NORTH WEST COAST OF AMERICA. 3 



age for knowledge and for enterprife. They were natu- ^ h^ a p- 

 rally ftruck with the fuggeftion of captain Cook, what a 

 gainful trade might be carried on from America to China. 

 for furs. And a brig of flxty tons, with twenty men, 

 under the command of James Hanna, was, in purfuit of 

 this flattering objed:, difpatched from the river of Canton 

 in April 1785 ; and after coafting Northward, and tra- 

 verflng the Southern extremity of Japan, this brig arrived 

 in the fubfequent Auguft at Nootka Sound, the American 

 mart for peltry. Whatever may have been the fuccefs of 

 Hanna in 1785, he performed, in a larger velTel, a 

 fimilar voyage in 1786. In this year, the merchants 

 of Bombay fent two vcffels under the direction of James 

 Strange, while the traders of Bengal difpatched two fhips, 

 which were commanded by the lieutenants Mears and Tip- 

 ping, to the American coaft for furs, in the hope of In- 

 dian profits. Thefe feveral adventures, the gains of which 

 were no doubt greatly amplified, incited to fimilar pur- 

 fuits the torpid fpirit of the Portugueze at Macao, 

 whofe fathers had been the difcoverers,- the conquerors, 

 and monopolifts of the Eaft. 



These enterprifes have proved extremely important to 

 the world, though their profits, confidering the capital 

 and the rifques, were not envioufly great. Thefe enter- 

 prifes, however, by enlarging the limits of difcovery, 

 made navigation more fafe in the North Pacific Ocean. 

 They familiarifed the South Sea iflanders to European 

 perfons, and manners, and traffic. They taught the 

 American favages, that ftrength muft always be fubordi- 

 nate to difcipline : and, having difcovered the Ahooa 



B 2 Indians 



