CALIFORNIA IN 1792: A SPANISH NAVAL VISIT.

Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1990. 176 pp, 8 3/6" H. B&w reproductions, maps. "In the summer of 1792, two Spanish schooners, the 'Sutil' and the 'Mexicana', were ordered to inspect the Pacific Coast from Vancouver Island to Monterey. The schooners were commanded by two youthful naval officers, Dionisio Alcala Galiano and Cayetano Valdes. Assisted by their scribe and artist, Jose Cadero, they recorded their efforts to find the so-called Strait of Anian, a Spanish Northwest Passage. The full account, here translated into English, reveals much new information on the indigenous peoples of California, Spanish-Indian relations, and the successes and failures of the Franciscan missionaries. Also included is a vocabulary and catechism of the Carmel Mission Indians missing in earlier editions. In introductory chapters and notes, Donald C. Cutter supplements the authors' observations with a brief history of California and biographical information on the authors, other naval officers, and the soldiers and friars." Interior - clean and tight with no previous ownership marks. Exterior - clean and bright.. Soft Cover. Fine.