A. D. 1795. 357 



and navigating- the Frozen ocean, which bounds the unknown northena 

 extremity of America. And thus the long-fuppofed, and often po- 

 litively-allerted, exiftence of a navigable north-weft paflage is once more 

 demonftrated to have as httlc foundation in reality as the equally poii- 

 tively-aflerted exiftence of a vaft fouthern continent. And the ftories 

 of inland feas, communicating with the ocean, navigated by De Fuca, 

 De Fonte, &c. are proved to be mere fable and romance. 



During the winter feafons Captain Vancouver, in order to recruit the 

 health of his people, and repair his veflels, retired to Owhyhee, the 

 largeft of the Sandwich iflands, where he obtained abundance of frefli 

 provifions and vegetables, and, in confequence of his judicious conduct, 

 lived in the greateft harmony with the natives, though he at the fame 

 time made them fenfible, that murders and thefts would not go un- 

 puniftied. 



As much has been faid of the ceflion of a country called New Albion 

 to the crown of England by the ceremony of an ornament of feathers 

 being placed on the head of Sir Francis Drake by one of the natives, 

 who cannot rationally be fuppofed to have had any fuch idea in his 

 head, it may be proper juft to obferve, that the fovereignty of the ifland 

 of Owhyhee was on the 25"" of February 1794, after a previous and de- 

 liberate confukation of the king and all the chiefs of the ifland, furrend- 

 ered for the behoof of the king of Great Britain, with every poffible 

 formality, into the hands of Captain Vancouver, who aiTured them, on 

 the part of their new iovereign, that no encroachment fliould be made 

 on the civil or religious eftablifliments of the ifland. 



In Owhyhee, and every other place which he vifited. Captain Van- 

 couver did every thing in his power to conciliate the friendlhip of the 

 natives, and ufed every endeavour to render their lives more comfort- 

 able by the introdudion of ufeful animals and valuable plants and feeds*. 

 He alio fent from the Sandwich iflands fome plants of the bread-fruit 

 tree to Norfolk ifland, one of the Illations appointed for Britifli exiled 

 convids. 



The furveys made during this voyage may be faid to have completed 

 the geography of the hitherto-unknov/n weft coaft of America. And 

 when we view the voyage as adding fo much to the ftock of our geo- 

 graphical knowlege, a knowlege fo eflentially ufeful to commerce, and 

 as adding, by the introdudion of many valuable fpecies of animals and 

 plants in a great variety of countries and climates, to the comfortable 

 fubfiftence of unborn millions, we muft agree with Captain Vancouver, 

 that the advantages ariling from it were not confined to any one nation 

 (though undoubtedly the moft commercial nation muft be moft bene- 

 fited by it) but, that it muft be produdive of general benefit to man- 



* From the Mifiionary voyage (tlie lateft ac- with the bounties of Nature to their happy ill.nds, 

 counts we have from the Pacific ocean) we learn have ncgleded the an'mals ar.d plants, carriid to 

 that the people of the iilauds they vifited, fatisficd their, with fuch vaft labour and expcnfe. 



