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The Nootka Sound Controversy

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The Nootka Sound Controversy THE UNIVERSITY Q^F CHICAt}0 Founded by John D./RocfcefeIler / j , OF TORO^ NooTKA Sound ContrT)7Ersy A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND LITERATURE IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Department of History) By WILLIAM RAY MANNING Instructor in History at Purdue University; Fellow of the University of Chicago, 1902 to 1904 WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 190 5 ITbe XHniversitp ot Cbtcago FOUNDED BY JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER THE NOOTKA SOUND CONTROVERSY A DISSERTATION submitted to the faculty of the graduate school of arts and literature in candidacy for the degree of doctor of philosophy (department of history) BY WILLIAM RAY MANNING INSTRUCTOR IN HISTORY AT PURDUE UNIVERSITY; FELLOW OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, 1902 TO 1904 WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1905 XVI. -THE NOOTKA SOUND CONTROVERSY. By WILLIAM RAY MANNING, Ph. D. Instructor in History at Purdue University; Fellow of the University of Chicago, 1902 to 1901,. [The Justin Winsor prize of tiie American Historical Association was awarded to the author of this monograph.] 279 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2014 https://archive.org/details/nootkasoundcontrOOmann — THE NOOTKA SOUND CONTROVERSY. By William Ray Manning, Ph. D. CONTENTS. Page. Chapter I. Introduction ~ 283 II. The English plans for occupying Nootka Sound 386 III. The Spanish plans for occupying Nootka Sound—The conflicting claims before 1789 300 IV. Martinez's operations at Nootka before Colnett's arrival 312 V. The quarrel and the seizure 331 VI. The English prisoners in Mexico 344 VII. Attempts at peaceable settlement 362 VIII. Europe prepares for war 380. IX. England's first demand granted 395 X. America's relations to the controversy 412 XI. The national assembly and the family compact Effect on the negotiation 424 XII. English ultimatum—Spanish defiance 439 XIII. The Nootka Sound convention—Its reception and results . - 450 XIV. Subsequent negotiations and final settlement of the Nootka Sound dispute 463 Bibliography 472 281 Preface. The French revolutionary period contains so much of greater importance that historians have neglected the Nootka Sound incident. Of the few writers who have discussed it, the majority have written from a pai'tisan standpoint, or, if impartial themselves, have drawn their information from partisan pamphlets. The consequence is that many errors regarding it have crept into the work of the best writers. The purpose of this monograph is to give a more extended account, drawn largely from unpublished sources, and to cor- rect as many of the errors as possible. Besides working over the documents that have been pub- lished and the accpunts that have been written, a thorough search has been made in the archives of the Indies at Seville, in the national historical archives at Madrid, and in the Brit- ish Museum and the public record office at London. A less thorough search has been made in the arcliives of foreign affairs at Paris and the archives of the Department of State at Washington. More than 500 pages of unpublished docu- ments relating to the dispute have been transcribed and used. The classified bibliography at the close will make clear the sources of information and their i-elative value. My acknowledgments are due to the following persons for valuable assistance : To my wife, wdio worked with me continually for two and a half months in the Spanish ar- chives and the British Museum, and who has criticised my manuscript and read the proof sheets ; to Prof. J. F. Jameson, whose untiring interest has been a constant source of inspira- tion, and to whose aid and painstaking suggestions are largely due any merits that the monograph may possess; to Prof. A. C. McLaughlin, for research in the archives at Washington; to Prof. F. J. Turner, for manuscripts and other material from his own collection. Besides these, I wish to make special mention of the kindness and assistance of Senor Pedro Torres-Lanzas, director of the archives of the Indies at Seville, and of Senor Vicente Vignau y Bal- lester, director of the national historical archives at Madrid. Chicago, July^ 190J^. 282 Chapter I. INTRODUCTION. Nootka Sound is a small inlet on the western shore of Vancouver Island. It was christened and made known to the world by Captain Cook in 1778. A few years after- wards a flourishing fur trade sprang up between the North- west Coast and China. Nootka became the center of this trade, though it remained for several years without any settlement except an Indian village. On account of its sud- den and growing importance, the Russians, English, and Spaniards all laid plans for occupying the port. It happened that all planned to carry out the project in the year 1789, a year that meant so much for the subsequent history of the world. Though the Nootka incident can make no claim to rank in importance with the great events of that year, yet it was destined to have an influence on the movements then started and to be influenced in turn b}' them. The Kussian plans were not acted upon, but the plans of the other two were. An English expedition from India and a Spanish from Mexico each sailed in the spring of 1789 to establish a colony at Nootka. The promoters of neither knew anything of the other. The Spanish commander arrived first and took possession. Nearly two months later the Englishman came. A quarrel ensued. The Spaniard seized the Englishman, imprisoned him, his officers and crew, and sent them to Mexico as a prize. A consort vessel arrived a few days later and met the same fate. Two other English vessels had been seized earlier. One of them had been released on bond and the other had been confiscated without adjudication. The Viceroy of Mexico, instead of acting on his own responsibility, reported the matter to the (lovernment at Madrid. The Spanish Court complained to the British that 283 284 AMEKICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION. subjects of the latter had violated the territorial sovereignty of the former, and demanded that the offenders be punished to prevent such enterprises in the future. The British Cabi- net rejected the Spanish claim to exclusive sovereignty over the territory in question, and suspended all diplomatic rela- tions until Spain should have offered a satisfactory repa- ration for the insult which His Britannic Majesty felt that his flag had suffered. Each Court refused to grant the demand of the other and stood firmly on the ground origi- nally taken. To support their respective claims, both Gov- ernments made the most extensive armaments. Each nation also called upon its allies for assurances of support and entered negotiations for forming new alliances. For a time it seemed that all Europe Avould be draAvn into Avar over what, on the face of it, appeared to be an insignificant quar- rel between two obscure sea captains. Speaking of the controversy Schoell says that a few huts built on an inhospitable coast and a miserable fortification defended by rocks were sufficient to excite a bloody war be- tween two great European powers and gave birth to a nego- tiation which for several months absorbed the attention of all of the maritime powers of Europe." Similar statements were made by other writers Avithin a few years after the incident.'^ Most historians Avho have touched upon it haA^e either treated it from a partisan standpoint or haA^e con- sidered it of too little importance to merit careful inquiry into the facts.'" But far from being merely a dispute OA^er a fcAv captured vessels and a comparatiA^ely unimportant trading post, it Avas the decisive conflict between tAA^o great colonial j^rinciples, of AAdiich England and Spain Avere, respectively, the expo- nents. Spain still clung to the antiquated notion that the fact of the Pacfic Ocean's haA^ng been first seen by a Span- iard g'cxye his Government a right to all of the lands of the " Schoell, Histoire des Traites de Paix, IV, 112. See Ilnmboldt, Alex, von, Essai I'olitique. II, 460. ^ Oscar Browning, the writer of Chapter X, in Volume VIIT, of the Cam- bridge Modern History, recently published, gives the least prejudiced and most accurate account. However, it is Vv-ry brief. He introduces the inci- dent as an important episode in the foreign policy of Pitt. He says : "An event occurred on the other side of the world which nearly brought about a European conflagration." In prepai'ing his brief discussion he consulted the documents in the public record office. NOOTKA SOUND CONTROVERSY. 285 continent which were washed by it. This fact, added to the gift of the Pope, was sufficient to convince the Spanish mind that Spain had a valid title to the whole of the western coast of both Americas. On the other hand, England had long been acting on the now universally accepted principle that mere discovery is an insufficient title, and that land any- where on the globe not controlled by any civilized nation belongs to that nation Avhicli first occupies and develops it. The controversy is of further importance because of the fact that it tested the triple alliance of 1788 between Eng- land, Prussia, and the Netherlands. It also afforded the occasion for ov^erthrowing the Bourbon family compact of 1761. It marked the end of Spain's new brief period of national greatness, which had resulted from the wise reign of Charles III. It was also the beginning of the collapse of Spain's colonial empire. Duro, one of the leading Span- ish historians of the present, says that it inaugurated a period of degradation disgraceful to Spanish history, and began a series of pictures which cause anyone to blush wdio contemplates them with love for the fatherland." The settlement of the controversy determined the subse- quent position of England and Spain on the Northwest Coast.
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