520 DE FUCA'S STRAITS AND 



that SO large a ship had been navigated by them, and the report of 

 the master that he believed them correct, left me no reason to doubt 

 their probable accuracy ; although at the time I had some misgivings 

 about them, as they were entirely dependent on compass bearings, 

 and those of objects at great distances. They were, however, the 

 only directions for passing this dangerous bar which were to be had, 

 and were then believed to be the only correct ones in existence. It 

 was supposed, indeed, that they had been communicated to the 

 Hudson Bay Company by the officers of H. B. M. surveying-vessels 

 Sulphur and Starling; but of this I had no positive evidence ; for, 

 although I met those vessels at the Feejee Islands, I received no 

 communication from them on this subject. 



The Peacock made Cape Disappointment on the afternoon of the 

 17th of July, and throughout the night experienced light airs and 

 calms, accompanied by a dense fog. 



On the morning of the iSth, between seven and eight o'clock, the 

 fog cleared off, with the wind from the southward and eastward. 

 Cape Disappointment was then about nine miles distant. At nine 

 they sounded in forty fathoms water ; at ten, fifteen : they had but 

 fourteen fathoms when they tacked off shore. It being Sunday, 

 Captain Hudson, as usual, performed divine service, which being 

 finished at 11'' 50", they again tacked to stand in. The tender at 

 this time was several miles to leeward. 



At meridian, the wind came out from the southward and westv/ard, 

 with the weather a little cloudy ; soon after which time the ship was 

 off the entrance, and all hands were called to work her into port. 

 Lieutenant Emmons was now sent aloft, on the foretopsail-yard, 

 while Captain Hudson attended personally to the piloting of the ship, 

 agreeably to the directions before spoken of, which he held in his 

 hand. The ship was, according to Captain Hudson's report, running 

 a northeast-quarter-east course, heading for Cape Disappointment, 

 until the proper bearing of Chinook Point east-northeast was reached, 

 when they discovered the sea breaking ahead of them. He now- 

 believed himself too far to the southward, wore ship, and ran off a 

 short distance, until clear of the breakers, after which they again 

 stood in, where the passage appeared clear and smooth, both from 

 below and aloft. In less than five minutes, the ship touched. Lieu- 

 tenant Emmons, who was on the look-out aloft, together with Lieu- 

 tenant Perry, who also was similarly engaged, both state that they 

 were of opinion that the only place where the channel existed was 



