140 
THE DISCOVERY OF GLACIER BAY, ALASKA 
timber, of which the Alaska cedar of the mountains will soon be 
an important factor, and in the large area of fertile valley and 
benchland on its western slope. 
The climate of the western slope of this peninsula is a little 
different from that of the rest of western Washington. Owing 
})robably to its proximity to the ocean and its acces.sibility to the 
ocean breezes, there is more wind and much le.ss foggy weather. 
The amount of rainfall on the average is in excess of that of the 
Sound country, but it comes in the shape of sharper showers and 
heavier storms, thus allowing a much greater proportion of fair 
weather. In the summer the nights are cool, but not cold, allow- 
ing tomatoes and corn to ripen ]>erfectly and naturally, as they 
do not elsewhere west of the Cascades. Except in the moun- 
tains, ice or snow is seldom seen, and then only for a few hours 
at a time. 
THE DISCOVERY OF GLACIER BAY, ALASKA 
By Eliza Kuhamah Scidmoke 
{The Cerdunj Dictionary) 
“Di.scover — t. To gain sight of, especially for the first time, or after a 
period of concealment ; espy ; as, land was discovered on the lee bow. 
“ Hence 5. To gain the first knowledge of, as something that was be- 
fore entirely unknown, either to men in general, to the finder, or to 
j)crsons concerned; as, Columbus discovered the new world; Newton 
dijscovered the law of gravitation ; we often discover our mistakes when 
too late, &.C. 
“6. To explore; bring to light by examination.” 
( Webster' H International Dictionary, 1892) 
“Discover — 2. To disclose; to lay open to view; to make visible; to 
reveal ; to make known ; to show ^what has been secret, unseen, or 
unknown!. 
“ 3. To obtain for the first time sight or knowledge of, as of a thing 
e.xisting already, but not perceived or known; to find out; to a,scer- 
tain ; to espy ; to detect.” 
( The Standard Dictionary) 
“Dlscover — To get first sight or knowledge of, as something previously 
unknown or unperceived; find out; ascertain; espy; detect; specific- 
ally, to find and bring to the knowledge of the vsorld ; as, to discover a comet, 
a princii»le, or plot.” 
“ It is in the highest degree probable that Lief Ericsson and his 
friends made a few voyages to what we now know to have been the 
coast of America ; but it is an abuse of language to say that they ‘ dis- 
covered’ America.” 
Fiske, Discovery of America,” vol. 1, ch. 2, p. 255. 
