QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS. 13 B 



1192. Little or nothing was added to our knowledge of the islands 

 after these earlier voyages till they were visited in recent years by 

 several vessels of the Royal Navy, and sketch-plans made of some of 

 the harbours. The fur trade declining rapidly, attention appears 

 to have completely withdrawn from the islands until 1852, when 

 the Hudson Bay Company dispatched a party of men in the brig 

 Una, Captain Mitchell, to discover the locality from which several Discovery of 



1 Gol'l. 



specimens of gold had been brought by Indians. This was found to be 

 in Port Kuper, or Gold Harbour, on the west coast. The gold was 

 found in a small irregular vein, which was soon proved to run out in 

 every direction. The quantity of gold obtained by the expedition was 

 considerable, but has been variously stated. The enterprise was soon 

 abandoned, but the discovery for a time created quite a. furore — the first 

 gold excitement of British Columbia — and the locality was visited by a 

 number of miners, but with no- further success. In July, 1859, Mr. 

 Downie, with a party of twenty-seven, provisioned for three months, 

 started for Port Kuper, or Gold Harbour, reaching it on August 6th, 

 They discovered a few specks of gold, but no paying vein. Mr. Downie 

 appears to have been the first to discover the coal in Skidegate Inlet. Discovery of 

 About this time a Captain Torrens also went with a party to prospect CoaL 

 on the Queen Charlotte Islands, and narrowly escaped massacre by the 

 Skidegate Indians. The Haidas have always borne a bad character, 

 and have plundered coasters on one or more occasions, detaining a 

 portion of the crew as slaves. Pear of the possible behaviour of the 

 Indians has frequently deterred private individuals from- visiting the 

 islands. 



In 1852, H M. S. Thetis visited Port Kuper, the sketch of this Dates of Sur- 

 port being made by G. Moore, master. The sketch of the entrance to sketches. 

 Cumshewa Inlet is by Captain T. Sinclair of the Hudson Bay Company. 

 In 1853, H. M. S. Virago visited Virago Sound, the entrance to Masset 

 Inlet and Houston Stewart Channel. A sketch of Virago Sound was 

 made by G. H. Inskip, master ; of Masset by H. N". Knox, mate ; of 

 Houston Stewart Channel by Messrs. Inskip, Gordon, and Knox. The 

 sketch of Parry Passage, though not directly attributed to the officers 

 of the Virago, was also doubtless made at this time. H. M. S. Alert 

 visited Virago Sound and Houston Stewart Channel in 1860, making- 

 some additions to the previous sketches of these places, and a line of 

 soundings off the east coast of Graham Island, from near Cape Fife to 

 Skidegate, and thence to Cumshewa. In 1862, H. M. S. Hecate 

 visited Skincuttle, to prevent violence being done to the miners then 

 engaged there, and made a line of soundings from that place to Bonilla 

 Island. In March, 1864, the same vessel visited Houston Stewart 

 Channel, making some additions to the sketch. Skidegate Inlet was 

 (in part) carefully surveyed by D. Pender, Master, E. K, 1866. 



