The Northwest Coast: British Navigation, Trade, and Discoveries to 1812

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: Univ of British Columbia Pr, 1992. Hardcover. Very Good/As New. 8vo - over 7 in- 9 in Tall. Hard cover, dust jacket. Finr/ fine. Illustrated. 280 pages. The Canadian northwest coast, home to aboriginal peoples for thousands of years, became a player in British imperialism when Captain James Cook arrived at Nootka Sound in 1778. Cook's discovery of the sea-otter population along the coast initiated the maritime fur trade, which, in turn, led to feverish competition involving several nations (especially Britain, Russia, and the United States) as well as to the celebrated rivalry of Spain and Britain for Nootka. Britain's determination to push its commercial interests, coupled with its timely and adroit use of naval power, secured British claims to dominion and rights to trade along the northwest coast. By 1812, a toe-hold of the British empire was established and the aboriginal way of life was irrevocably shattered. Based on fresh researches into known manuscripts and printed works on Pacific trade and exploration, "The Northwest Coast" adds to existing knowledge of European exploration and discovery of the area. It documents the interaction, often violent, between British sailors and aboriginal people; it depicts many of the rivalries between mariners; it examines various claims to the discovery of the Northwest Passage; and its explains the changing motives of the British government when dealing with Spain's attempt to keep Nootka as the northern bastion of the Spanish empire. Barry Gough also outlines the entrepreneurial activities of Peter Pond and provides information on the westward expansion of the major fur-trading companies. The extensive use of quotations from, and references to, the journals and correspondence of, among others, Cook, Vancouver, and Meares provides a keen insight into the motives and attitudes of the early British explorers and, in addition, gives access to ethno-historical information. "Barry M. Gough is a professor in the Department of History at Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario.".