CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 15 



In 1778, Captain Cook, sent by the English Government, ^'""k, Voyage 

 readied the American coast of the Xorth Pacific with two ocean, \776-im, 



vessels. London. 1874. 



In pursuance of his instructions, he explored the coast 

 from about 44° of north latitude as far as the region of 

 Prince William Sound and Cook Eiver or Inlet, taking- 

 possession of the coasts there. At Cook Inlet he found 

 evidence of Eussian trade but no Russians. At Unalaska, 

 one of the Aleutian Islands, he again heard of the Rus- 

 sians, and on the occasion of a second visit met Russian 

 traders. From Unalaska he jailed eastward to Bristol J^ay, 

 landing and taking possession. From this he ex])lored, 

 and defined the i)osition of the American coast northward 

 as far as Icy Cape, be.yond Behring Strait. 



Cook was killed in the following winter at the Sandwich 

 Islands, but his ships, under Clarke, returned in 1779 and 

 made further explorations in Behring Sea and in the Arc- 

 tic Ocean. 



Under this expedition, and for the first time, the 

 16 main outlines of the north-western part of the Con- 

 tinent of America, and particularly those of the coast 

 about Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet, witli the 

 eastern coast of Behring Sea, were correctly traced. 



This expedition also opened up the trade by sea in furs 

 from the north-western part of America to China. 



Cook's surveys still remain in many cases the most 

 authentic: and these, with other results of the expedition 

 were published in full in 1784. 



In 177'J. another officially accredited Spanish expedition Alaska, pp. 

 under Arteaga and Quadra, explored part of the coast "-^^"^^^■ 

 northward from about latitude 5i)'^, and westward to Mount 

 St. Elias- 



I»i 1783, the first attempt was made, following Cook's ibid., p. isg. 

 discoveries, to establish a Russian trading ])ost on the 

 American mainland, at Prince William Sound. It ended 

 disastrously. 



For some years after this reverse only one small vessel n.ui., i.. i9i. 

 was disf)atched from Siberia for trading purposes; but in 

 1784, Shelikof visited Unalaska and reached Kadiak Island, ibia., ]). 224. 

 with the intention of effecting a permanent occupation 

 there. 



In 1785, Captain Hanna entered into the trade l^etween ^^J^^°^c™^*;.^^^i8- 

 the uorth-west coast of America and China, for which west coast, voi! 

 Captain Cook's expedition had shown the way. He made ^•pp-^^^-^'^** 

 a second voyage in the following year, but appears to have 

 confined his trading operations to the vicinity of the north- 

 ern part of Vancouver Island. Other commercial adven- 

 turers were, however, practically contemporaneous with 

 Hanna, and this year is an important one in connection 

 with the whole region. 



The " Captain Cook" and "Experiment," from Bombay, Alaska, p. 243. 

 traded at Nootka and at Prince William Sound. 



An English vessel, the "Lark," Captain Peters, from saucrs account 



of Billing's expe- 

 dition, London, 

 * This work will be referred to tbroughout these jiages by the short 1802, pp. 279, 281. 

 tille ot " North-west Coast." 



