The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1846-02-07
Vol. III.

sing through these straits, supposed he
had reached the Atlantic, and had dis
covered tie passage SO long and SO an
xlously sought after between the two
oceans, but from the total ignorance
and misapprehension which prevailed
at that early day of the geography Of
this portion of North America, it was
natural for him to believe that he had
made this important discovery.
Justice has at length been done to
his memory, and these straits, which
he discovered, will, in all future time,
bear his name. Thus, the merit of the
discovery OF the straits of Fuca, be-
longs to Spain; and this nearly two
centuries before they had been entered
by Captain Berkeley, under the Aus
trian flag.
II is unnecessary TO detaibthe dis
coveries of the Spaniards, as they reg
uIarly advanced to the north from their
settlements on the western coasts Of
North America, until we reach the
voyage of Capt. Juan Perez, in 1774.
That navigator was commissioned by
the viceroy of Mexico to proceed, in
the corvette Santiago, to the Goth de-
gree of north latitude, and from that
point to examine the coast down to
Mexico. He sailed from San Bias on
the 25th January, l774. In the per-
formanae ofthis commission he landed
first on the northwest coast of Queen
Charlotte's island, near the 54th de-
gree ofnor,h latitude; and thence pro-
ceeded south, along the shore of that
island and of the great islands of Quad
ra and Vancouver; and then along the
coast of the continent, until he reached
Monterey. He went on shore and held
intercourse with the natives at several
places; and especially at the entrance
Of hay in latitude 49i degrees, which
he called Port San Lorenzo-lhe same
now known by the name of Nootka
Sound. In addition to the journals of
this voyage, which render the fact in
contestible. we have the high authority
of Baron Humboldt in its favor. That
distinguished traveller. who had access
to the manuscript documents in the city
of Mexico, states that 'sPerez, and his
pilot Estevan Mantinez, left the port
Of San Bias on the Oath January, IVA.
On the 9th Of August they anchored
1.-THE first of all Euro oean navigators) in
Noolka road, which they called the
port Of San Lorenzo, and which the H.
ustrious Cook, four gers afterwards,
called King Georges sound"
In the next year, (l775,) the vicaroy
of Mexico again fitted out the Santiago,
under the command of Bruno Heceta,
with Perez, her former commander. as
ensign. and also schooner, called the
Sonora, commanded by Juan Francis
CO de la Bodega y Quadra. These
vessels were commissioned to examine
the northwestern coast of America as
far as the 65th degree of latitude, and
sailed in company from San Bias on
the 18th March, l775.
1t is unnecessary TO enumerate the
different places on the coast examined
by these navigators, either in company
or separately. Suffice it to sag, that
they landed at many places on the
coast from the Al st to the 57th degree
of latitude, on all of which occasions
they took possession Of the country in
the name of their sovereign, according
10 a prescribed regulation; celebrating
mass, reading declarations asserting
the right Of Spain to the territory, and
erecting crosses with inscriptions, to
commemorate the event. Some of
these crosses were afterwards found
standing by British navIgators. In re-
lation to these voyages, Baron Hum
boldt says: "ln the following year,
OTIS, after that of Perez,) a second ex-
pedition set out from San Bias, under
the command yf Hecela, Ayala, and
Quadra. Heceta discovered the mouth
Of the Rio Columbia, called it the En-
traca de Heceta, the peak of the San
Jacinto, Mount Edgecomb,) near Nor
folk Bay, and the fine port Of Bucareli.
| possess two very curious small maps,
engraved in 1888, in the city of Mexi-
co, which give the bearings of the coast
from the 9th to the 58th degree Of lat
tude, as they were discovered in the
expedition Of Quadra."
In the face these incontestible facts
he British plenipotentiary says, "that
Capt. Cook must also be considered
he discoverer of Nootka Sound, in con-
sequence Of the want Of authenticity in
he alleged previous discovery of that
,ort by Perez" And yet Cook did not
,ven sail from England until the 18th
Iuly, 1776--nearly two years after
Perez had made this discovery. The
thief object Of Cooks voyage was the
discovery Of q. northwest passage; and
Ie never landed at any point Of the