the Russians. He continued northward on the Sonora and got as far as what is now close to Sitka, Alaska, reaching 59° north latitude on August 15, 1775. Failing to find any Russians, he returned southward. When returning he made sure that he landed once to claim the coast for Spain. This expedition made it clear to the Spanish that the Russian colonization did not have a large presence in the Pacific Northwest. Bodega y Quadra was able to draw for the first time a reasonably accurate map of the west coast of North America. 1779 Expedition On February 11, 1779 the corvettes Princesa and Favorita, under the command of Lieutenant Ignacio de Arteaga and his second in command, Lieutenant Bodega y Quadra, left San Blas again. Their mission was to explore the northwest coast, and not to intervene with the assumed English navigators there. They charted every bay and inlet in search of the Northwest Passage, going north to 58°30′ before turning back from Alaska due to bad weather. They completed the complex process begun earlier of claiming the Pacific Northwest for Spain. The expedition anchored in Port Etches, near Prince William Sound. The harbor was given the name "Puerto de Santiago" on July 23, 1779. The name commemorated Saint James, the patron saint of Spain, whose feast day falls on July 25. While the Spaniards were anchored in Port Etches they performed a formal possession ceremony. All the officers and chaplains went ashore in procession, raised a large cross while cannons and muskets fired salutes. The Te Deum was sung, followed by a litany and prayers. After a sermon was preached a formal deed of possession was drawn up and signed by the officers and chaplains. The title to Puerto de Santiago was important for years afterward, as it formed the basis of Spain's claim to sovereignty in the North Pacific up to 61°17′N. In 1780 Bodega y Quadra was promoted to capitán de fragata (Frigate Captain), in recognition of his achievements during the 1779 voyage. Peru In 1780 Bodega was ordered to sail to the Viceroyalty of Peru in order to acquire quicksilver (mercury), which was required by the Mexican silver mining industry. The supply of quicksilver had fallen sharply because the ships that would normally have delivered it had been diverted elsewhere due to the war with Britain. After many delays, Bodega sailed the old frigate