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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1884)
.378 THE WEST SHORE. tho Unprotected commerce of Hint, nceim. Tlmv wnll If now the value of the cargo carried in the unarmed galloons from tho Philippines. At Inst, unublo t) find the Straits of Aniun, tlmy invaded tho Pacific by tho dreaded Straits w it . .. . . ot Magellan, ami tlie security of Spanish shipping m the Houtli Sea vanished forever. Tho pioneer of this plundering bund was Francis Drako, an English sonmiin of much renown, a daring spirit and oxjcrt mariner. With throe vessels lie thus paHsod into tho Pacific upon a mission of plunder. One of these was wrecked soon after passing through the strait; another returned to Enirlnnd: while with his one remaining ship Drnko sailed up tho coast, scattering mrror and devastation among tho Spanish shipping and levying contributions in tho defenceless ports. Tho East Indian galleon, with its precious cargo, foil into his hands olT tho California coast; and then, with his vessel loaded with plunder, ho sailed northward to search for the Strait of Anian, intending to pass through them into tho Atlantic and thus roach England by a new route. By doing this ho would avoid a combat with a Spanish fleet which ho had every reason to expect would be lying in wait for him at tho Strait of Magellan. He failed utterly to find nny such passage, though how thoroughly ho searched tho coast is unknown; and even tho extent of his voyage to tho north is a matter of much dispute. By Home authorities it is given as latitudo 41) degrees, ami by others 4S degrees. To this lattor opinion all English writers hold, while American historians favor the former, and tho reason for udopting their separate opinions is not such an ono as should actuate tho true historian. If Drake di.l not proceed leyond latitudo 43 degrees, tlien ho made no further progress north than di.l tho Spaniard Ferrelo thirty-fivo yonrs before, and was not entitled to tho honor of discovering any new region on tho IVifio Coast. In that event England's claim to Oregon by right of discovery was without foun dation, since prior to any subsequent English voyago along the oast several Spanish exedition8 constod it wh.de length ns far as Alaska. If ho reached latitudo 48 degrees, on tho contrary, then England's title by right of discovery was undeniable. Such being the case, and the SNunsh title to Oregon having Leon acquired by the Viutod SUites by purchase and treaty, tho reason for the historians of tho two countries enpousing different sides, without much reference to tho truth of tho matter, can be rvadily Hrceivel Two account- of the voyago were puhliHhod, thus fur rushing the foundation for the controversy, and neither of Uuw narrative boars either internal or external evi denco of complete reliability. There may well be a dif fereuoe of opinion; but tho fact that this difference is drawn on uahoiml lines suggestive 0f bias and a lack of IW qualities which mark tho true historian. One of them wa. publnd.ed by Richard HLlUyt, the celebrated gopher of those times, in a volume embodying the result- of all previous voyage, of exploration, and is said to U the product of Francis lVtty, one ot Drake', crew, though English author, claim it to have been! written by Hukluyt himself from accounts of the voya related to him some time before, and thns subjed l grievous errors. The other account is one which was published by a nephew of Drake seventy years after the voyage waB completed, and long after every soul who had participated in it had passed to his final account; thug there was no living witness who could dispute the wildest and most reckless statement the compiler might be led to make in his eagerness to establish his relative's position as discoverer of New Albion, the name Drake hod be. stowed upon California. The notes used in preparing this volume were credited to the Rev. Mr Fiti.. chnplain of the expedition, and it must be said that in some respects lie was the most magnificent liar that ever undertook to deceive an audience absolutely ignorant of the subject with which he dealt The regions visited were entirely unknown, and the world was prepared to believe anything of this region, of which new wonders were constantly being revealed. Revl Mr. Fletcher seems to have realized this, and imnroved his onnortnnitu- wot the fact that his notes contain what are known to be willful misstatements is not proof that in this one in stance he was not correct, or that his notes were altered by the compiler to read 43 degrees instead of 43 degrees. His want of veracity is, of course, a Dresumntion mminst K O " his statement in this particular; but it will require some- tiung more authentic than the alleged narrative of Francis Pretty to establish their innccuracy beyond dis pute. When the whole mntter is reviewed impartially, the mind naturally leans toward the theory of 43 degrees, without, however, feeling completely satisfied that it is the true one. In the nature of thinua this controversy can never be settled, and Drake and Ferrelo will ever bear the divided honor of the discovery of Oregon. Having been forced back along the coast by adverse winds, he entered a small bay near latitude 38 degrees, where he cast anchor for thirtv-sii dAvn. It was. nutil recent times. BUDDOsed that thin linrW nu Sun Fran. cisco Bay, the name helping to support the idea with the uniinuKing. fco far from giving it the name of this English O V U V 1IU1(II UO Tf UU A W V MJ VlV-' eretl many years later, thus christened it in honor of I.- r ii . . .... . - . 1 rancis, ine tutelar saint of the Franciscans. Sir t rancis Drake was the reverse nf a mint in Kiuiniuh evp. and even hail they named it in his honor, they would have been certain to associate with it some title more in har mony with their estimation of his character. Drake was in search of the fabulous Straits of Anian, and that be lav thirtv-Hir lnva ;n c.. t.. :n..nt ovon j w.j o u utu i inuuiKU xnj hhu"m - attempting to explore the connecting bays of San Pablo O..! i At .... i - ciuiun, aua me great navigable rivers discharging into them. , .uh.iiu.owj UlUUUItUlt? HQ J W j credence. There is no positive testimony to support the dea, and the contrary is proven as nearly as purely nega tive testimony can prove anything. It is generally con- cwea by historians that Drake's harbor of refuge wai the one lying just north nt tb r.0,1n nb n.l known as "Drake's Bay." It ia in speaking of this place that Uiaplain Fletcher displays his abilities as a romanoer.