Enlightenment and Exploration in the North Pacific 1741-1805

by Haycox, Stephen W.; Barnett, James; Liburd, Caedmon; Cook Inlet Historical Society

• ISBN13: 9780295975832
• ISBN10: 0295975830
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-07-01
• Publisher: Univ of Washington Pr

Summary

Saluting an era of adventure and knowledge seeking, fifteen original essays consider the motivations of European explorers of the Pacific, the science and technology of eighteenth-century exploration, and the significance of Spanish, French, and British voyages. Among the topics discussed are the quest by enlightenment scientists for new species of plant and animal life, and their fascination with Native cultures; advances in shipbuilding, navigation, medicine, and diet that made extended voyages possible; and the lasting significance of the explorers' collections, artwork, and journals.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii	(4)
Introduction	xi
Alaska and the North Pacific: A Crossroads of Empires	3	(22)
James K. Barnett
PART 1: MOTIVES AND OBJECTIVES	25	(54)
Spain's Role in Pacific Exploration during the Age of Enlightenment	25	(13)
Iris H. W. Engstrand
George Vancouver, the Admiralty, and Exploration	38	(11)
Glyndwr Williams
Laperouse 1786: A French Naval Visit to Alaska	49	(16)
Robin Inglis
Ethnology in the Enlightenment: The Voyage of Alejandro Malaspina in the Pacific	65	(14)
Phyllis S. Herda
PART 2: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY	79	(70)
The Health of Mariners: Vancouver's Achievement	79	(9)
John M. Naish
The Evolution of Shipbuilding in the Eighteenth Century	88	(15)
John Kendrick
Testing a New Technology: Vancouver's Survey and Navigation in Alaskan Waters, 1794	103	(13)
Alun C. Davies
From Cook to Vancouver: The British Contribution to the Cartography of Alaska	116	(16)
Andrew David
Russian Mapping of the North Pacific to 1792	132	(17)
Carol Urness
PART 3: OUTCOMES AND CONSEQUENCES	149	(62)
Vancouver: Cautious Collector	149	(12)
J. C. H. King
Images of Native Alaskans in the Work of Explorer Artists	161	(15)
Kesler E. Woodward
The Publication and Readership of Voyage Journals in the Age of Vancouver, 1730-1830	176	(11)
Anthony Payne
Efforts at Humane Engagement: Indian-Spanish Encounters in Bucareli Bay, 1779	187	(11)
Stephen J. Langdon
George Vancouver and the Native Peoples of the Northwest Coast	198	(13)
Robin Fisher
Contributors	211	(2)
Index	213