GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR. 279 
WASHINGTON HARBOR, 48° 5” NORTH LATITUDE, 123° 3! WEST LONGITUDE. 
From New Dungeness bay the coast falls directly off to the southeast for the distance of 
10 miles, and a very hidden and deep basin now called Washington harbor. The interior part 
of this basin is covered to the north by two projections, and there remains only a very narrow 
entrance a few hundred yards in width, which is not easily discovered. Before this entrance 
is a broad open space which may be called the exterior part of the bay. 
The interior basin of Washington harbor is remarkably deep. It has from 9 to 20 fathoms 
depth, and is protected against all winds. In another position it would be a most valuable 
port, but in this region there are so many superior ports that even so good a one as this becomes 
of second rate importance. 
Quimper and Elisa (1790, 1791) looked into this bay, though they seem to have had no idea 
of the existence of an interior basin. They have here the name Ensenada de Bertodano, 
(Bertodano's inlet.*) 
Vancouver sailed by this port without noticing it at all. He has on his charts no indication 
of it whatever. : 
Probably the port first became known to the Hudson Bay Company. Wilkes says that he 
sent a party to survey the coast (about the 20th of July, 1841) between New Dungeness and 
Protection island, t though he does not give the result of this exploration in his account. Still 
there is no doubt that it was on this occasion that the interior harbor was for the first time 
regularly surveyed. He has it plainly indicated on his chart. I do not know whether the 
name Washington harbor was introduced by Wilkes or not, but this name is now adopted on all 
our charts. 
PORT DISCOVERY, 48° 5‘ NORTH LATITUDE, 122° 55' WEST LONGITUDE. 
From Port Washington the coast runs again for a few miles to the east, and then again falls 
back to the south and forms another long and deep basin, Port Discovery, very similar to 
the former, but much larger. This bay is about six miles long from north to south, and 
throughout 2 to 21 miles wide from east to west. It is very deep, and has regular soundings 
from 30 to 35 fathoms in mid-channel to 10 fathoms close to the shore. In some parts it 1s 
almost too deep for an anchoring place. The entrance of the port is formed by two low pro- 
jecting points, Challam Point, to the west, and Cape George, to the east. This entrance is 
much broader than Washington port. Woodland cliffs of a middling height bound the coast 
It is protected from all winds, and especially those of the north and 
of the interi in. 
interior basi miles from the entrance and 
northwest, by a little island, Protection island, which is two 
covers it. 
‘‘Had this insular production of nature,’ ' gays Vancouver, ‘‘been designed by the mes 
able engineers, it could not have been placed more happily for the protection of the p 
From all this itis evident that this bay forms one of the safest and best harbors in the 
world. It is also very easy to fortify it against the attempts of an enemy. The first 
discoverers of it were, beside this, enchanted by the beauty of the surrounding landscape.i 
2 See Spanish Admiralty charts, 1795. 
{See Wilkes's Exploring Expedition, vol. 4, p. 484. 
{ Vancouver, vol. 1, p. 226. 
