160 B GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



Washington, had fallen in with this tribe, and employed his considerate 

 friendship in forming this garden ; but this is mere matter of conjec- 

 ture, as the real fact could not be learned from the natives.* From 

 the same benevolent spirit Captain Douglas himself planted some 

 beans, and gave the natives a quantity for the same useful purpose ; 

 and there is little doubt but that excellent and wholesome vegetable, 

 at this time, forms an article of luxury in the village of Tartanee. This 

 people, indeed, were so fond of the cooking practiced on board the 

 Iphigenia, that they very frequently refused to traffic with their skins, 

 till they had been taken down to the cabin, and regaled with a previous 

 entertainment." 

 Indian account Such is the first account of these Indians by the Whites. They 

 whites! mgWlth themselves also preserve some traditions of the meeting. On asking 

 the Chief Edensaw (It-insa) if he knew the first white man whom the 

 Haiclas had seen, he gave me, after thinking a moment, the name of 

 Douglas, very well pronounced. Edensaw is now chief of the Ya-tza 

 village, west of Virago Sound, the Kung village at Virago Sound, over 

 which he formerly presided, being nearly abandoned for the new site. 

 Ten years or more ago, his village was on the south side of Parry 

 Passage, but this has now been altogether given up, and the houses are 

 rapidly crumbling away. There is little doubt that the chief with 

 whom Captain Douglas is said to have exchanged names was a prede- 

 cessor of Edensaw's, bearing, as is customary, the same name. This, 

 with the prefix Blakow is given as Coneehaw by Douglas, and it is 

 due to the fact of the ceremonial exchange of names having taken 

 place, that that of Douglas has been handed down to the present 

 Edensaw, while those of Dixon and his people have been forgotten. It 

 may generally be observed, however, that the Indians are particular 

 in enquiring the names of whites who come among them, and it may 

 be noted in this connection that those near the mouth of the Bella 

 Coola Eiver were able to give Sir Alexander McKenzie the name of 

 Vancouver (pronounced by them Macubah) as having lately been 

 among them, when he arrived at the coast after his celebrated journey 

 by the Peace Eiver. 



As we have seen, however, Edensaw was wrong in saying that 

 Douglas was the first white man seen by the Haidas, as Dixon, but 

 two years before had been at the same spot. I did riot know at the 

 time I asked Edensaw the question, # whether his reply was correct or 

 not ; and on my pressing him as to his knowledge, he admitted that he 

 thought white men had appeared before Douglas, but he did not know 



* A conjecture probably incorrect, for as we nave seen, these people were stripped of skins two 

 years before by Dixon, and yet appear to bave accumulated a considerable number at the time 

 of Douglas' vi^it. The ground may have been prepared for the cultivation of the Indian tobacco, 

 referred to on a former page. 



