to year. And yet Spain failed to move again until the year 1774, only two years prior to the Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia. In that long interval of inertness, which can only be explained by Spain's surfeit of gold and plunder from Mexico and Peru, we find no more of other European powers to take advantage of the opportunity. But in 1773 the Spanish government moved by the reports that the Russians were not only making settlements on the east coast of Siberia, but were taking possession of the seal islands on the west coast of America, organized a strong expedition to set sail in 1774, with chaplainsmissionaries to the heathen, surgeons to battle with the scurvy, and eighty men to man the ship and fight the enemies if necessary, with a years supplies, left Monterey, California, to take possession of the whole coast of North America, north of California clear up to the point where the Russians might possibly have made an actual settlement. This expedition was under the command of Juan Perez, who proved himself an able seaman and capable commander. Perez was instructed by his government to go north to the sixtieth degree of north latitude and take possession and explore the whole coast to that extent. It seems certain from his report that he reached 55 degrees north before turning back, and at which point he had friendly intercourse and much trade with the Indians. At one time there were twenty-one canoes with over two hundred Indians around his ship with dried fish and furs to barter for knives, iron, beads and other trinkets. This expedition practically surveyed the whole coast from what is now the southern boundary of Alaska down to the California line; and as far as any rights can attach to the mere finding or discovery of new lands Perez had made good the title of Spain to the whole coast from the California line up to Alaska.
Determined to make good the claim to the northwest coast, Spain followed up the voyage of Perez with another the next year under the command of Bruno Heceta, with four vessels, chaplains, missionaries, one hundred and six men and supplies for a year. They left Monterey on May 21st, 1775, coasted northerly and made their first landing July 14th, 1775 on the coast of what is now Jefferson County in the state of Washington about seventy-five miles south of the entrance to the Straits of Fuca. Here Heceta erected a cross and took possession of the country in the name of the king of Spain. And this was the first time European people had set foot on the coast of old Oregon, and made proclamation and record of intent to hold the land. From this point Heceta coasted southward and on August 17th, discovered a bay with strong currents and eddies, indicating the mouth of a great river or strait. The place was subsequently named by the Spaniards, Ensenada de Heceta, and which has been identified as the mouth of the Columbia river.
We have now given all of the Spanish exploration of the northwest coast as is necessary to show the title by right of discovery. It must be admitted that it was a right founded wholly on the consent of other nations, who were in the same business of claiming everything in the real estate line they could find, that had not already been appropriated by others. When we consider the character of the ships those old mariners went to sea in, and braved all the dangers of the deep, it would seem that they were entitled to something better than wild land that had no appreciable value. One of the ships, not, however, entitled to be dignified as a ship, (with which Heceta made that voyage along the northwest coast in 1775,) was only thirty six-feet long, twelve feet wide and eight feet deep. What would the sailors of today say if asked to go upon a voyage along an uncharted coast for a year, where there was no help except from savage Indians, in case of misfortune. It was just about the time Heceta and his men were beating around among the rocks of Destruction island and fighting the Indians of Mount Olympus on the Washington coast, when General Warren and the continental militia were pouring hot shot into the British at Bunker Hill. There were fighting men and heroes in those days on both sides of America.
