East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1920-09-23

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While Francis Drake had been off
our Oregon coast just two centuries
before Cooks appearance his lead was
not followed up by his countrymen as
Cooks was destined to be to the dis
comfNure of Spanish operations, on
our western shores. on Cooks
cruise northward, at intervals, alons
shore. he named capes Perpetua, Foul
weather and Flattery on the Oregon
and Washington coasts. He entered
Nootka Sonnd anchoring in what he
called Friendly Cove. He there re-
paired his vessels and obtained fun
supplies of water. wood. fish. grass
and spruce beer" He happened also
TO purchase a supply of beaver skins
from the natives. "holding no Thoughts
at the time of using them to any other
advantage than converting them TO
purposes of clothingg." He found a
market for them in China at the rate
of 500 for what cost him pence
sterling. Intelligence of the opportu-
nifty for profit demonstrated in that
transaction was passed along. reach
ing first the English merchants oper-
Iating in China and India. but arriving
in due time at the centers of foreign
trade of England and America. John
Ledyard. an American. who had been
a sailor with Cooks expedition was
particularly active in ecanvassing the
matter and was probably largely in
stramental in getting the company OF
Boston merchants to dispatch so
promptly the Columbia and Washing
ton under Kendrick and Gray.
This economic lure OF prodigious
profit in fur trade with the natives on
the northwest coast soon made Moot
ka sound. with its inviting conditions
for shelter and refreshments, a great
In 1855 came the first ship to trade
for furs. an English vessel from Chi
ma. The next year six additional Eng
lish vessels arrived. two from Bengal.
two from Bombay. and two. direct
from England. During the summers
following, this volume of
along the. coast wasamain-
taiaed. The individual participants
would chakGe,, As a cargo was accum-
ulated the vessel would proceed to its
market in China and possibly load
there with tea for its; homeward hound
cargo. Meanwhile new recruits. would
be lured into theszgame. s..y-s.a.i N, (.
In 17ss the AMERICAN ships. Colums
oia and Lady Washington sent out by
Boston merchants and commanded by
Iohn Kendricki and Robert Gray. ar
rived on the. coast. They. passed the
following winter in, Nootka sound and
we're on the scene as interested spec
ators of the complications that were
20 follow, and possibly, had no small |
ri =
IT. Martinez. to the suspicious attitude
through which the trouble developed |
'etween him and CoInett and other |
English captains as they arrived with |
heir craft at the entrance of the har-
'or. AT any rate, the factors in the \
ituation were such as we shall see \
pened an opportunity which Yankee
hrewdness with a little sharp prac-
ice could utilize toward putting diff
iculties in the way of a competitor in
rade.
Looking atathe situation as a whole |
s it was. developing during these
ater eighties of the 18th centuries at /
Sootka sound through the profit lure
4 the fur trade with the natives. we /
ee the rights of Spain based on prior
iscovery of this coast completely ig- |
lored. In 1888. the Spanish authori- |
les, having been through the reports
f the returning French explorer. La i
'erouse. apprised of the fact that the
russians were fast encroaching from /
he north, sent out Martinez and Haro
n the Princesa and San Carlos to in
estigate. Martinez and Haro visited
he Alaska regions and reported that
he Russians intended to found a set
ement at Nootka and also that Eng
sh traders were active along the
nast. Consequently, Martinez and
[aro were sent back in 1889, equip
ed to establish a post there and to as
srt Spanish sovereign jurisdiction
YER the region before it should be ta-
en- possession of by any foreign pow
In the spring and early summer of
7S9, the time was ripe for q denoue-
lent at this rendezvous of traders of
val nations in Nootka Sound. Mar
nez as the representative of His
athoiic Majesty was there to take ex-
usive possession on the traditional
asis of priority of discovery and he
as fittingly equipped. English sea-
len representing different commercial
nterprises plying their vocation as
lT tFduefS were dFrlNlHB. 1nelF u0-
sputed freedom of ingress and egrcss
nd English expansion on this coast
ievitable friction. 1t is now
place to show how the train was :
id for the explosion at Nootka in the
immer of 1889. =
In 1888 a company of English mer- /,
1ants at Bengal, India. fitted out two |
lips, one of which was the Iphigenia. =
hey were put under the command of /,
1hn Mearles and William Douglas H.
In order to evade excessive port ;,
iarges in China. and also to obviate
Ie necessity of obtaining licenses
ON the East India and South Sea
says Bancroft, lone Ca !,
llho, Portuguese, was made nomi- =
ally partner in the Meao the vessels a
ere furnished Portuguese flags, pa :
srs. and captains. All of these were !
be used as occasion might demand. =
ther in Chinese ports or in case of Z
EMBARRASSING meetings with British \
.ssels, where the real commanders !
ould appear in the Portuguese ver-
on of the ships papers as super car =
,es." Furthermore. it was provided ;,
at in case of real trouble with any =
ey should. as victors, take possession =