Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 21.djvu/32

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22 HERBERT INGRAM PRIESTLEY

paper, was secured from the Depo'sito Hidrogra'fico de Madrid by the late Professor Henry Morse Stephens for the Academy of Pacific Coast History. An English translation of the copy has been made by William L. Schurz, sometime Travelling Fellow of the Native Sons of the Golden West. It is of in- terest to note what new light the log sheds upon the motives and actions of the Spanish commander, as compared with the published accounts.

The first discrepancy between the log and the account by Bancroft is seen in the statement from Haswell's Voyage, MS in the Bancroft Library, (Northwest Coast, Vol I, p. 213, note.} that Martinez told Capt. Gray, when he met the latter outside the entrance to Nootka Sound early in May, that he had fitted for his voyage at Cadiz, and then, reshipping with natives of California, had been to Behring Strait, where he had parted from his consort in a gale. The farthest north of the 1789 voyage was 50 26', reached May 2; Haswell prob- ably misunderstood Martinez, who must have been describ- ing his voyage of 1788, to be speaking of his present under- taking. This explains the "strange account" which Bancroft says Martinez gave of himself to Gray and later to Douglas.

On the negative testimony which Dr. Manning adduces from Meares' failure to record whether he had left his house standing or not when he sailed in 1788 from Nootka for Hawaii, the log adds nothing positive, but some negative evidence, for Martinez makes no reference of any kind to any English establishment, or remnant of one, tho' he does make frequent reference to the houses of the natives, which he visited. If any foreign building had been there, he would have seen it, and would very probably have mentioned it.

The story of the log which narrates the controversy over the instructions under which the Iphigenia sailed, is, that these were submitted to Martinez on May 8, when requested, but being long, they were left with him to be copied. It was not until May 13 that Martinez seized the Iphigenia, and on