4 Ski'tc/ies of an Excursion to Southern Alaska. 



passage thither and set him at work on the presumption that Dr. Kendall or 

 J)r. Wilson would transmit to me funds to (jo on with the work. But I coulil 

 discover no contributions for a house of worship there, except the subscription 

 at Fort Wrangel . 



I immediately raised several hundred dollars in this city. We had to pur- 

 chase here materials which could not be obtained at Wrangel, and I carried 

 up with me a large (|uantity of these on the ship. This secured the prosecu- 

 tion of the work. 



THE VOYAGE. 



THK SCENKKV. i;K01.<>;iC AI. TIIEOKIKS Il.I.USTK ATF.D. 



On the Sth of July, I started on my journey with my wife, whose warm in- 

 terest in the Alaskan mission had beeia manifested for years, who had co-oper- 

 ated with me in the Alaskan work, as well as in all our missionary enterprises, 

 and who is well accpiainted with the missionaries who had been sent thither, 

 every one of whom had been our guests, and set out on their missionary 

 work from the threshold of our home. On the 9th, we took passage on the 

 regular mail steamer " California" at I'orl Townsend, at the outlet of Puget 

 Sound, in company with Dr. and Mis. Ken lall, Dr. and Mrs. Jackson and 

 Miss Dunbar. The next day we left Victoria, Hrilish Columbia, and the 

 prow of our vessel turned toward the north. 



The scenery both on land and water, which is justly celebrated for its nov- 

 elty, beauty and grandeur, was spread all around us, and which continued to 

 attract our delighted attention. The entire navigat on, extending over one 

 thousand miles, lies sheltered from the ocean by almost innumerable islands ; 

 and, with the exception of two or three places, the ocean is both unseen and 

 unfell. 



The landscape is a unique study in geology. The uniformitarian will be 

 sadly perplexed to account for these precipitous heights and abysmal dejiths, 

 on the theory of the slow and imperceptible action of natural forces. On the 

 other hand, the theory of catastrophism will find abundant illustration through 

 these channels. 



'J"he slow disintegrating proces>.es recjuircd by the theory of uniforniity to 

 break down the sides of these lofty clifis, and to carve out and excavate 

 these unfathomable gulfs, would consume eras of duration, the magnitude of 

 which would surpass the wildest geologic calculations. 



A vast series of islands stretches along to the left, seaward. Many of them 

 are insignificant ; some of them are regularly submerged by the tides. The 

 largest is \'ancouuer, which stretches along the coast nearly two hundred 

 miles, and across which runs, the 49th parallel. Among these islands lies the 

 most unique voyage on this continent, nnd in one respect, probably, without 

 a parallel on this planet. I refer to the bend of these channels as running 

 with a great degree of uniformity parallel with the coast of the mainland. 



