296 GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR. 
features. Sandstone and conglomerate prevail. On some islands are indications of coal. they 
have a shallow and poor soil, and are very dry in summer. They are of a moderate elevation, 
and covered with a thick growth of Oregon pine; other kinds of wood are rare. The highest 
mountains found on them are about 1,000 feet high, with the only exception of Mount 
Constitution on Orcas island, which has an altitude of more than 2,000 feet. They all abound 
in deer, and elk in great numbers are fonnd on Orcas island. 
The sea otter appears never to have lived among these islands. Lopez de Haro was the first 
who saw from a distance this archipelago, when he arrived (1789) at the entrance of the canal 
named after him; and probably, therefore, the name De Haro archipelago has been proposed. 
Elisa (1791) was the first who circumnavigated the whole group, entering the Gulf of Georgia 
by Rosario strait, and returning to De Fuca strait by the De Haro Canal. 
Elisa did not enter, however, the intricate and tortuous channels of the group, and, thinking 
that the whole was one island, he called it Isla de San Juan, (St. John’s island.) Under this 
name we find it on his chart, and also on those of the Sutil and Mexicana, (1802.) 
Vancouver first had a view of this archipelago from the high east end of Protection island, 
(on the 18th of May, 1792,) and Жаға аты. from afar that it appeared to be an archipelago 
of islands of various sizes.* 
He sent out on the same day his lieutenant, Broughton, in the Chatham, to éxito it,t and 
from this exploration Broughton returned on the 25th of May. But Vancouver gives us only 
two words on this interesting expedition, and we are therefore unable to say which way 
Broughton went and what he explored. "Vancouver has, however, on his chart all the principal 
features of the archipelago, the outline and configurations of its largest islands and channels, 
which he probably obtained from Broughton's survey and chart. But the whole group, as well 
as its component parts, are without names. 
The sea otter never having been found among these islands, the fur traders took no notice of 
them, but, passing by them, left them unexplored. 
Captain Belcher, in the year 1840, made an accurate survey of these regions. 
Wilkes, іп the year 1841, fitted out a large boat expedition to complete the survey of this 
archipelago and of De Haro strait. He set out for this purpose, with seven boats, on the 25th 
of July, from New Dungeness ; and though he could devote to this labyrinth only a few days, 
(until the 28th of July,) because he was soon called back to the Columbia river by the bad 
news of the disaster and shipwreck of his vessel, the Peacock, still, by the strenuous exertions 
of both officers and men, he finished at least the survey of the Canal de Haro, and of a part 
of the archipelago.$ 
Wilkes at first intended to give to this archipelago the name of Navy еа in honor 
of the United States naval officers who surveyed it, and whose names he had given to different 
islands of the group, but he afterwards decided in favor of the name De Haro archipelago, in 
honor of the first discoverer. | 
The triangulation and other operations of the United States Coast Survey have now been 
extended over this archipelago. The different islands, straits and harbors of the group we 
will name from east to west : 
* Vancouver, vol. I, page 244. T Vancouver, vol. I, page 258. 1 Vancouver, vol. I, page 267. 
§ Wilkes’s Exploring Expedition, vol. IV, page 484. | Verbal information. 
