Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/334



207

Aiid so this couclusion gives a clear field to consider what nation had the title to the vast region of old Oregon under the facts hereinafter stated.

On the 25th of January, 1774, about two and a half years before the American Declaration of Independence, the Spanish sloop of war, Santiago, sailed from San Bias, Mexico, under command of Lieut. Juan Perez. The Spanish viceroy in Mexico directed Perez to sail northward along the Ore- gon coast up to sixty degrees of north latitude; which would be a few miles above the extreme southern limit of the present United States territory of Alaska. And from that point Perez was directed to survey the coast southward to Monterey (now in California), and landing at convenient places take pos- session of the same in the name of the King of Spain. Under these orders Perez sailed with the king's ship, and the king's men on June 16th, 1774. On the 13th of July, he made the land in fifty-four degrees north (now known as Queen Charlotte's Island), and named the point Cape Santa Margarita — the Cape North of our geography — then rounded the north point of the island and sailed into Dixon's Channel. From this point Perez turned south, coasting along the shore and trading -with the natives. On the 9th of August he made ' the land on the west coast of Vancouver Island at the point known as Nootka Sound. From Nootka Sound again coasting southward, the pilot claimed to have seen what is recognized now as the opening to the Straits of Fuea, and still further south made out, and named Mount Olympus, passed Cape Men- docino and the Oregon coast August 21st, and reached Monterey on August 27, 1774.

On the return of Perez, the Mexican viceroy decided to send another expedi- tion to the north, and made preparations to send the schooner Senora along with the Santiago, giving to Captain Bruno Heceta the command of the Santiago, and to Angala the command of the little schooner. This expedition sailed from San Bias for the north, and on June 10, 1775, made a landing on the coast in an open roadstead at forty-one degrees, ten minutes north, a little below the present south boundary of Oregon. Here they spent nine daj's and claimed the country for Spain. Again sailing north, the expedition made land the second time at forty-eight degrees, twenty -six minutes north, which is a little south of the en- trance to the Straits of Fuca. From this point they cruised southward looking for the straits. On the 14th of Jul,y, in latitude forty-seven degrees, twenty min- utes north, which is a little north of Gray's Harbor in the state of Washington, seven men of the crew of the Senora in their only boat landed on the mainland to get fresh water and were overpowered by the natives and all killed ; and the schooner itself was surrounded by hundreds of Indians in canoes who made un- successful attempts to board her. Here Heceta desired to return to California, but was overruled by Perez, Bodega and Maurelle, and the expedition again sailed northward, making their next landing at forty-nine degrees, and thirty minutes north, which is thirty miles north of the present north boundarj' of the United States, but being on the west side of Vancouver Island, is still on Brit- ish territory. From this point Heceta turned southward, and at about forty-six degrees and ten minutes, discovered a great bay, July 17, 1775. On account of the currents and eddies, setting out seaward, he could not enter it with his ship, but recorded the event in his log book as "The mouth of some great river, or a passage to another sea." This was the mouth of the Columbia river, and