Before discussing what this work is, it is necessary to say
what it is not. It is neither yet another proposal for yet another
location of the lost harbor, nor does it seek to prove that any
prior landing theory is out of the question. It is neither
another attempt to identify the Indians met by Drake, nor to
rule out any native groups. It is not an attempt to prove or
disprove any effects Elizabethan conspiracies, secrecy,
censorship or other machinations have had on the search.
The primary purpose here is to clear away the rubble left
around Drake's lost harbor by both professional and amateur
historians. Obfuscation, accidental and otherwise, began with
the early chronicles, intensified during the last hundred years
or so, and continues to this day. (See a commentary - located
on its own page on this site - on an article about Drake in the
January 1997 Smithsonian magazine for a fresh example of
the ongoing muddle.) It has become impossible to see the
foundation - what little there is of it - beneath the creaking,
leaning, partially collapsed fairy-tale castle constructed over
it. The deconstruction is extensive, and in its course the
effects of carelessness and prejudicial assumption, not only
on the search for the lost harbor but on any historical
question, are well illustrated.
Secondly, a new look is taken at that foundation,
beginning with a concise overview of the material - the early
and later literature and the maps. There exists no
straightforward catalogue of these items, a lack that has not
only impeded analysis but has caused considerable
hair-pulling among both scholars and more casually
interested persons (librarians have been especially
victimized). While not a comprehensive reference work - that
would fill volumes - the annotated lists provide a chart by
which it becomes possible to navigate the formerly
unapproachable waters around the Golden Hind in Nova
Albion.
Third, in addition to analyzing how and where the
evidence has been mishandled some of the evidence itself is
reexamined. One result of so much confusion has been that
a mythology has built up around the rickety castle, and on
close examination some things that have been offered and
accepted as fact are revealed to be based on nothing at all.
Perhaps most significant in this regard is a new analysis of all
of the latitudes given in the principal narratives.
Finally, speculations on various issues are offered, based
on a dispassionate and fresh view of the evidence. The
purpose of such conjectures is not to support any particular
theories but rather to illustrate a style of analysis that stays
within the bounds of the evidence and of reason. The value of
such an approach is demonstrated when one such speculation
leads down an unexpected path, to scientifically corroborated
indications that the unbelievable and much-maligned weather
reports of the narratives, which describe snow and ice in
California in the early summer of 1579, are accurate.
Another takes a shot at identifying the perpetrators of the
Plate of Brass hoax. In the epilogue, a case for and against a
specific anchorage site is presented, as a final example of the
proper use of legitimate evidence and logic. At first glance
it may seem that some or all of these discussions could be
called off the subject, but the factors outlined above run
through all of them, providing tangible examples - in the first
instance with important and solid results - of honest and
thorough analysis.
Some may be disappointed that this work does not claim
to solve any of the primary mysteries of Drake's visit to the
Northwest Coast. But before a mystery can be solved, it must
be recognized and acknowledged. For too long, we have
heard only from those who hold out their answers, but who in
the process obscure the questions - leaving everyone further
from the truth about the events on the edge of America in
1579. This work restores the mystery, and establishes a point
from which the search can resume.
Author's Note: Some of this material is adapted from or relates to my yet-unpublished book Francis Drake in Nova Albion - The Mystery Restored, in which these and neighboring thickets are explored much more deeply than on these few web pages. Thus there may be references here not fully explained, or answers missing their questions. Also lacking here is documentation, provided in the book by 782 endnotes. - Oliver Seeler