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  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  About 
  Capes 
  Mendocino 
  and 
  Portunas 
  are 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  slight 
  indications 
  of 
  

   terraces 
  as 
  viewed 
  from 
  seaward, 
  but 
  northward 
  of 
  these 
  Capes 
  the 
  climatic 
  con- 
  

   ditions 
  of 
  the 
  seaboard 
  change, 
  and 
  they 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  acted 
  more 
  energeti- 
  

   cally 
  than 
  to 
  the 
  southward. 
  Nevertheless,as 
  we 
  approach 
  the 
  Strait 
  of 
  Fuca 
  

   we 
  have 
  evidences 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  line 
  of 
  flat 
  topped 
  rocky 
  terrace, 
  from 
  Point 
  

   Grenville 
  to 
  Tatoosh 
  Island. 
  

  

  Destruction 
  Island, 
  in 
  latitude 
  47° 
  41', 
  is 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  miles 
  in 
  extent, 
  reeky, 
  

   bold 
  and 
  flat-topped, 
  about 
  75 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea. 
  The 
  bluff 
  of 
  the 
  adjacent 
  

   main 
  shore 
  possesses 
  the 
  same 
  characteristics, 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  view 
  on 
  the 
  Coast 
  

   Survey 
  chart. 
  

  

  Off 
  Cape 
  Flattery, 
  in 
  latitude 
  48° 
  24', 
  lies 
  Tatoosh 
  Island, 
  108 
  feet 
  high, 
  

   bold, 
  rocky, 
  and 
  flat-topped. 
  Fuca's 
  Pillar 
  and 
  other 
  rocks 
  off 
  the 
  Cape 
  have 
  

   the 
  same 
  elevation. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  outer 
  shores 
  of 
  Vancouver 
  and 
  Queen 
  Charlotte's 
  Islands 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  

   familiar, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  failed 
  to 
  And, 
  among 
  the 
  views 
  and 
  descriptions 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  

   or 
  recent 
  navigators, 
  any 
  indications 
  of 
  terrace 
  formation. 
  Nor 
  have 
  I 
  Ibund 
  

   them 
  fur 
  certainty 
  among 
  the 
  inner 
  passages 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  archipelago 
  extending 
  

   from 
  Olympia, 
  in 
  47°, 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Chilkaht 
  in 
  59°, 
  although 
  I 
  have 
  

   discovered 
  and 
  measured 
  the 
  direction 
  and 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  markings 
  of 
  ice 
  action 
  

   among 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  Washington 
  Sound 
  and 
  the 
  adjacent 
  parts 
  of 
  Vancouver 
  

   Island, 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  clean 
  cut 
  and 
  very 
  deep 
  groovings, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  

   large 
  numbers 
  of 
  huge 
  erratic 
  boulders. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  topographical 
  or 
  geographical 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Al- 
  

   aska, 
  we 
  know 
  very 
  little. 
  La 
  Perouse, 
  in 
  approaching 
  the 
  coast 
  under 
  Mt. 
  

   St. 
  Elias, 
  thus 
  describes 
  it: 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  I 
  must 
  confess 
  to 
  receiving 
  all 
  his 
  

   descriptions 
  with 
  a 
  certain 
  amount 
  of 
  reservation 
  : 
  "The 
  mountains 
  appeared 
  to 
  

   be 
  at 
  a 
  little 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  sea, 
  which 
  broke 
  against 
  the 
  cliffs 
  of 
  a 
  table 
  land 
  

   300 
  or 
  400 
  yards 
  high. 
  This 
  plain, 
  black 
  as 
  if 
  burned 
  by 
  fire, 
  was 
  totally 
  des- 
  

   titute 
  of 
  verdure. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  As 
  we 
  advanced 
  we 
  perceived 
  between 
  

   us 
  and 
  the 
  elevated 
  plateau, 
  low 
  lands 
  covered 
  with 
  trees 
  which 
  we 
  took 
  for 
  

   islands. 
  The 
  table 
  land 
  serves 
  as 
  a 
  base 
  to 
  vast 
  mountains 
  a 
  few 
  leagues 
  within. 
  

   Approaching 
  the 
  coast 
  we 
  saw 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  a 
  low 
  point 
  covered 
  with 
  trees, 
  

   which 
  appeared 
  to 
  join 
  the 
  table 
  land, 
  and 
  terminate 
  at 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  from 
  a 
  

   second 
  chain 
  of 
  mountains." 
  

  

  Middleton 
  Island, 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Alaska, 
  in 
  latitude 
  59° 
  30', 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  flat- 
  

   topped 
  rocky 
  island 
  mentioned 
  or 
  depicted 
  by 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  navigators. 
  It 
  is 
  about 
  

   seven 
  miles 
  long, 
  north 
  and 
  south, 
  with 
  a 
  breadth 
  of 
  three 
  miles. 
  The 
  surface 
  

   of 
  the 
  island 
  is 
  comparatively 
  low, 
  quite 
  level, 
  and 
  destitute 
  of 
  trees: 
  the 
  shores 
  

   are 
  craggy. 
  Belcher 
  says 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  exceed 
  thirty 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  and 
  has 
  a 
  very 
  

   soft 
  spongy 
  soil 
  over 
  micaceous 
  shale, 
  interspersed 
  with 
  quartz 
  dykes. 
  

  

  The 
  southern 
  point 
  of 
  Kayak 
  Island, 
  in 
  59° 
  49', 
  is 
  a 
  high 
  table 
  rock, 
  as 
  des- 
  

   cribed 
  by 
  Belcher. 
  

  

  Long 
  Island, 
  off 
  the 
  harbor 
  of 
  St. 
  Paul's, 
  Kadiak, 
  and 
  Chiniak 
  Point 
  are 
  flat- 
  

   topped 
  and 
  rocky, 
  but 
  not 
  well 
  marked. 
  

  

  