ALB 



ALB 



tered by De Fuca ; in fupport of whicli, oral tcfllmony 

 is thf only authority pn;duccJ, a tradition rendered IHII more 

 doiiblfiil, by its entrance dilFering at leall 40'. in latitude. 

 This difference of latitude, however, is not hifficient alto- 

 gether to dilcredit the traditionary accounts to wliieh Mr. 

 V. refers ; and as a llrait, with a coniiderahle extent of fea, 

 has been aftually found, and to the north of the llrait many 

 iflands, or an archipelago of iilarids, it is much more rcafon- 

 able to fuppofe that fome error has been introduced into the 

 old accounts, or that the fituations may have originally been 

 erroneoudy deleribed, than that an affertion of the exigence 

 of a ih'ait and of an archipelago of iilands Ihould have been 

 the mere relult of random conjeclure. 



It muft be confidered as a very fnigular circiimftance, 

 that in fo great an extent of fea coall, as 215 leagues, to 

 which the inquiries of thcfe ^3^igators had been direclcd, 

 they lliould not till now have Iccn the appearance ot any 

 gpening on its fliores, which afforded any certain profpert 

 of affording flicker ; the whole coaft forming one compatt, 

 folid, and nearly llrait barrier againft. the fea. The huts 

 oblerved to the eafl:vvard of Claffet, were built exaftly like 

 the houfes at Nootka ; and were compofed of a few mats 

 thrown over crofs flicks, and plainly indicated the refidence 

 of the natives to be merely temporary. The inhabitants 

 viewed their European viiitors with the utmoit inditference ; 

 they traded with them in a civil and friendly manner ; but 

 did not appear to underfland the Nootka language. Theii" 

 next remove was to a harbour called Port D'lfcovery, where 

 they moored about a quarter of a mile from the fliore under 

 a kind of promontory, which afforded them fhelter ; and 

 which they called ProtcHlon ijland. I'he entrance of port 

 Difcovery is iituated in lat. 48" 7'. long. 237" 2o|-'. The 

 country in its neigkbourhood is bounded 0.1 the well fide by 

 mountains covered with fnow ; the foil is generally a light 

 fandy loam, which being mixed with decayed vegetables, 

 forms a rich fertile mould. Iron ore was generally found 

 here, and appeared tolerably rich. Ouartz, agate, the com- 

 mon flint, and a great intermixture ot other hliceous matter, 

 with fome variety of calcareous, magnefian, and argillaceous 

 earths, were the mineral productions commonly found. The 

 vegetables that gr-e\v'' moll luxuriantly were the Canadian and 

 Norwegian hemlock, filvcr pines, the Turamahac and Ca- 

 nadian poplar, arbor-vita, common yew, black and common 

 dwarf oak, American afli, common hazel, fycamore, fugar, 

 mountain, and Penlylvanian maple, orienf.d arbutus, Ame- 

 rican alder, and common willow. Thefe, with the Cana- 

 dian elder, fmall fruited crab, and Penfylvanian cherry-trees, 

 conftituted the forefts. Of efculcnt vegetables few were 

 found ; the white or dead-nettle, and famphire, the wild 

 orache and the vetch were the mofl common. Two or three 

 forts of wild peas, and the common hedge muftard were met 

 with occaConally ; they were excellent of their kind, and 

 proved extremely agreeable and ufeful. The only living 

 quadrupeds that were feen were a black bear, two or three 

 wild dogs, as many rabbits, feveral fmall brown fquirrels, 

 rats, mice, and the flcunk of a pecuharlv offcnfive fmell. 

 The aquatic birds were few, and fo timid tliat they could 

 not be killed. About the fhores and on the rocks were found 

 fome fpecies of the tern, the common giiU, fea pigeon of 

 Newfoundland, curlews, fand-la'"ks, fliags, and the black 

 fea-pye, like thofe in New Holland and New Zealand ; but 

 not in great abundance. In the woods they faw two or 

 three fprure-partridges ; few fmall birds were dilcovered, and 

 of thefe liie humming birds were the moll numerous. At 

 rhe outlkirts of the woods, and about the water fide, they 

 iaw a great number of the white-headed and brown eagle, 

 n»v ens, cairion craws, Amciican king-hdicr, and a vei^y 



handfome wood-pcckcr, and alfo a bird unkown to them, 

 which they coniidered as a f])ecic-s of crane or heron, the 

 eggs of which were of a bluifli cafl, larger than thofe oi a 

 turkey, and well tailed, with long legs and necks, of the 

 ii'/.e of the largell turkey, and with a light brown plumage. 

 Some blue, and fome nearly white herons of the common 

 fi/.e were alio feen. The fupply of llfli was fcanty, and 

 confilled in general of the common forts of fmall flat-fi(h, 

 elephant fifli, fea bream, fea perch, a large fnt of Iculpiii, 

 weighing lix or eight pounds, with a grcenifli colour about 

 their throat, belly and gills, and affording coaife, Init not 

 unwholefome food, a few trout, and a fmall eel of a yellowidi 

 green colour and well tailed. Of the reptile tribe they found 

 a fmall common black fnake, a few lizards and frogs, toge- 

 ther with a great variety of common inleifts. 



The country, in an agricultural view, feemed capable of 

 improvement, though the foil was light and fandy. The 

 fpontantous productions are nearly the fame, and grow in 

 equal luxuriance with thofe under the fame parallel in Eu- 

 rope. The climate is mild, and evei-y fpecies of plants for- 

 ward in its growth. Frelh water is very icarct ; but fuf- 

 ficicnt for common domeftic pui-pofes. As for the inhabi- 

 tants, they are thinly fcattered along the fliorcs. I'Vom 

 New Dungenefs to Port Difcovery, our voyagers traverfed 

 near 150 miles of thefe fhores without feeing as many in- 

 habitants. Thofe whom they obferved, nearly rcfembled 

 the people of Nootka ; but were not fo flout in ftature, nor 

 fo filthy in their habits. Their weapons, implements, ca- ^ 

 noes, and drefs nearly tlie fame. Their native woollen gai- -* 

 ment was mofl fafliionable, and next to this the flcins of 

 deer, bear, &c. ; and fome few wore dreffes manufactured 

 from bark, which, like their woollen ones, were very neatly 

 wrought. Their fpcars, arrows, lifligigs, and other wea- 

 pons, were fliaped like thofe of Nootka ; but none of them 

 were pointed with copper or mufcle-flicll. The three for- 

 mer were generally barbed, and thofe of their own nianu- 

 fadure were pointed with common flint, agate, and bone. 

 Their arrows were pointed with thin flat iron ; and their 

 bows were of a fuperior conilruction, and made of yew, 

 and the bow-firing of the finew of fome marine animal. 

 From the form and flruAurc of their habitations, they 

 feemed frequently to change them ; and their defeited vil- 

 lages indicated their being migratory in their difpofition 

 and habits. Mr. V. fuppofes, however, that though the 

 country feems to be thinly inhabited, it was once much more 

 populous. In different excurfions, they found the flculb, 

 limbs, ribs, and back-bones, or other veftiges of the human 

 body, fcattered about in great abundance ; and hence it is 

 inferred that there has been occafionally, and not at any 

 very remote period, a great walle of human life. Several 

 fl<eletons were found depofited in o«ive3, and fufpended on 

 the branches of trees about 1 2 feet from the ground ; thefe 

 were probably the remains of the chiefs, priefls, and leaders 

 of particular tribes, to whom they paid particular rcfpeft. 

 Balkets, containing the flvelctons of y-oung children, were 

 alio found in the lame lituatlon ; and in other places, dead 

 bodies were difrovered in holes, which were fligfitlv covered 

 over, and in different flates of decay. But the flceletons 

 found in canocs and bafliets bore a very fmall proportion to 

 the ikuU and other human bones indifcriminately fcattered 

 aboJT the fliores. Whether thefe were the refult of epide- 

 mic difeafe, or of recent wars, our navigattjr does not deter- 

 mine. From the character of the people, he think-! the 

 latter caufe not to be probable ; for he repietent'? them as 

 uniformly civil and friendly, without manifrHing the lead 

 fign of fear or fulpicion at the approach of !l rangers, or 

 any ijitln -t'.on of th< ir having been inured to h^llility. The 

 ■? V 2 fnaall* 



