A work of great rarity, one of the scarcest of Pacific voyages and an important account of this expedition, the last great Spanish exploration of the Northwest coast of America. The atlas volume contains a series of plates of Nootka of great ethnographic importance including two remarkable large folding aquatints, atmospheric depictions of Nootka and its people, one of them the famous quite riotous scene of the festival given by the powerful chief Macuina (Maquinna) to honour his daughter's arrival at puberty, the other a striking double-page view of Nootka, with the Spanish flag flying above the fort.

A work of great rarity, one of the scarcest of Pacific voyages and an important account of this expedition, the last great Spanish exploration of the Northwest coast of America. The atlas volume contains a series of plates of Nootka of great ethnographic importance including two remarkable large folding aquatints, atmospheric depictions of Nootka and its people, one of them the famous quite riotous scene of the festival given by the powerful chief Macuina (Maquinna) to honour his daughter's arrival at puberty, the other a striking double-page view of Nootka, with the Spanish flag flying above the fort.

The expedition was an offshoot from the larger exploring expedition under Malaspina. Galiano and Valdes commanded the two ships. By the time of this publication, Malaspina was in disgrace and his name is in fact nowhere mentioned in the text. The voyagers arrived at Nootka Sound (British Columbia) in May 1792: they soon encountered Vancouver, and the two expeditions worked side by side for a while, parting company when Galiano wished to continue his important exploration of Juan de Fuca Strait and the mainland coast of British Columbia.

"The various explorations now made by boat by Galiano's party can in general only be traced by the names and an occasional anchor on the maps. It may fairly be inferred that the schooners passed through Calm Channel, up Bute Inlet, and around the north end of Stuart Island, and back into Cordero Channel through the Arran Rapids. From there they continued on by Cordero Channel and finally reached Harvey Bay on Craycroft Island. Vernaci made a seven days' boat trip up Knight Inlet and around Gilford Island, and after his return the vessels went on and anchored near an Indian settlement, of which the chief was known as Majoa. Instead of passing out into the main Queen Charlotte Strait, Galiano now kept close to the Vancouver Island side making stops in Hardy Bay and Shushartie Bay, and finally the Sutil discovered Bull Harbour on Hope Island. September 1 the vessels reached Nootka" (Wagner, Northwest Coast, p. 232).

The Atlas volume includes fine charts as well as the superb ethnographic plates. The basic narrative is by José Cardero, the expedition's artist; the book was probably edited by José Espinosa y Tello, under whose name it is usually catalogued, and includes a 167-page introduction by Martin Fernandez de Navarrete, noted by Lada-Mocarski as "unsurpassed in importance", giving a comprehensive review of all the Spanish voyages to the region (including Jacinto Caamano's in 1792, the last to Alaskan waters).

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