Note 18 — {87} CHAPTER VI

Captain John Meares, born about 1756, served in the British navy, where he attained the rank of lieutenant. After the Peace of Paris (1783) he entered the merchant service, and founded a commercial house in Macao, China, to trade with the North-west Coast of North America. In 1786 he made his first voyage thither. Two years later, he formed an establishment at Nootka Sound, and explored the coast to the south—failing, however, to recognize the outlet of the Columbia as the mouth of a great river. In 1789, Meares’s establishment at Nootka was demolished by the Spaniards, which led to the diplomatic incident known as the Nootka Sound episode. His book appeared during this controversy—Voyages made in the years 1788 and 1789 to the N. W. Coast of America (London, 1791). Meares finally returned to the navy, became commander in 1795, and died in 1809.—Ed.