PUGET SOUND AND OKONAGAN. 443 



employed in taking fish, and they seldom remain in any place beyond 

 the time necessary for this purpose. 



On my retiirn to the ship, I found that Lieutenant Johnson had 

 returned, with the party of which he had charge. I shall therefore 

 give in this place an account of their journey, and the country 

 through which they passed, referring the reader to my orders to 

 Lieutenant Johnson, in Appendix XIL, for the route intended to be 

 passed over, and the duties to be performed. But before leaving 

 Nisqually, I have a few words to say about its position, and the 

 Indian tribe of that name. 



The situation of Nisqually is badly chosen for trade, for the anchor- 

 age is of small extent, and only a few vessels can be accommodated 

 within a reasonable distance of the shore. It would also be much ex- 

 posed to the southwest winds, and the hill is an insuperable objection 

 to its becoming a place of deposit for merchandise, as it would very 

 much increase the labour and expense of transportation. The Nis- 

 qually fort or post was chosen, as I have been informed, before the 

 Company had an idea of transporting any articles by water. It has, 

 however, one great recommendation, in the ease with which water may 

 be obtained from the stream that flows in abreast of the anchorage. 

 Much better places than Nisqually could be found in this vicinity, for 

 the location of a town. There is one, in particular, just within Kitron's 

 Island, about a mile and a half to the north of Nisqually anchorage, 

 where the shore has a considerable indentation. There, although the 

 water is deep, vessels would be protected from the winds which blow 

 most violently, from the southwest, southeast, and northwest, and also 

 from any sea, while Nisqually is not : this place is equally well sup- 

 plied with water, and the hill is by no means so precipitous. 



The spring tides were found to be eighteen feet, those of the neaps 

 twelve feet. High water, at the full and change, at 6'' lO"", p. u. 

 During the whole of our stay there was found to be a great dis- 

 crepancy between the day and night tides, the latter not rising as 

 high as the former by two feet. 



The country in this vicinity is thought to be remarkably healthy, 

 and on all these salt-water inlets, the winter is represented to be 

 mild, and but of short duration. The mean temperature, six feet 

 under ground, during our stay at the observatory, from the 20th 

 of May till the 14th of July, was found to be 58-5°. I was not 

 fully satisfied that this record gave correct results for the mean 

 temperature of the climate, although frosts do not penetrate the 



