vastness of our present commerce with the Orient, and the feeling of expectancy with regard to the future-the far East being now the region of ferment, of special developments and world transformations-are added reasons for the present widespread interest in Pacific coast history. But while no spur of any description was needed as an inducement to take up the particular study of which this volume is one result, it was soon discovered that the student of Pacific slope history must labor under many and great disadvantages as contrasted with him who deals with the eastern and middle western sections of the United States. For there is no great library, with elaborate collections of source materials for Pacific coast history, such as Wisconsin has for the entire Mississippi valley or Harvard for the Atlantic slope. Besides the Bancroft collection (which is housed at San Francisco behind barred doors) there is no single library of even approximate completeness. Instead of such a resource one is dependent in this region upon many partial collections, of local or State consequence only, distributed all along the coast from Seattle to Los Angeles. The best of them, probably, are those of the State Library of California at Sacramento, and of the Oregon Historical Society at Portland and Eugene. The first contains a fairly complete list of the printed books relating to early California and a good collection of State newspapers which the library force is making a laudable effort to index. It contains little pamphlet or manuscript material, and like all other libraries of this coast (for all are comparatively new) it is sadly defective in the department of public documents. The State of California is to be commended for its intelligent efforts to render this collection fully available to scholars. The Oregon Historical Society has an unclassified collection of valuable books and pamphlets, a mass of extremely important original records, and a few files of Northwestern newspapers. The collection is the result of a recent movement for the garnering of the materials of Northwestern history. The society, as a part of its activity in this direction, has published several valuable documents of large bulk, notably the Wyeth journals and letters, and also five volumes of the Historical Quarterly. Aside from the collections mentioned, there are less complete ones at all the State university libraries of the region, at Stanford, and at the more important city libraries, notably San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle. The Southern California Historical Society has a collection at Los Angeles, where it also issues its publications, some of which contain important source materials. Hon. C. B. Bagley, of Seattle, has a valuable collection of Washington newspapers; and other private individuals are in possession of rare books and pamphlets which might prove very valuable if placed in public repositories. I have made more or less use of most of the resources mentioned above; but their hopelessly scattered condition has militated strongly against the completeness and unity of the work. The more general phases of the study have. been made possible only by a large use of outside libraries, notably that of the Wisconsin Historical Society, whose officers and employés have rendered valuable assistance in connection with my researches. I am also under special obligations to Mr. C. B. Bagley for the free use of his private collection, and to my colleague, Professor F. G. Young, for placing at my disposal a part of the books and manuscripts of the Oregon Historical Society of which he is the secretary. The many helpful suggestions received from Guy Carleton Lee, the editor of the series, and the courtesies shown me by the publishers, ought here to be acknowledged. JOSEPH SCHAFER. University of Oregon. Struggle for the commerce of the Indies. West Indies. Spanish colonies in Darien. tions. He discovers the South Sea (Pacific). to the American continent. Balboa's coast exploration. Niño reaches the Gulf of Fonseca. Gonzalez discovers Lake Nica- ragua. Mexico the new base of Pacific coast exploration. Cortés takes up the work. He establishes a naval station at Zacatula. Magellan's expedition. The possession of the Spice Islands. The California peninsula discovered. Coro- nado's interior expedition. Ulloa reaches Cedros Island. Alarçon's explorations. Cabrillo explores the coast of Upper California to Monterey. Ferelo probably reaches north to Oregon coast. The conquest of the Philippines. Urdaneta's trans-Pacific and coast expedition. Mexico gains influence in Oriental trade. Vizcaino's explorations of the California coast. Aguilar reaches Cape Blanco. Drake's Pacific expe- dition. He explores interior and takes possession of territory England. Spain's supremacy in America challenged. Le ...re and Schouten discover the Cape Horn route. Spain's colonization efforts on the California peninsula. Jesuits plant first mission at Loreto. Importance of the occupation of the peninsula. Great Britain's American interests menace Spain. Russia a menace from the north. Bering's expeditions. Re- newal of Spanish activity in Mexico and California. Expulsion of the Jesuits. The Franciscans and the new colonization. Expedition to San Diego. Missions at San Diego and Monte- rey. Northern coast expeditions. Perez discovers the Ore- Territorial distribution in 1776. European fear of the ex- pansion of the United States. The Mississippi the western limit. Pushing west the frontier. Carver's explorations. The British quest of a Northwest passage. Hearne discovers Coppermine River. Carver's plan for an eastward search of a passage. Great Britain's 1776 Arctic expeditions east- ward and westward. Cook explores the North Pacific. Reaches Cape Prince of Wales. The beginnings of the fur trade. Ledyard's part in American enterprise. Trade opened with China. Boston merchants begin the fur trade. Kendrick and Gray's trading voyage to the Pacific. Gray discovers the mouth of the Columbia. Trade with the natives. Vancouver's expedition. He fails to discover the Columbia. He surveys the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Vancouver explores the Colum- bia. Seeks to establish Great Britain's claim to territory. III THE LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION. . . 39-53 Jefferson's interest in western exploration. His first sugges- tion of an expedition to the Pacific. Ledyard's plan. His failure to interest Americans. He aims to reach the Pacific by way of Siberia. Sets out instead in an English vessel. Is overhauled and resumes his Siberia plan. Is arrested at Irkutsk. Taken to Poland. Again in London. Under- takes an expedition to the Nile. Dies at Cairo. Armstrong's trans-Mississippi expedition. Michaux undertakes a Pacific expedition. It is frustrated. Congress authorizes an expedi- tion to the Pacific. Lewis appointed to direct it. Clark associated with him. The instructions of President Jefferson. The expedition delayed at Pittsburg. The complement of the party. It enters the Missouri. The course of the expedi- tion. Death of Sergeant Floyd. At the Mandan villages. In camp at Fort Mandan. The Yellowstone reached. to the Falls of the Missouri. At the sources. Following the Lolo trail. From the Clearwater to the Columbia. View of the Pacific. In winter quarters. Back in St. Louis. The |