Would that we remembered the subject of this book better. For one thing, it would have made it a better book!

In the period after the American Revolution, Spain claimed most of the western coast of North America as well as that of South America, but it was James Cook who had explored the region, so the British felt that they had a claim as wel, and the Americans... well, they were itchy. Having thrown off the British, they had learned that those British taxes had actually paid for things they needed, and so they had to do them themselves (and pay for them themselves), and they were also learning that economic development required resources and trade. Things they weren't very good at. Times were hard. So they set about learning.

One thing a Boston conglomerate tried was exploring those Pacific Northwest regions. They were pretty sure there were furs there, for instance. And no one (other than Indians who weren't regarded as counting) was in actual possession. So John Kendrick and Robert Gray took the Columbia (for which the Columbia River was named) and the smaller Lady Washington and set out... into a sea of politics. The Spanish and British were both, on the whole, friendlier to the Americans than to each other, so both tried to get some use out of Kendrick. And Kendrick had his own problems, as his subordinate Gray was not fond of being under orders.

The result was a very complicated many-year voyage by Kendrick. He didn't discover much, but Gray found the Columbia River, which the Spanish and Cook and George Vancouver's British expedition had all missed. In the long run, that may have been the biggest result of the whole trip, since it would influence the history of the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. But that's another book.

Gray's insubordination caused Kendrick a lot of problems -- Gray went home before Kendrick, and badmouthed his boss; Kendrick found his position at home precarious. He would never return to Boston. He never even tried; he was killed in the Hawaiian Islands in odd circumstances.

This book is probably the most detailed look at the complexities of Kendrick's expedition, and it's a topic well worth the coverage. And the book seems to me to be fairly complete. I did have a few problems with it. For starters, author Scott seems to assume we'll remember every name we encounter along the way, whether we're told it's important or not. There are a lot of names in here (Spaniards, British, Americans, a few Chinese, and a whole lot of people from different native tribes, both in the Pacific Northwest and in Hawaii). If he can't give us more help, a Dramatic Personae would have helped.

Dates would have helped, too. I was trying to use this book for a research project, and I can't remember how many times I found myself saying, "Yes, but what year is it?" It's a real problem if you're reading the book in small pieces, or are trying to fit it into world events.

If I have one big problem, though, it's that I suspect Scott is too kind to Kendrick. Kendrick abandoned his wife, failed in his mission, got into fights with a lot of people, got himself killed in a place he had no real reason to be. Every one of these events, individually, can be explained away. But it's a long enough list that I have to wonder if Kendrick was really as great and wise as Scott implies. I cannot say that Scott is wrong. But he failed to convince me. ( )

After the American Colonies were militarily successful in their bid for independence from Great Britain the Second Continental Congress met May 10, 1775, by resolution of the First Continental Congress, October 22, 1774; became the Confederation Congress ("United States in Congress Assembled"), March 2, 1781, following ratification of the Articles of Confederation, March 1, 1781. The freedom cost them dearly and the newly formed Confederation was in great debt. The Old World was trying to bring the Americans into line by closing economic ports to all American traders.

It is in this atmosphere that a group of investors had the foresight to finance an expedition to find and open trade routes in the Pacific and to the Asian market. They saw China as a way for America to sell and barter its wares so that they may get out of debt and have an economic lifeline. For this dangerous and bold en devour they hired John Kendrick to take command. John Kendrick was famous in his time coming from a whaling family he was a whaling captain for twenty years and commanded a privateer during the American Revolutionary War.

This extremely well researched book is about this seven year expedition of exploration, trading and diplomacy that has been left to mainly unknown. Yet it was Kendrick’s reputation that brought veterans of the Revolution and sailors, both seasoned and young, to go on this unthinkable expedition. That they were willing to take this risk shows the faith people had in Kendrick's abilities. The expedition consisted of two ships, the eighty-three foot three-masted brig the Columbia Rediviva and the sixty foot coastal sloop the Lady Washington.

Serving under Kendrick as captain of the Lady Washington was Robert Gray who had served in the Continental Navy not in a position of command. Even so he thought he should be in command and documentation shows that he did all he could to undermined Kendrick and had some success at first in Boston when he returned as the first American to circumnavigate the world. Even though his trip was at a loss for the company yet he prospered. Yet he is the one history remembered.

Kendrick spent seven years building the foundations for the United States to have not only a thriving trade in the Pacific region his dealing were the legal basis for the United States taking possession of the North West Territories that are now part of the modern United States. Even years after his death the natives of the Pacific region still spoke well of Kendrick regardless of the story Gray told.

This book tells of the desperate time for a fledgling America trying to gain economic independence while the Old World empires were fighting for territorial and economic dominance. The research allowed the author to write the history of the expedition from original documents from the United States, Spain, United Kingdom and work by native authors. The objectivity in the writing of this this book is readily apparent and details are rich. The period of time is richly captured by the author and we get a look at seven years of the life of a great American Explorer that open the entire Pacific region for all Americans who followed. This book is an easy read and exceeds that of many naval novel. ( )