Cayetano Valdes y Flores, also known as Cayetano Valdes y Bazan, was a Spanish naval officer and hydrographer (1767-1835), known particularly for his surveys of the north-west coast of North America in 1792, together with Dionisio Alcala Galiano.Valdes joined the Spanish navy in 1781, saw service against Howe's fleet in 1782, and in 1789 accompanied the expedition of Alessandro Malaspina to the Pacific. On 8 March 1792 he was despatched from Acapulco in Mexico in the schooner Mexicana, accompanied by Galiano in the Sutil (aka Nuestra Señora del Carmen). Malaspina had decided that a thorough survey of the north-west coast of America was long overdue. In addition, Malaspina had himself at that time intended to visit and survey the Sandwich Islands, a plan which he was subsequently forced to abandon. Originally Francisco Antonio Mourelle was to lead the voyage, the main task of which was to explore the Strait of Juan de Fuca, but illness prevented him from fulfilling the task. Valdes and Galiano were directed in particular to improve on the discoveries of Manuel Quimper (who had begun a survey of the inland waterways in 1790 and had visited the Sandwich Islands in March and April 1792), and of Francisco de Eliza (who had surveyed the coast in 1790 and 1791 and had wintered at Nootka).
Valdes and Galiano sailed directly for Nootka Sound, on Vancouver Island, arriving there on 11 April 1492, and started their surveys of the inland waterways in June. On 13 June, the two Spanish commanders met up with the voyage of George Vancouver at Point Roberts, causing Vancouver some concern that the Spanish had arrived there before him. However, the two expeditions amicably exchanged notes, with the result that Valdes, impressed by Vancouver's ships and equipment, came subsequently to the opinion that further Spanish exploration towards the north-west would be pointless. Valdes himself had been on the coast in 1791, possibly with Eliza, and is reported to have spoken the local Indian language with some fluency. In fact it was from the natives that Valdes heard of a passage to the sea from north of the Strait of Georgia.
Vancouver invited the two Spanish to join forces to explore to the north, but, unable to keep pace with the English vessels, Valdes and Galiano were driven into the Gulf of Georgia, eventually making landfall off the east coast of Galiano Island, near Active Pass. They spent the next day looking for a safe harbour until, sailing up the north side of Gabriola and around Punta de Casatilli, they anchored in a bay which they named Cala del Descans. Jose Cardero, the expedition's artist, sketched the local native chief and an unusual rock formation. On 17 June 1792 a small party ventured inland from Descanso to trade, but found only an abandoned village. The next day they surveyed Nanaimo Harbour in one of the ships' boats. On the following day the two schooners weighed anchor to cross the Gulf again and meet with Vancouver's party. They eventually succeeded in sailing north around Vancouver Island, returning to Nootka on 31 August 1782. They subsequently returned by way of Monterey to San Blas in Mexico.
Valdes returned to Spain soon after, commanded the Pelayo at the Battle of San Vicente (February 1797) and was present at the blockade of Cadiz (1797-98). From 1799 he served at Brest, and then in the West Indies, and returned to Cadiz in 1802. He was seriously wounded while in command of the Neptuno at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805). His involvement in the internal Spanish conflicts of the 1820s led to his exile to Gibraltar in 1823 and then to England, where he remained for ten years. Restored to Spain by Isabel II in 1833, he was appointed captain-general of the navy and controler of the Department of Cadiz. He died at San Fernando in 1835.
At the time of Valdes' exploration of the northwest coast of America there were two other Spanish surveys in progress:
Salvador Fidalgo, who in 1790 in the San Carlos had explored the coast from Nootka Sound to the Cook Inlet, was sent in 1792 to take charge of Nootka. From there he established a base at Nunez Gaona (= Neah Bay), where he wintered until 1793. That year he assisted with repairs to the Charham, of Vancouver's expedition, and subsequently returned to San Blas to warn the viceroy of Vancouver's intentions. Fidalgo returned to Nootka in 1794 with the ship Princesa, arriving there on 29.5.94.
Jacinto Caamano led a survey expedition to the north-west coast in 1792, discovering and naming the Principe Channel and Gil Island. He remained in charge of the Spanish base at Nootka until the arrival of Fidalgo in 1794. During this period he met Vancouver at Nootka, and later at Monterey. In June 1792 Caamano, with the vessel Aranzaza, left Nootka to survey the coast southward from Bucareli Bay.
During the previous year, in July 1791, the schooner Santa Saturnina, under the command of Jose Maria Narvaez, had sailed up the mainland (northeast) coast of the Gulf of Georgia. He explored as far as a large island named Isla di Texada, then turned west across the Gulf to Point Lazo, which they also named. Sailing south along the southwest shore of the Gulf, the Saturnina visited Bocas de Winthuysen (Nanaimo Harbour), then rounded the northwest tip of Gabriola (named Punta de Casatilli, after the Marqués de Casa Tilly - now Orlebar Point) and anchored off the Flat Top Islands at the northeast end, site of a native settlement. Not realizing that he was looking at a group of small islands, Narvaez named it Punta de Gaviota (Seagull Point). He then sailed on to Boca de Porlier ("Porlier Inlet", now Porlier Pass), and back across the Gulf to the base at Nootka.
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The material on this page was created by Ray Howgego, and publication was allowed by him to Discoverers Web. This page is an excerpt from a large amount of material that Ray has compiled, concerning voyages of discovery before 1800. He would like to have this work published, any publisher who is interested can contact him through email.