6 B GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OP CANADA. 



along the shore, but at too great a distance to admit of oar making 

 any particular or exact delineation of it ; nor is the sketch we were 

 enabled to obtain of these islands to be considered as correct, or to be 

 depended upon, because their numerous divisions would have demanded 

 a survey that would have occupied infinitely more time than we had 

 now to bestow. Our examination was wholly confined to the general 

 direction of the shores, and to ascertain the position of their conspicuous 

 projecting points. Towards Cape St. James the land was very mode- 

 rately elevated, but, like that on the northern part of the islands, it 

 rose gradually to rugged and uneven mountains, which occupied the 

 centre of the country, descending towards its extremities to a less 

 height, and is of a more uniform appearance." 



On the discovery and earlier voyages to these islands and adjacent 

 regions, a few notes may be given, forming an interesting page in the 

 history of our knowledge of the West Coast of America. 

 Voyage of Juan j n 1592 the Viceroy of Mexico fitted out a caravel and pinnace to 



DeFuca. J . , a • 



discover the ' Straits of Anian. The origin of the name Anian 

 appears to be obscure, but it was used to designate a supposed northern 

 passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The conduct of the 

 expedition was entrusted to a Greek pilot, Apostolos Valerianos, com- 

 monly called Juan de Fuca. The story of this navigator, which 

 need not here be quoted, has been doubted, and no record of his 

 voyage can be found among the Spanish archives of the period, which 

 have now come to light ; but the accordance of his statement of the 

 occurrence of an important opening in the coast of the continent in a 

 latitude approximately given, with the fact of* the existence of the strait 

 afterwards in 1788 called by his name by Meares, establishes a strong- 

 presumption in favor of his veracity. De Fuca may therefore be 

 supposed to have been the first to discover any part of the territory 

 now forming the Province of British Columbia. 

 Narrative of De It is related that in 1639 the Court of Spain, having intelligence of 

 Tonte's voyage. gome eX p ec [[tions attempted in that year by the people of Boston, New 

 England, Bartholemew De Fonte was appointed to command a squadron 

 fitted out at Callao, in Peru, to oppose them.* His vessels were 

 named the Holy Ghost, Saint Lucia, Rosary and King Philip. The 

 details of his voyage are circumstantially given, but it is unneces- 

 sary to quote them. Leaving Callao in 1640, he sailed northward 

 along the Pacific Coast, and entered what he'called the Archipelago of 

 St. Lazarus on the 14th of June. This is said to be situated in 53° N. 

 latitude, and through it he sailed 260 leagues in intricate channels 

 among islands, making some very extraordinary geographical dis- 



* Observations on the Passage between the Atlantic ar.d Pacific Oceans, &c. W, Goldson, 

 Portsmouth , 1793. 



