first English fort on the Columbia is Walla Walla, 
about nine miles below the Snake River. But the 7; 
main fort of the Hudson’s Bay Company is Vancou- 
ver, on the right bank of the Columbia, about ninety 
miles from its mouth. Furthermore, there is a fort on 
the Clarke River, Fort Colleville, and several others 
of less importance on various small rivers that flow 
into the Columbia. These forts are built like the 
American ones, meant simply for defense against the 
Indians, and without military garrisons. Fort George, 
the Astoria of the past, consists simply of a block- 
house occupied by only three or four men, whose duty 
it is to note the arrival of vessels and pilot them. The 
Columbia River seems to have been known to Span- 
ish seamen. The honor of its first authentic discov- 
ery belongs to Captain Robert Gray of Boston, who, 
sailing under the flag of the United States, discov- 
ered it in May, 1792, ascended it for fifteen miles, 
and gave it the name of his own vessel, Columbia. 
Two promontories form the entrance to the Colum- 
bia River: on the north, Cape Disappointment; on 
the south, Cape Adams. A sand bank running from 
north to south for two miles, with, at places, only four 
and a half fathoms, makes the entrance difficult; but 
there is on one side a channel of adequate depth, 
though narrow. For the first ten miles the Columbia 
is about four miles broad; higher up, to Vancouver, 
it has an average width of a mile. It is a deep river, 
carrying much water. Vessels with not more than 
fourteen feet draught can ascend it for about one 
q 
The 
Columbia 
River— 
e 
Hudson’s 
Bay 
Company~ 
