WASHINGTON. 



WASHINGTON. 



107J 



wu 418, with 49.411 MhoUn; of the** 324 ichooU with 24.571 

 cbolan belonged to the Church of England. Of day Mhools there 

 wrr 1101, of which 837 wow public whooli with 34,295 scholar*, 

 and 764 wrr* private, with 16866 acholan. Of evening Rchool* for 

 adulu there wen 14, with 49S KboUra. In the count; there were 

 It literary an I eientifio aocietie*. with 1873 member* and 11,0-JS 

 volume, in their hbrariea, 



"mi*ft Bnki.la 1853 the county contained eight savings banks, 

 at Aloetter, Athentone, Birmingham, Coventry, Rugby, Stratford^n- 

 Avoo. Sulton Cold livid, and Warwick. The amount owing to 

 depMiton on November 20th, 1853, was 754,947/. lit. &d. 



WASHINGTON, a territory of the United Statea of North America, 

 lit. between 45* 25' and 40* N. lat, 110* 30' and 124 W. long. It is 

 frmnrfrd E. by the Rocky Mountains, which aeparato it from the 

 Urritory of Nebraaka; N. by the parallel of 49 N. lat., which 

 rparate- it from Brituh North America ; W. by the Pacific Ocean ; 

 and S. by the territory of Oregon. The area is estimated by the 

 1,'nitod State* authoritie* at 123,022 square miles. At tho Census of 

 1SJO Washington formed a part of the territory of Oregon, which 

 eooUinml 13,294 inhabitant* : the country serrated from Oregon, in 

 Older to form the territory of Washington, then contained less than 

 2000 inhabitant*, exclusive of the native Indiana, who probably 

 number about 7000 or 8000. 



In it* general character Washington bos a marked resemblance to 

 OREGON. The surface is greatly broken, it being traversed from south 

 to north by three parallel range* of mountains, the northern prolonga- 

 tion of the Oregon range*, while the Rocky Mountains, as in that 

 territory, form it* eastern boundary. The coast from the mouth of 

 the Columbia to the entrance of Gray's Harbour, or, as it was named 

 by Vancouver, WhiJbey'* Bay, a distance of 45 miles, is rocky and 

 almost unbroken. The entrance to Gray'* Harbour is about 2$ miles 

 aero**, but the harbour itself opens to a width of 5 or 6 miles, and is 

 12 mile* deep. It afford* well-sheltered anchorage in some places, 

 but it i* everywhere encroached on by eand-bank*, and its mouth is 

 obctmcted by a bar, which only admits the passage of vessels drawing 

 under 10 feet of water. From Gray'* Harbour to Cape Flattery, or 

 Cape Claatet, a lofty promontory at the southern side of Juan de 

 Fnca Strait, a distance of about 80 miles, the coast is high, rocky, and 

 only broken by two or three unimportant streams. The Strait of 

 Juan de Fuca, which forms the northern boundary of the coast of 

 Washington, u a vast arm of the sea, about 10 miles wide at its mouth 

 and 1 00 mile* deep. [VANCOUVER ISLAND.] The southern coast con- 

 i-U of perpendicular sandy cliffs of moderate elevation, from which 

 the land gradually rise* towards the craggy mountains of the interior. 

 About 70 mile* from the mouth of the strait is a long low sandy point 

 which forms a good anchoring-ground ; and beyond this is n deep bay 

 about 9 mile* acrora, and 3 miles from its eastern poiut is Protection 

 Island, so named by Vancouver from its position at the entrance to 

 Port DUcovery. Immediately beyond Port Discovery is Port Hudson, 

 an equally cafe and good though somewhat smaller harbour : Van- 

 couver and Wilke* unite in describing these as among the very finest 

 harbour* on the western coast of North America. Beyond this har- 

 bour i* a deep inlet named Admiralty Inlet, which soon divides into 

 two arm* the smaller one, named Hood's Canal, bearing to the south- 

 west, and stretching far into the interior ; while the main arm pro- 

 ceed* duo couth for about 40 miles, where it terminates in a broad 

 sound named Puget's Sound. Both these branches afford good 

 anchorage, but Puget's Sound U broken by several inlets, and affords 

 the greatest possible security and ample space. Vancouver speaks of 

 three harbour* and the contiguous country in such terms as might 

 ragged the suspicion that he had been carried away by the ardent 

 feeling* of a discoverer ; but Mr. Wilkes, the commander of the U.S. 

 Exploring Expedition, fully corroborates all that Vancouver had 

 aatrrted : he ray*, that " nothing can exceed the beauty of these 

 watrn and their safety : not a shoal exists within the straits of Juan 

 de Fuca, Admiralty Inlet, Puget's Sound, or Hood's Canal, that can in 

 any way interrupt their navigation by a 74 -gun ship. I venture 

 nothing in saying there i* no country in the world that possesses 

 water* equal to these," It i* around Puget's Sound that the com- 

 m< rce of the territory U chiefly establishing itself. Numerous 

 settlement* hare been already formed along it* shores. The tides 

 HM 18 feet in Puget'i Sound. The sound i* full of islands, and 

 receive* several small river*. 



Like Oregon, thi* territory is naturally divided into three nearly 

 parallel district*, determined by tbe course of the mountain ranges : 

 a wectern, or coast section ; the middle section, lying between the 

 Cucade and the Blue Mountain* ; and tbe Rocky Mountains region. 

 The wectorn section lit* between the Cascade Mountains and the sea, 

 and i* much broken in surface, being intersected by spurs from the 

 Cwcade Mountains. The greater part of this section is covered with 

 foraU oflofty tree* ; pine* often occur from 200 to 300 feet in height, 

 and of corresponding girth, and some of the pine* rise to a height of 

 300 feet without a branch. The most prevalent tree* besides pine* 

 are firm, oak, ab, spruce, cedar*, arbor-vita;, &c., with a dense under- 

 growth of hazel*, ro*ei, Ac. The hill* are generally of basalt, and 

 wine, like Mount Olympus, near Juan de Fuca Strait, are of consider- 

 able altitudr. Tbe soil i* in part* a light brown loam, in other* a 

 light vegetable mould with a aandy and gravelly subsoil. Generally 



it ha* considerable fertility. The river-bottom* afford good farming 

 land, the prairies and the upland* excellent pasture-ground. The 

 climate is mild and salubrious, though somewhat moist ; tbe winters 

 are short, and snow seldom lie* long on the ground. Game abounds. 



The Cascade Mountains continue, as in Oregon, in a generally 

 northern direction, and about 150 miles from the coast. Their 

 highest cones rise to an altitude of upwards of 13,000 feet, and they 

 form a barrier of very difficult passage between the western and uii Mlo 

 sections of the territory. The country between the Cascade and Blue 

 Ranges is wider than the corresponding district in Oregon. ]:. 

 the Snake and the Flathead or Clarke rivers is a plain, or rather a 

 rolling prairie, which extends nearly 200 miles in length and 100 miles' 

 across in its widest part. The soil is arinaceous, and the country little 

 fitted for tillage ; but tbe plain is covered with a good grass, ami will 

 afford pasturage for immense flocks and herds. The river-bottoms 

 have an alluvial soil of various quality, but generally productive. Tho 

 hills are comparatively barn of wood, and infertile. The climate of 

 this middle section is cooler, drier, and more salubrious than in the 

 western section ; but tho varieties of temperature are much greater. 

 No dew falls here. 



The Blue Mountains are considerably broken and interrupted, but 

 generally run north and south. The couutry east of them to the 

 liocky Mountains is interrupted throughout by offsets from the Kooky 

 range, and transverse ranges connecting the main chains. Nothing can 

 well exceed the wild magnificence of much of this couutry, with its vast 

 and snow-clad mountainous tracts, deep valleys, tremendous gorges, 

 lofty cataracts, and rushing torrents. It is of course little suited for 

 agricultural operations, but the basis of the hills arc generally covered 

 with timber, aud about the lakes, from which flow the head streams 

 of the Columbia, the Spokane, and the Flathead rivers, arc spots of 

 remarkable fertility as well as of surpassing beauty. But all this 

 district is left to the native Indians, who are a warlike and implacable 

 race. The chief dependence of these Indian tribes is on hunting, and 

 they barter the furs to the servants of the Hudson's Bay Company for 

 tobacco and articles of European manufacture; but the fur-bearing 

 animals are rapidly decreasing in number. The Rocky Mountains are 

 described elsewhere. [RocKV MOUNTAINS; NEBRASKA.] There are 

 two or three practicable passes in this range along the territory of 

 Washington, but they are much more diflicult thau the Great South 

 Pass. 



The principal river is the Columbia, which belongs equally to 

 Washington and Oregon ; it is described under OBEOON. Its northern 

 branches rise in the Rocky Mountains within the Hudson's Hay Ter- 

 ritories, and unite in Washington ; the united stream traversing the 

 territory in n. generally southern direction, and receiving numerous 

 tributaries. It forms the Columbia by the junction of the Saphiu or 

 Lewis River. The principal tributaries of the northern branch of 

 the Columbia are the Kootanie or Flat Bow, the Flathead or Clarke, 

 and the Spokane rivers : they are all very rapid streams, but navigable 

 by boats for some distance. The chief river north of the Columbia 

 is the Chekalis, which rises in the Cascade Mountains, and pursues a 

 very tortuous course to its outfall in Gray's Harbour. Its course is 

 very rapid, and it is only navigable by canoes ; it receives several 

 small streams from the high grouuds about Hood's Caual and Puget's 

 Sound. The Nisqually and Tenalquit, or Shute's rivers, fall into 

 Puget's Sound ; they are both navigable for some distance, but will 

 probably prove of greater value for their mechanical power. In the 

 interior are numerous lakes, the larger beiug chiefly expansions of the 

 northern branches of the Columbia, the Spokane, and the Clarke 

 rivers. 



At present the rearing of horses and cattle have attracted most 

 attention from the settlers, but agriculture is rapidly extending. Tho 

 productions are similar to those of OREGON : wheat is the chief grain 

 crop ; maize has not been much grown hitherto. The forests will for 

 many years supply an unlimited quantity of fine timber. Coal is 

 found in the neighbourhood of Puget's Sound, and on the Chekali* 

 and Mouticello rivers. Iron and other metals have been found ; but 

 mining operations havo as yet been little heeded. A few manufactories 

 have sprung up. The fisheries will probably become an important 

 part of the industry of Washington. All the rivers abound in fish ; 

 salmon being especially abundant. Fish also abound on the coasts. 

 Whales frequent the coasts and the mouth of Juau de Fuca Strait. 

 Shell-fish are very abundant. The commerce of Washington is yet in 

 its infancy, but it is steadily increasing; nearly all the commerce 

 centres in the district of Puget's Sound. 



Washington has as yet no towu of many inhabitants. The political 

 capital, principal commercial town, and port of eutry is Otympia, on 

 the right bank of the Tenalquit or Shute's River, at its entrance into 

 Puget's Sound. This town boasts of its hotel, stores, saw- and grist- 

 mill* the first in the territory newspaper, &c. ; aud contains 000 

 inhabitants. The other more important places are : Columbia City, 

 on the right bank of the Columbia, below Fort Vancouver; Mnnticello, 

 the capital of Lewis county, and the place where the convention was 

 held which led to the separation of Washington from Oregon ; Nisqually, 

 on the east side of Puget's Sound, the property chiefly of the Puget's 

 Sound Agricultural Company, whose farms supply provisions to the 

 servants of the Hudson's Bay Company west of the Rocky Mountains; 

 and Pacific City, on the right bank of the Columbia at ito entrance 



