GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR, 303 
14. De Lara’s GULF, (48° 46’ north latitude, 122° 40’ west longitude.)—North of Lummi 
island a little bay is formed by the peninsula of Point Francis in the south and Sandy Point in 
the north. 
This bay was called by the Spaniard (Elisa) Епғейада de Lara, (Lara’s Inlet.)* 
The bay has no name either on Vancouver’s chart or on those of Wilkes or Kellet. It would 
therefore be appropriate to restore on our charts one of the old Spanish names, which have 
too often been neglected, and call the inlet De Lara’s bay. 
De Lara’s bay is the last bay at the northeastern end of Rosario strait, and we now enter 
the broad waters of the Gulf of Georgia. 
15. THE GULF or GEORGIA, (from 48° 46! to 50° north latitude, and from 122240! to 124° 50’ 
west longitude. ) 
The Gulf of Georgia is a great interior basin between Vancouver’s island and the continent 
of America. It is one hundred and twenty nautical miles in length from SE. to NW., and 
thirty miles in width. From the middle of the strait it becomes narrow towards the ends. On 
the south it is connected by numerous passages with De Fuca strait, and on the north its 
waters are continued through Johnstone’s and Queen Charlotte’s straits to the Pacific ocean. 
Its southwestern shore (Vancouver’s island) is partly broken up by smaller islands, harbors, 
and inlets. But along its northeastern shore (continental coast) are found much larger and 
deeper inlets, similar to Admiralty Inlet. 
This gulf appears to be not quite as deep as De Fuca strait, particularly in its southern 
part, where a great river, Fraser’s river, enters, and where the soundings only occasionally 
exceed thirty fathoms. 
Neither Cook nor the early Spanish and French navigators, Perez, Bodega, La Perouse, &c., 
who saw Vancouver’s island on the Pacific side, suspected the existence of this gulf—they 
supposed Vancouver’s island to be a part of the continent. 
After the year 1789 De Fuca sound was entered, and, at the same time, on the north, Cape 
Scott was recognized, and the inlets near Queen Charlotte sound were entered. So we see in the 
charts of Meares and Dixon (1790) Vancouver's island represented as a peninsula. 
The Indians of Nootka sound had already often reported a large sheet of water behind 
the island, but were probably not always well understood. In the years 1789 and 1790 De Haro 
and Quimper looked into the passages which come out from the Gulf of Georgia to the она 
toward De Fuca strait; and in the year 1791 Elisa entered through one of ween passages into 
the broad Gulf of Georgia, which he explored as far north on the eastern side as our present 
Howe’s sound. from where he saw the waters stretched out to the northwest. He named all 
these кено зен Canal de nuestra Senora del Rosario, (the channel of our Lady of the 
Rosary,) I do not however know why. It cannot, however, Me been in honor of the so-called 
Festival of the Rosary, (Fiesta del 8. Rosario,) because this falls on the 2d of October, and 
Elisa was obliged to give up further progress on the Tth August, on ошм of иу апа 
sickness among his crew.t Vancouver, not acquainted with Elisa’s name and midi. gave 
to it the name of Gulf of Georgia, from the part of the continent to de vent d it which he 
had named New Georgia, in honor of King George III. From the manner ш which Vancouver 
expresses himself about this name in his report, and also from the manner in which he places 
this name on his chart, it appears that he included under it also the eastern or interior part of 
М 
© See the proofs for this in the Sutil and Mexicana, | age 48. 
{ Sutil and Mexicana, p. 2. 
