280 



Point Grenville. Destruction 

 Isle. Coast of Oregon. 



OREGON. 



Indians visit the ship. New Dungenesa. 

 Protection Island. Port Discovery. 



proceeded at the rate of eight or ten miles an 

 hour. 



The weather was very thick, and the wind south- 

 south-west. At ten o'clock the Porpoise was close 

 under our lee-quarter. I was myself below, when 

 I was informed by the officer of the deck that we 

 had entered disturbed water. A number of birds 

 were around the vessels, and a cast of the lead 

 gave fifteen fathoms. By the time I reached the 

 deck, land was seen through the haze, close 

 aboard. The ship was at once brought by the 

 wind and all the studding-sails taken in. 



The weather before long cleared up sufficiently to 

 give us a view of the land, which proved to be Point 

 Grenville of Vancouver, and Destruction Isle. The 

 latter is easily known by some remarkable perfora- 

 tions through a rock near it. 



On the 30th, I was in hopes that the wind would 

 continue fair, and enable us to have reached Neah 

 Harbour ere night; but as we approached Cape 

 Flattery and opened the Straits of Fuca, it became 

 contrary. We were therefore compelled to pass 

 the night, which proved dark and rainy, under way. 

 We had but little knowledge of the dangers that 

 might surround us; but our frequent tacks through- 

 out the night showed us that but few existed at the 

 mouth of the straits. 



The coast of Oregon, to the south of Cape Flat- 

 tery, is rocky, much broken, and affords no har- 

 bours, except for very small vessels. It may there- 

 fore be considered as extremely dangerous, and 

 particularly on account of its outlying rocks. The 

 soundings on this coast, however, I afterwards dis- 

 covered, may serve as a sure indication by which 

 danger may be avoided, and safety may be insured 

 by not approaching the coast into soundings of less 

 than seventy fathoms. 



On the morning of the 1st of May, we found our- 

 selves well into the straits; and as I proposed to 

 defer the survey of this part of them until my 

 return, we hastened to reach Port Discovery, where 

 we anchored at half- past 6 P.M. on the 2nd of May; 

 just forty-nine years after Vancouver, pursuing 

 the track of De Fuca, had visited the same har- 

 bour. 



The Straits of Juan de Fuca may be safely navi- 

 gated. The wind will for the greater part of the 

 year be found to blow directly through them, and 

 generally outwards: this wind is at times very vio- 

 lent. The shores of the strait are bold, and an- 

 chorage is to be found in but few places. We could 

 not obtain bottom in some places with sixty fa- 

 thoms of line, even within a boat's length of the 

 shore. 



The south shore is composed of perpendicular 

 sandy cliffs, that run back into high and rugged 

 peaks, and is covered with a forest of various spe- 

 cies of pines, that rises almost to the highest points 

 of the range of mountains. The highest points 

 themselves are covered with snow ; and among them 

 Mount Olympus was conspicuous, rising to an alti- 

 tude of eight thousand one hundred and thirty-eight 

 feet. 



The north shore is rocky, and composed, as far 

 as we could examine it, of conglomerate, and in 

 some few places of a reddish granite. 



In the morning we were boarded by a large 

 canoe, with Indians who spoke a few words of 

 English. The principal man of the party was 

 dressed in a coarse coat of red cloth, with the 



Hudson Bay Company's buttons, and corduroy 

 trousers. He had neither shirt, shoes, nor hat, 

 although the rain was falling fast. The others 

 were habited in blankets or skins, and wore conical 

 grass hats, resembling in shape those of the 

 Chinese. 



The first inquiry was, whether we were Boston 

 or King George's ships, by which terms they dis- 

 tinguish Americans and English. 



They brought with them for sale some fish and 

 a few furs. On the latter they appeared to set a 

 high value, and were not a little disappointed 

 when they learned that we had no desire to pur- 

 chase them. They readily parted with their fine 

 fish for a few fish-hooks and a little tobacco. 



It was amusing to us, who had no very exalted 

 opinion of the Feejeeans, to observe the contempt 

 our prisoner Vendovi entertained for these Indians, 

 which was such that he would hardly deign to look 

 at them. 



Late in the afternoon, we reached and weathered 

 the low sand-point, called by Vancouver New 

 Duugeness, and stood over for his Protection 

 Island. We passed within less than a quarter 

 of a mile of the point, where we had three and a 

 half fathoms water. 



After passing that island, an extensive bay 

 opened, on whose shores we saw the long poles 

 mentioned by Vancouver, and represented in his 

 book. The use of these he was unable to discover, 

 but the Indians informed us that they were for the 

 purpose of suspending nets for taking the wild-fowl 

 that frequent these shores in great numbers. On 

 these poles the nets are set up at night, at which 

 time the geese search these grounds for food : fires 

 are then lighted, which alarm the birds, and cause 

 them to fly against the nets, by which they are 

 thrown upon the ground, where, before they have 

 time to recover themselves, they are caught and 

 killed. 



The description of Vancouver is so exactly ap- 

 plicable to the present state of this port, that it was 

 difficult to believe that almost half a century had 

 elapsed since it was written. The beautiful woods 

 and lawns of Protection Island, in particular, exist 

 unchanged. The lawns still produce the same 

 beautiful flowers and shrubs, and although closely 

 surrounded by dense woods, do not seem to have 

 been encroached upon by their luxuriant growth, 

 although there is no apparent reason why it should 

 not long ere this have overrun them. 



Our anchorage in Port Discovery was close to the 

 shore, in twenty-seven fathoms water. It is a well- 

 protected harbour, and very convenient of access, 

 but the depth of water and the high precipitous 

 banks would almost preclude its being made the 

 seat of a settlement. 



The name of Port Discovery was given by Van- 

 couver. It is eight miles long, two miles in average 

 width, and its points, which terminate in low sandy 

 projections, interlock each other. The shores are 

 supplied with large quantities of shell-fish. Pro- 

 tection Island covers it completely to the north, 

 and would render it easily defensive against the 

 most formidable attack. The only objection to it 

 as a harbour is that already spoken of, the great 

 depth of the water, which in the middle is no where 

 less than forty or fifty fathoms, and is often as 

 much as sixteen fathoms close to the shore. 



The Indians whom we found dwelling here are of 



