34 ADDRESS. 



tating ourselves upon having made a new discovery, when lot 

 the fog lifts and shows an American vessel alongside, whose mas 

 ter offers to pilot me into port, where several of his own nation 

 lie at anchor ! We must surrender the palm of enterprise to you 

 Americans, and content ourselves with following in your train." 

 " You flatter me," replied the captain ; " but there is an immense 

 extent of land still further south ; and when the fog is entirely 

 dissipated, you will have a full view of its mountains from the 

 masthead." 



" Indeed," said the Russian ; " then I am entirely anticipated in 

 my object, and I behold before me a pattern for the oldest nation 

 in Europe ; since I here find the American flag, a small fleet, and 

 a pilot, instead of making new discoveries." 



After treating Captain Palmer in the most friendly manner, the 

 commander of the expedition, Stanjykowitsch, was so much 

 struck with the circumstance, that he named the coast Palmer's 

 Land, and it bears that name at present on the recent Russian 

 charts. 



It was in company with this same Captain Palmer, during my 

 late voyage to the South seas, that I visited the whole of this 

 extensive group of islands lying north of the coast of Palmer's 

 Land, the extent of which neither we nor any subsequent naviga- 

 tors have as yet ascertained ; though a British vessel touched at a 

 single spot in 1831, taking from it the American, and giving it an 

 English name ! 



To return from our digression, the report above referred to was 

 drawn up for the purpose of aiding (and may now aid) the De- 

 partment in the enumeration of the objects to be examined by the 

 expedition; and it remained among its papers in a manuscript 

 form until the last session, when the subject was again renewed 

 in consequence of memorials from the East India Marine Society 

 of Salem, and many other citizens interested in the trade of the 

 Pacific. To these was added a joint resolution of both houses 



