New Albion
New Albion or Nova Albion is the name given in 1579 to an area of the west coast of North America by English navigator Francis Drake, who claimed the area for Queen Elizabeth I. Drake landed on the coast during his circumnavigation of the globe. Although the location of Drake's landing has never been definitely established, most historians believe it was in present-day northern California.The coast had partially been explored in 1542 by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who sailed for the Spanish, but since England was in conflict with Spain and there were no Spanish claims yet on the land, Drake decided the area could be claimed.
Upon his return to England on 4 April 1581 Drake was knighted by Queen Elizabeth. Some early maps mark the area of North America above New Spain and New Mexico as "Nova Albion," although the boundary greatly differs among maps. His claims became the basis for later English colonial charters in claiming all lands from "sea to sea" - from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans. Despite the claim, however, the English did not establish a colonial presence on the west coast of North America until the 19th century in the Oregon Country.
A primary source account of Drake's exploration can be found in "Sir Francis Drake's Famous Voyage Round The World, 1580, by Francis Pretty, One of Drake's Gentlemen at arms." [1]
Here's a quote:
"Our necessary business being ended, our General with his company travelled up into the country to their villages, where we found herds of deer by a thousand in a company, being most large, and fat of body. We found the whole country to be a warren of a strange kind of coneys; their bodies in bigness as be the Barbary coneys, their heads as the heads of ours, the feet of a want,13 and the tail of a rat, being of great length. Under her chin is on either side a bag, into the which she gathereth her meat, when she hath filled her belly abroad. The people eat their bodies, and make great account of their skins, for their king's coat was made of them. Our General called this country Nova Albion, and that for two causes; the one in respect of the white banks and cliffs, which lie towards the sea, and the other, because it might have some affinity with our country in name, which sometime was so called. There is no part of earth here to be taken up, wherein there is not some probable show of gold or silver.
At our departure hence our General set up a monument of our being there, as also of her Majesty's right and title to the same; namely a plate, nailed upon a fair great post, whereupon was engraved her Majesty's name, the day and year of our arrival there, with the free giving up of the province and people into her Majesty's hands, together with her Highness' picture and arms, in a piece of six pence of current English money, under the plate, whereunder was also written the name of our General.
It seemeth that the Spaniards hitherto had never been in this part of the country, neither did ever discover the land by many degrees to the southwards of this place."