CHAPTER V. 



TERMINATION OF THE EXPEDITION CONTROVERSY WITH 



COLONEL FREMONT. 



HAVING completed his surveying and exploring 

 duties in the Sandwich Islands, Captain "Wilkes 

 sailed, on the 5th of April, for the northwestern 

 coast of America. Passing the mouth of the Colum- 

 bia River, he soon reached Port Discovery. The 

 members of the expedition here first came in con- 

 tact with the aboriginal tribes of North America, a 

 far nobler, manlier, and bolder race than any whom 

 they had heretofore encountered. The harbor was 

 carefully surveyed. Thence they proceeded to 

 ISTisqually Sound and afterward to Grey's Harbor. 

 From Astoria and Fort Vancouver the overland 

 expedition to California, consisting of a portion of 

 the expedition, commenced to explore the country 

 as far as the Shasta Mountains ; thence they returned 

 to the squadron by a different route. They thus 

 traversed the vast tracts of Oregon Territory and 

 Upper California. On the 24th of October the 

 overland party reached San Francisco : the squa- 



860 



