COLUMBIA RIVER. 315 



The weather was very thick, and the wind south-southwest. At 

 ten o'clock the Porpoise was close under our lee-quarter. I was 

 myself below, when I was informed by the officer of the deck that we 

 had entered disturbed water. A number of birds were around the 

 vessels, and a cast of the lead gave fifteen fathoms. By the time I 

 reached the deck, land was seen through the haze, close aboard. 

 The ship was at once brought by the wind, and all the studding-sails 

 taken in. 



The same discovery was made on board the Porpoise, and she was 

 in the act of communicating it by signal. Neither of the vessels now 

 had much water under their keels, and both were in imminent danger. 

 We owed our safety to the good qualities of the vessels, which were 

 on this occasion very evident, and to the conduct of the officers and 

 crew, whose promptness and attention to the execution of the orders 

 deserve my highest praise, and reflect great credit on their discipline. 



Our situation caused me much anxiety for a short time; and this 

 was one of the many hair-breadth escapes from wreck, incident to 

 this cruise. The difficulty of our position was enhanced by the 

 heavy sea we had to encounter, into which the vessels plunged so 

 heavily as to endanger our spars. The same cause had prevented us 

 from bending the chain cables, so that we had no means of anchoring 

 until after we had passed the most dangerous points. 



We had several casts of the lead in five, six, seven, eight, and nine 

 fathoms. 



In examining into the cause of our being found so unexpectedly 

 in this position, I am led to believe that there is a current that sets 

 upon the coast; and in this I was confirmed by trials made after- 

 wards. 



Soon after we were out of danger, it cleared up sufficiently to give 

 us a view of the land, which proved to be Cape Grenville of Van- 

 couver, and Destruction Isle. The latter is easily known by some 

 remarkable perforations through a rock near it. 



Near Cape Grenville several accidents have happened, both to 

 English and Russian vessels ; and a boat's crew belonging to one of 

 the latter, was inhumanly massacred by the Indians. 



It was also near this spot, that the very remarkable occurrence of 

 the wreck of a Japanese junk happened in the year 1833. The 

 officers of the Hudson Bay Company became aware of this disaster 

 in a singular manner. They received a drawing on a piece of China- 



