, 1860-02-10
THE COAST TRIBES OF WASHINGTON TERRITORY


Port 7ornSend, on Monday erening, Jan. 9Th,
by James G.. Sean
Mr.. James &. Swan, the author Of The North
west Coast; or, Three Years in Washington
Territory" delivered an interesting lecture at
Port Townsend, before the Dashaway or Moral
Reform Society Of that town, on the evening Of
the 9th of January last The great length Of
the lecture prccludes our giving it entire but we
give the following extracts
The early history Of Washington Territory,
from the time the old Greek pilot, Juan de Fuca,
discovered the straits which still bear his name,
down to tho period when the HudsOn's Bay Com
pany had the exclusive and entire control Of the
country of the Columbia, has been almost wholly
connected with incidents upon the coast.
The first record OF any discovery connected
with our own immediate territory, is the mention
of Juan de Fuca; who, during the spring of
1891, was pilot to three small ships or caravcls,
which the vicerOy Of Mexico sent from Mexico,
with one hundred men, to discover the straits Of
| Anan, which were supposed to form cOmmu-
nication between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The expedition, however, failed by reason Of a
mutny, aud the vessels returned. The vicerOy,
however, again sent DC Fuca the following year
| Q5g2) with q small caravel and pinnace having
only sailors on board, and this time he was sue
ccs>iul having, as he says, discovered broad
inlet of sea near the 4Sth parallel Of north ati-
tude, into which he entered and sailed more than
twenty days; but not being able to resist Che
| force Of the slvagcs, he returned and reached
Acapulco in the fall Of the same year Q5029
| From the time Of Juan dc Fuca's discovery, q
long period Of intestine troublCs prevented Spain
| from making any further exertionS towards ex-
tending her sovereignty on the northwest coast
But after the peace vi 1868, she returnCd with re-
newcd energy to the enterprise Of further ex-
ploratonS.
An department, called the marine depart.
ment of San Bias" was established in Mexico, rs.
pecially charged wit making explorations and
| taking possession Of the territory on the north
west coast.
Under this new regime, Juan Perez sailed
from San Bl IS in the corvette Santiago, on the
25th Of January, IVA; but, the weather prov
ing strong, he did not make land till the Sth OF
July, when he discovered the west side Of Queen
Charlottg's Island, naming the north point Cape
Margarita, now called Cape North, at the en-
trance to DiXon's Channel
On the 9th Of August, Perez again made land,
having stccrcd southwark, and discovered deep
bny. to which he gave the name Of Port Lorenzo,
which four years al,erw Glus received from Capt
Corl. ths l,arnc Or \ otEa, which it still bears.
From NoOtka the 81 aards sailed south, nam
ing the various cHpes and mountains as they
passed.
Cape Flattery was called Cape Martinez, and
the Olympic range the Sierra dc Santa Kosalla.
Immediately after the return Of Perez, the vice.
roy retitted the SaRtiagO and placed her under
the command Of Capt Bruno Hcceta. She was
accompanied by a small schooner called the So
nora, under command Of Lieut.. Juan francisco
de Ia Bodega Quadra, who is mentioned in his
tory sometimes as BOdcga, and at others IS
Quadra The vessels sailed from San Bias on
the 18th Of March, 1875, stopping at Trinidad
Port, which they nanedj and proceeding north,
came to anchor about the middle Of July at Point
Grenville. Here they were attacked by the
Qucniult Indians, and seven men killed. The
Spaniards then named the place Punta de Mar
tires, or Martyrs Point
They were also attacked by the Quillehuytes
at Destruction Island, which they named lsla de
DOlores-lsle Of Sonora
Twelve years after this event, some Of the crew
Of the Austrian ship Imperial Eagts, Of Ostend,
were massacred at the same place, and the island
was then named by the captain Destruction ISL
and which name II still bears.
These revcrses caused the SpaniardS to SCI a-ate,
lleceta proceeding south, and Quadra continuing
the original voyage northward
On the 18th day Of August, Heceta discovered
an opening in the coast from which rushed u cur
rent Of water so strong to prevent his entering
it This was in lat. 46o II, and was the frst dis
cOvery of the river aitcrward entered by Gray
and named by him the Columbia. The river was
named BY Heceta Rio de San Rogue. The north
cape was also called San Rogue, and the south
cape Frondoso. The capes are now called cape
Disappointment and cape or Point Adams
The next expedition was that Of Capt. Cook,
the great navigator, who arrived on the coast on
the 7th Of March, 1878, and moving north, found
himself off cape Martinez on the 22d OF the same
month, Cook then changed the name Of the
cape to Cape Fattcry, which name it has borne
ever since.
In 1856 the fur traders began to increase in
the north Pacific, and the voyages Of Hanna,
Peters, Lowric and Meats arc rOcOfled. On the
9th of July, lTSS, Capt. NJ ars discovered and
named cal . Shoalwater and Shoalwater Bay, and
on the same day he gave the name Of cape D.s'
appointment to the north cape Of the Coumb
river, which had been named by the Spanish
Captain Hrceta, Cape San Rogue.
Mears was in command of the ship FStiee, n
vessel belonging to Macao, and sailing under the
Portuguese colony. He brought with him
party Of some twenty five Chinese, and COM
menccd building small schooner named the
N0rthfsSt ASaeFicd at NoOtka Sound, on the
shore of Friendly Cove, near the village Of Ma
qnilla, the chief Of the surrounding country.
At this time the Nootka tribe were very pow
erful, and brother Of Maquilla, named Tattoo
chatacus, was chief Of the country around Fuca
straits. This chief gave Mcars the exclusive
trade Of the country bordering on the straits,
which he named Tatooche in honor Of chief
The schooner NOrthtcest America was launched
about the end Of July, 1888, and was sent to the
Sandwich Islands The Cinnamon, however,
mostly remained, and intcrmarried with tho
Indians. The almond.sllsped eyes that many Of
the coast Indians have were probably introduced
by these Cinnamon.
The next, and to US the most important expo
ditiOn, was fitted from Boston, aud sailed from
that port on the 3Oth Of September, 1857. It