Vancouver's Discovery of Puget Sound: Portraits and Biographies of the Men Honored in the Naming of Geographic Features of Northwestern America : Vertvolta Press : 9781609441265 : 1609441265 : 01 Mar 2010 : The geographic names on the Atlantic seaboard were in use for more than a century before the war of the American Revolution was fought. Just as that war was beginning the first Spanish caravels crept northward from New Spain toward the fabled Straits of Anian. After the war was ended the wild coasts along the Pacific were a lure for the explorer and the fur trader. Voyages of this kind increased, breeding disputes over sovereignty, which culminated in Great Britain's geographic and diplomatic expedition of 1792.The commanding officer, Captain George Vancouver of the Royal Navy, was the friend and acquaintance of many men who had taken part for their country in the disputes and the war with the American colonies. It was perfectly natural that he should compliment those