ALB 



VinJ of brokfn coaft, with inlets anil cliannt-l; almod innii- 

 narablc, aiiJ the lamt cxtrdurdiiiar)- depth of water cU)fe to 

 the Ihoie, and in place* inclofcd within tiie land. In the 

 fpacc of four months, devoted to this nortiiern fiirvey, they 

 advanced litllo more than four degrees northward, leaving 

 off between the 561)1 and 57lh degees of north latitude. 

 In a place near Fi/her'j Caiij!, in lat. 52° 20!'. long. 231'^ 

 5^1'. the natives offered for fale the ikins of the anin\als 

 w hole w ool i< nianufadurtd into the garments worn by the 

 inhabitants of north-well America. They were too large 

 to belong to any of the canine, race, as our navigators had 

 formerly fuppoled. Exchilivcly of the head or tail, tluy 

 were 50 inclies long, and 36 inches broad, cxchifivcly ot the 

 legs. The (kill afforded but little wool in proportion to its 

 fize ; and it is chiefly produced on the back and towards 

 the flioulders, where a kind of creil is formed by long 

 bnllly hairs, pnitn»ding thcmfclves through the wool, and 

 the fame fort of hair forms an outer covering to the whole 

 animal, and intircly hides the wool, which is fhort and of a 

 verv- fine quality. The (kins were cream-coloured, the pelt 

 was thick, and appeared to he of a Itrong texture ; but they 

 wcie too much mutilated for afccrtaining the animal to 

 which they belonged. The females of this part adopted a 

 fingular ornament. An horizontal incilion^vas made about 

 three-tenths of an inch below the upper part of the under 

 lip, extending from one corner of the mouth to the other, 

 iatirely through the flelh : this orifice was then ftretched 

 fufficicTitly fur admitting an ornament of wood, of an oval 

 form, hud hollow on both fides ; which was confined clofely 

 to the gums of the lower jaws, and whofe external furface 

 projected horizontally. The clothing of the natives was 

 formed either of V'f flcins or of the pme bark, and orna- 

 mented with woollen yarn, very fine, well fpiin, and dyed 

 with a very lively and beautiful, yellow. As to their dif- 

 pof'itions and manners, they fccitied to be civil, good-hu- 

 moured and friendly ; and they manlfeftcd a conl'iderable 

 degree of vivacity and humour. They approached and 

 left the fhips with fongs ; they appeared to be happy and 

 clieerful, and to live in the ilri^tcll harmony and good 

 fellowdiip with one another. They were well verfed 

 in commerce. In examining fome of the openings, which 

 prefented themfelves in the continental fhore, and which 

 Rlr. V. traverfed in boats for 23 days, through a dillance 

 of 700 geographical miles, he was attacked by a party of 

 Indians, under the direction of an old woniiin, who feemed 

 to be their leader. In this furvcy they difcovered a river, 

 in 55^ N. lat. on a bay, in the caflcrn fide of the entrance 

 «f an ann of the fea, named by Captain V., Obfer-valory 

 Jnlet. This fmall river, and another in Port Eflington, 

 were the only two ftrtams that had yet been difcovered to 

 the north of the river Columbia. In September our navi- 

 gators rctm-ned from between 56° and 57°, the highefl 

 latitude to which they advanced in this voyage, towards 

 the louth, keeping at a dillance from the continent, and 

 to the wellward of Queen Charlotte's iflands. Having 

 fmifhed their iurvey of the coall of north-wefl America, 

 from the 30th to the 56th degree of north latitude, they 

 concluded that no navigable communication exifts between 

 the north Pacific, and north Atlantic oceans ; nor between 

 the waters of the Pacific, nor any of the lakes or rivers in 

 the interior part of the continent of North America. 



In a third voyage, in 1794, Capt. Vancouver and his 

 affociates furveycd the higher latitudes of the north-weftem 

 coail of America. Their firll objeft was Cook's Iriht ; 

 hence they proceeded to eKamine Prince William's 

 Sound; paffiog fome points and capes of lefs note, they 

 fteercd louthward fr-jin CiiJ>e Fairweather, in N. lat. 58° 



ALB 



51'., to Copt Spencer, m N. lat. 58" 13'.; but they do 

 not mention Port dcs Franr^ats of M. dc la Pe-roufe, which 

 he places in 58" 37'. N. latitude. In examining the upper 

 part of an arm 01 the fea witiiin Crnfs Sound-, they found 

 that it approached nearer to thofe interior waters of the 

 continent, which arc faid to be known to the traders and 

 travellers from the oppolite fide of America, than any of 

 the waters of the north Pacific in any other inilance. It 

 was called Lynn Canal. On the 19th of Auguft, the 

 voyagers had completed their furvcy from Cook's inlet to 

 the part of the coall at which they broke off in the pre- 

 ceding year. To the harbour in which the fliips lay, they 

 gave the name of Port Conclujion, in latitude 56" 14' 55"« 

 longitude 225° 37' 30". 



Although we have given a brief abftraft of the principal 

 obfervations that occurred in the three voyages of Vancouver, 

 on the American coall ; yet it is neceffary to obferve, that 

 the appellation of New Albion, though, generally fpeaking, 

 applied to the north-well coall of America, is in reality of 

 a much more limited extent. In Vancouver's chart, its 

 fonthern limit is the 30th degree of north latitude, and 

 its northern termination is about 45°. The more northerly 

 parts of this coatt are New Georgia, New Hanover, Ne-ut 

 Comma//, and Avw Norfo/i. 



The miffion of St. Domingo is the fouthemmoft of the 

 Spanifh fcttlements, in New Albion; or of thofe new efla- 

 blifhments that were fonned after the year 1769, when fea 

 and land expeditions were undertaken to fettle Monterrey 

 and St. Diego. At this period, their north-well ernmoil 

 poffeflion on this coaft was Vehcata, and Santa Maria on 

 the coall of the peninfula, in the gulf of California. 

 Thefe two miffions had, till that time, formed a kind of 

 ntuth-wellern barrier, or frontier to the Spanifli Mexican 

 colonies. But Ruflia, by its rapid llrides, roufed the ap- 

 prchenfions and jealoufy of the Spanilh court, and gave 

 occafion to thefe expeditions. Since that time, all the 

 new eilablifliments have been formed ; and the mifhon of 

 Velicata is removed fome leagues to the noith-welhvard, 

 nearer the exterior coall of CaUfornia. The new fcttle- 

 ments are committed to four jurifditlions, the principal of 

 which is Monten-ey ; as it is alfo the refidence of the go- 

 vernor, who is captain-general of the province, and of the 

 father prefulent of the Fmncifcan order of miffionaries. 

 In each of the divifions is fixed one military poll, called 

 the Prefidio, governed by a lieutenant, who has under hira 

 an enfign, with ferjeants, corporals, &c. The moll nor- 

 thern Prefidio is that of St. Francilco, which has under 

 its protedlion the miflions of St. Francifco and Santa 

 Clara, the pueblo of St. Jofeph,. about three or four 

 miles from Santa Clara, and an eftablifhment in the fouthern 

 opening of port Bodega, to v.'hich they have given the 

 name of Port Juan Francifco. The next in fuccefiion 

 fouthward, is that of Monterrey, the capital of the pro- 

 vince, under which are the million of Santa Cruz, near 

 Point Anno Nuevo, cftablifhed in the year 17S9 01' 1790, 

 and fome others of lefs note. South and eaft from Mon- 

 terrey are the miffions of St. Carlos, St. Antonio, St. 

 Luis, and Santa Rofa la Puriffima, near the entrance of 

 the canal of Santa Barbara. The next and Imalleft di. 

 vifion is that of Santa Barbara, eftablifhed in 1786, to 

 which belong that of Buena Ventura, founded in 1784, 

 and the pueblo de los Angelos, formed in 1781 ; which 

 latter is faid to be fubjeft to the controul of the prefidio 

 at St. Diego, which is the fourth or fouthernmofl of thefe 

 new fettlements. The climate of the country between 

 the bay and port of St. Francifco, or from the 38th to 

 the 30th degree of north latitude, is fubjeft to much 



drought. 



