Pedro de Alberní y Teixidor
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Pedro de Alberni | |
---|---|
9th Governor of Alta California | |
In office 1800–1800 | |
Preceded by | Diego de Borica |
Succeeded by | José Joaquín de Arrillaga |
Personal details | |
Born | January 30, 1747 Explorer, soldier |
Pedro de Alberní y Teixidor;
Biography
Early life
Pedro de Alberni was born on January 30, 1747, to a
From Cádiz to New Spain
In 1767, the Company was sent on a transatlantic journey to the
On May 2, 1767, the Company sailed from
In Sonora and California
Shortly after their arriving in
In 1772, the company was divided between the First Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia, which remained under the command of Captain Callis, and the Second, which was under the command of
Way to the Pacific Northwest
In 1789, the
The seizure of the English ships sparked the
In October 1789
During the trip to Nootka Sound, Alberni was confined to his cabin on the Concepción for 70 days as a result of a dispute with a high ranking Spanish officer. In the course of this disagreement, he defended the rights of his men, demanding they be adequately clothed and armed, as well as to be paid all of the back-pay owed them. Probably for that reason, he would not be appointed as
When Alberni arrived at Nootka he had to rebuild the artillery battery fortification that had been dismantled after Martínez left. The reconstruction of the battery was difficult. It was built on top of a rocky island—tall but small. Embrasures had to be built to support the guns. It then took four days to emplace eight large cannons. Later, six smaller cannons were also emplaced. The battery did not have enough space for the remaining eight large cannon Eliza had brought, so they were stored ashore.[2]
Alberni built
All the data that Alberni compiled was later used by
Macuina, Macuina, Macuina,
He's a great prince, friend of us
Spain, Spain, Spain
Is friend of Macuina and Nootka
This song became so popular in the region, that José María Narváez heard it from the natives in the other side of Nootka Island and near Point Grey (Narváez arrived at what today is the city of Vancouver, one year before the English captain George Vancouver). Alberni's sojourn at Nootka coincided with a period of major activity of Spanish explorers and travelers from other nations in the region.
Return to Mexico
Once Alberni had accomplished his task, and after having been in the
In July 1792 he was named lieutenant-colonel, and after his assignment in Nootka, he was sent to the
To California
In April 1796, by order of the
Death
Alberni died of
Legacy
Alberni was a person with a strong, courageous, diplomatic character, who knew how to manage problems, even in difficult times. There are numerous places named after him in both Canada and Spain:
- Alberni Inlet, British Columbia, named by Francisco de Eliza.
- Port Alberni, British Columbia, named by Captain Richards from HMS Hecate in 1861. Port Alberni is at the head of Alberni Inlet.
- Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, named after Port Alberni.
- Streets in the cities of Vancouver, Canada and Tortosa, Spain, among others.
See also
- Miquelets
- Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia
- History of British Columbia
- List of pre-statehood governors of California
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7748-1367-9.
- ^ At the Far Reaches of Empire, pp. 144, 150-151
Further reading
- Catalans al Canadà (Catalans in Canada), by Angelina Miró, study from the Fundació d'Estudis Històrics de Catalunya (Foundation of Historical Studies of Catalonia)
- Catalans a la Costa Oest del Canadà (Catalans in the West Coast of Canada)[permanent dead link], study from the Fundació d'Estudis Històrics de Catalunya (Foundation of Historical Studies of Catalonia)
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- Complete biography of Pere d'Alberní, by Angelina Miró, from the Casal Català de Vancouver (Vancouver Catalan Centre)
- Information about Friendly Cove and its history from VancouverIsland.com
- Information about his role as Commander of Arms of California between 1796 and 1801, from MilitaryMuseum.org
- Book "Indian Legends of Vancouver Island", by Alfred Carmichael, hosted in Gutenberg.org
- Complete biography of Pedro de Alberni by SomosPrimos.com, a website dedicated to Hispanic heritage and diversity issues