The Nootka Affair

Dominic Vautier
9/17/18

In the latter part of the 1700s there were no less than four countries that had strong interests in the northwest part of North America.  Abundant opportunities lay in exploring, trading, determining fishing rights, and establishing fir trading settlements. It was a country rich in sea otter, beaver and foxes, thick abundant forests, lakes, fresh water and excellent soil. It was mostly unclaimed land, or I should say correctly, claimed by everybody that came there that wanted to claim it, ignoring the idea it was already long occupied by many indigenous peoples.  The Spanish had made several early explorations along the coast of northern California, and sailed up the west coast of North America discovering the Straight of Juan de Fuca, the entrance to Puget Sound and the much larger straight of Georgia as well as many if the smaller islands just inland from the straight itself.  Soon after that the British sent a scientific expedition under the leadership of George Vancouver to seek out the mysterious and illusive Northwest Passage, but more likely intending to claim land and investigate the practicality of fir trading settlements and the ability to establish trade with the Indians.  There were also the Russians coming from the west and north that sent a number of independent traders and began to map and occupy portions of Alaska.  Late to the scene were the Americans who had only a few ventures there, one Robert Gray for example, who was simply trading firs and accidentally stumbled upon some discoveries along the way, such as the Columbia River and Gray’s Harbor.

The straight of Juan de Fuca, also called the straight of Anian by the British, referred to the entrance to Puget Sound and the much larger straight of Georgia lying just to the north.  It was first discovered by the Spanish in the 1770s but they were not very aggressive in mapping the region.  Early voyages by Francisco Elisa and Manual Quimper under the command of Bodega y Quadra crept along the British Columbian coast naming the San Juan Islands.  But it turns out they were quite unwilling to venture down beyond Admiralty Inlet to the south which seemed of little value and obviously did not hold any prospect for a Northwest Passage (Bown, 25).  Besides the area past Admiralty Inlet contained many obstacles, snags and sand bars, an apparent useless snarl of rocks and coves, and appeared to present no possibility of good harbor.

Captain Cook made an attempt to sail into the straight but was so severely hampered by storms that he turned back.  His first mate remarked that the place should be called the “Straight of Wanna Puka” (Horowitz, 32).  Besides, Cook's mission was the exploration of Alaska and the discovery of the Northwest Passage.  Some years later Captain Vancouver was sent on a purely scientific mission to map precisely the northwest coast of America.  He was a meticulous man and spent a full two years from 1794 to 1796 carefully mapping the Puget Sound area in much detail as well as laying English claim to just about everything he found (Bown, 130).  Justly so, He left an abundance of English place names; Bellingham, Everett, Gardner Bay, Elliott Bay, Whidbey Island, Mount Baker and of course Puget Sound itself in honor of Peter Puget. A few years later Alexander Mackenzie came overland from Canada exploring much of the area around British Columbia and the Fraser River.  This happened more than 10 years before Lewis and Clark even appeared, and they had no mission there other than one of observation.

Nootka Bay is a fairly insignificant spot on the western side of Vancouver Island.  Not much is there today, just a few vacation cabins and some stores but it wasn’t always like that.  In the 1780s it was a bustling port used by all comers to trade furs with the local Indians and for refitting ships (Bown, 62).  Explorers used the port frequently to refit for the hazardous trip north to Alaska and northern Canada and to gather provisions.  In practice it was considered an “open port” but the Spanish had a way different idea.

Spain had long since been in the habit of laying preposterous claim to vast territories.  Balboa who discovered the Pacific Ocean boastfully proclaimed complete ownership of that ocean and all the shores it touched, somewhat a flight of imagination but actually a concept believed and followed by Spain.  Spain did not consider any port “open” especially Nootka since they were the first to discover it so no other nation had any right to be there.  This credo of mare clausum (Bown, 80) had long been a sore sport to other seafaring countries who believed that it was a common practice and accepted courtesy that all ports should be open or considered mare liberum to any and all nations except in time of war.

In 1789 captain Martinez sailed north with orders to re-establish control of Nootka harbor. Upon his arrival he captured several British ships at anchor and sent them south to San Blas loaded with British prisoners.  This whole incident sparked a much larger issue about “open” ports.  To the British, Russians and Americans all ports were open to other nations and it was a good time to teach the Spanish a lesson about freedom of passage and world trade.

By 1790 word of the nefarious Spanish action had finally trickled into London and the Crown was furious, demanding return of all citizens and compensation for such an ignominious breach of national propriety.  The Spanish refused to deal continuing to claim their exclusive port rights.  By April of that year (Bown, 78) the British began mobilization of its fleet, impressment of all available sailors, and increase production of war materials. Spain, realizing its total vulnerability turned to France for help.  France was in the early stages of revolution and declined.  Moreover the Dutch and Prussia, after years of continuing annoyance threw in with the British. Spain, realizing that any war against such odds was hopeless, went to the bargaining table. This resulted in the Nootka Sound Convention which basically established that all ports were “open” ports.  It also virtually excluded Spain from all further activity in the northwest unofficially limiting them to 40 degrees north latitude.  Although the United States did not take part in the treaty, our country profited greatly because the majority of ships trading in the area after 1790 were American.

It was well over 30 years later that president John Quincy Adams negotiated a boundary change with Great Britain extending the 49th parallel to the Rocky Mountains.  Later, he was also able to deal favorably with the Russians in 1824 and set the southern boundary of Alaskan expansion at 54 degrees 40 minutes, thus excluding that country from any further involvement in the Oregon Territory.  At the same time the Adams-Onis treaty with Spain once and for all set the southern boundary of the Oregon territory at 42 degrees north, which is the present north boundary of California, thus also excluding any Spanish involvement whatsoever north of that latitude (Borneman, 155).  It is unlikely that Spain really cared one way or the other about Adams-Onis because they had been in an 11 year civil war with Mexico for independence which lasted from 1810 to 1821, a long and drawn-out war.  Whatever input Mexico had at the time remains to be seen. When Mexico finally won its independence it was probably too weak to do much about its northern border.

By 1825 the Oregon Territory was clearly defined and well mapped, bounded on the north by 54 degrees 40 minutes, on the south by the 42nd parallel, on the east by the continental divide and on the west by the ocean.

The Oregon territory was therefore claimed by only two countries, Britain and America.  Albert Gallatin, secretary of state under John Quincy Adams had the difficult job of trying to negotiate some sort of treaty (Borneman, 155).  Quincy Adams realized that there were only three really good harbors on the pacific, San Francisco, San Diego, and Puget Sound.  He was not about to give up that fine northern harbor at any cost, even though the British held firm claim to it.  After a gruesome and destructive war from 1812 to 1815 between the two countries, neither was much for continuing and extreme alternatives such as another war over Cascadia so the two countries signed the Anglo-American Convention Treaty of 1818 (Bown, 222) which provided joint occupancy for ten years.  Nine years later the treaty was about to expire.  After much more haggling the treaty was then extended and a sort-of joint occupation was to continue indefinitely, even though British jurisdiction had been established by that time in the Cascadia region.  The agreement could be terminated at any future time but required either country to give a one year notice.  Their horns were now locked. Whenever and whoever gave that notice was to introduce destabilization to the region and could very easily lead to yet another grisly war.

Seeing the Elephant