Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-01-16

the DESCRIPTIONS OIL Ue uCd CoAASsf
curalely with their geography and Inc iac.. Pr
sented by nature upon the ground, that u was u.
longer possible 10 consider his narration as
lous. II is true that the opening OF 'ne ,o,t
from the South lies between the 4Sih and asih pa
rallels of latitude, and not between The .h ai'
4Sth parallels, as he had supposed; but ln's m,.
take may be easily explained by the inaccu,a; !,
SO common throughout the sixteenth ceh.u, -
ascertainng the latitude OF places IN newly 10
covered countries. n,ssire
II is also true that de Fuca, alter Passlns
through these straits, supposed ne mao leauae :,
The Atlantic, and had discovered Inc pass ~,
long and so anxiously sought alter oe1~ee" ~ -,
two oceans; but from The total ignoran.e CIV -,
misrepresentation which prevailed az 'na' NJ vi
day Of The geography OF this pofl'SSn, =. ,hs
America. il was natural Tor nm ~
he had made this important discovery.
Justice has al length been done 10 ms 70,
and these straits which he discovered VIII, W a.
future lime. bear his name. Thus, Inc merN
The discovery OF the straits OF tuca oeaons - :
Spain; and this nearly two centuries peio's 'nI
had been entered by Captain Berkeley unoei ''i'
Austrian flag :.r,,.
II is unnecessary TO detail,hc discoveries OF .hs
Spaniards, as they regularly adVaheeu " ".
North from their settlements on The western
coasts of North America, until we reacn ,h'
voyage of Captain Juan Perez, IN l'ri. ma
navigator was commissioned by the Vlcefoy Q
Mexico 10 proceed in The corvette oan'ldso =
The Goth degree OF North latitude; ana iroui ' IG
point 10 examine The coastdown 10 MeA,co. iie
sailed from San Blanc on The 18Th OF January
l774. In The performance oil this commission
he landed first on The Northwest coast OF Isuee,
Charoes island, near The 54lh degree oi Nolu
latitude; and thence proceeded South along Tie
-, II, ell nd nj The 0Tp1t lSl1uuS o.
Qnadra and Vancouver and then along The coaS
OF The continent, mill he reached Monterey. nc
went on shore and held intercourse with the ma
lives al several places, and especially at iiie en-,
trance Of bay in lat i9l deg, which he cdiieo
Port San Lorenzo-the same now known by lht
name of Noolka Sound. In addition TO the Jour
nails OF This voyage, which render the TACT neon
leslab!e We have The high authority OF Baror
Humboldt in its favor That distinguished tra
WELLER who mad access 10 The manuscript docu'
ments in The city of Mexico, states that Perez
and his pior Esrevan Martinez len The por! Of
San Bias on The 2ith of January, l11I. On nc
9th of August, they anchored (lhe first OF all tu
ropean navigators) in Nootka road, which they
called The port of San Lorenzo, and which the II
Ius,rous Cook, four years al rrards, called hns
Georges Sound"
In the next year, Q775) The viccroy OF Next
co again fitted out The Santiago, und The com
mand Of Bruno Hecela, with Perez, he! former
commander, as ensign, and also schooner, call
cd the Sonora, commanded hv Juan Francisco
de la Bogeda Quadra. These vessels were
commissioned 10 examine the Northwestern coas
Of America as FAR as The 65h degree Of latitude
and sailed in company from San Bias on the l3f
March, l715.
Il is unnecessary 10 enumerale The different pla-
ces on The coast examined by these naviealnrs
either in company or separately. Suffice Il le
say that they landed at many places on The coas
from The iIsl 10 the 57lh degree OF latitude, on al
Of which occasions they took possession OF Inc
country in the name oftheir sovereign, according
10 prescribed regulation; celebrating mass, read
ing declarations asserting the right OF Spain lt
the territory, and erecting crosses with inscrlp
tions, TO commemorate the event. Some OF thest
crosses were afterwards found standing by Br
fish navigaors In relation 10 these voyages
Baron Humboldt says: ain the following year
OTIS, after That OF Perez,) a second expedition
set out from San Bias, under the command o
Heceta, Ayala, and Quadra. Heceta discovered
the mouth of the Rio Columbia, called il the En-
irada de Heceta, the peak OF San Jacinlo, (Moun
Edgecomb,) near Norfolk Bay, and The fine por
Of Bucarei. possess two very curious small
maps engraved in 1873, in the city OF Mexico
which give the bearings of The coast from the 27it
10 the Ssh degree Of latitude as they were disco
veled in the expedition OF Qnadra."
In the face Of these inconestable facts, the Bri
fish pIenipo.enliary says 'thal Capt. Cook mus
also be considered the discoverer OF Nculka
Sound, in consequence Of The want OF aulhentici-
ty in The alleged previous discovery Of that por
by Perez" And vet Cook did not even sail from
England until the 18th July, l776-nearly two
years after Perez had made this discovery. The
chiel object OF Cooks voyage was the discovery
Of northwest passage; and ne never landed a
any point Of The continent south Of Noolka Sound
Ii is true, that in coasing along The continent be-
fore he reached This place, he had observed Cape
Flallcry; but he was entirely ignorant that lhis
was The southern entrance OF The straits OF F'uca
In his journal he admits that he had heard some
account Of The Spanish voyages OF TIA and ITS
before he left England; and il is beyond question
that before his departure, accounts oil the voyage
of Quadra had been published, both in Madrlc
and London From Nootka Sound, Cook did no
again sec land until he reached The 51ih degree o
north latitude.
In 1887 it is alleged BY the British Plen;polen
tary that Captain Berkeley, British subject, dis
covered the straits of Fuca; but these Straits hat
been discovered by Juan de Fuca nearly TWO cen
rurics before Besides, if there had been an.
merit in this discovery Of Captain Berkeley
would have belonged to Austria, in whose scrvic
he was, and under whose colors ne sailed, AM
cannot be appropriated BY Great Britain.
And here il is worthy Of remark, that these dis
coyeries of Cook and Berkeley, in 778 and 1851
are all those on which The British Plenipo,entiar
relies. previous TO The date of the Nootka Scum
Convention in October, l19o, 10 defeat The an
Client Spanish title TO the Northwest coast OF Anne
RIGA. .
Tbe undersigned will now lake postic
which cannot in his opinion, be successfully as
sailed and this is, that no discovery, exploration
or settlement made by Great Britain on tn
Northwest coast oil America, after The date OF III
Nootka Sound Convention, and before il was lei
minated BY III. war of 1876, can he invoked b
that mower in favor OF her own title, or against "a
lille Of Spain. Even according 10 the BrIlls
construction OF that Convention, The sovereign
over The territory was 10 remain III Allowance gu
,ino liz continuance, as well in regard 10 Grea
Rnlain az IN Srain. 1t would, therefore, hav
baen an OMEN violation of faith on the part {
! Great Brilajn alter having seemed The privilege
conferred upon her by the Convention, 10 lur
round apains, her partner and perform any act
calculated 10 dvest Spain OF her ultimate sovt
reipntv over any portion oil the country In
napabIe meaning OF the Convention was, ina
during lis continuance, the rights OF Inc respect
i've parties whatever they may have been, Shout
remain ius! as they had existed at its commence
men.
The Government of Great Britain IS mol JUS
ly cbarpeable with any such breach Of faith
| Canaan Vancouver acted without instructions
in attempting 10 take possession of Inc Who'll
Northweslern coast Of America in the name {
his sovereign. This officer, sent out from Enc
land 10 execute The convention did not carry vii
him any authority 10 violate il in this oulraseou
manner.
Wilhou,rh This treaty, he would have been a mel
intruder; under il, Great Britain had right
make discoveries and surveys, not thereby
acquire tile bul merely &c enable her subject.
select spots the most advantageous, TO use The lar
euage of The convention, "ior the purpose Of ca
rying on their commerce with The natives OF Ii
country, or OF making settlements there"
If this construction Of the Nootka Sound col
vcn,ion he correct-and The undersigned DOC
mol perceive how il can he qucstioned-lhen Val
couver's passage through the straits Of Fnca,
1892, and Alexander Mackcnzie's journey aero
the continent, in 1893, car never be transforms
into elements Of title in favor OF Great Britain
But, even If the underse ned could be mistake
in these positions, it would be easy 10 prove hi
Captain John Kendrick, in The American slot