
ploration beyond that province, which the mission
aries of that order had begun to civze and survey
in 1897.
1t will thus be perceived that, down to the voy-
ages of JUAN PEREZ in 1774, and of Bruno He
cETA in l775, the Spanish discoveries can scarcely
be said to have any sure existence beyond the lat-
tude of 43 degrees north. From that point to 4S
degrees intervene the English claims of DRAKE's
voyage; and, meantime, the Russian expeditions,
beginning from BEHRING'S first in 1878, were max
ing their way southwark. In 174l they had got
down to latitude 40 degrees and Cook, in 177s,
met their establishments at Ounalashka VANcoU-
YER and PoRTLocK and DIXON still further south
As 10 their rights adverse to the Spanish their Min
ister, Mr. PoLETIcA, makes the following citation
/ Moreover, when Don JOSE MARTINEZ was sent in
1889, by the Court of Madrid, to form an estab
lishment on Vancouver's island, and TO remove
foreigners from thence, under the pretext that all
that coast belonged to Span he gave not the least
disturbance TO the Russian colonies and nayiga
: tors yet the Spanish Government was not igno
rant of their existence, for this very MARTINEZ
had visited them the year before. The report
which Capt. MALEsPINA made Of the results of his
voyage proves that the Spaniards very well knew
of the Russian colonies; and in This pery reporf
is seen that The Court of luadrid ackao,oledged
that Hs possessions upon The coast of HE Pacific
: Ocean ought NOT 10 erfendfo the north of Cane
Blanc, taken from The point Of Trinity, situated
under az degrees 80 minutes north Lfifude. -
american State Papers, Foreign Relations, vol.
~, p. s6l.)
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