1774.] VOYAGE OF JUAN PEREZ. 1 15 



of January, 1774, with orders, from the viceroy of Mexico, to 

 proceed, as soon as possible, northward, to the 60th degree of 

 latitude, and then to survey the coasts of America from that paral- 

 lel, southward, to Monterey, taking possession, for the king, of 

 every place at which he might land. 'From San Bias he went first 

 to San Diego, and thence to Monterey, from which latter place he 

 took his departure, on the 16th of June, for the north. The 

 weather, as usual in that part of the Pacific, proved stormy, the 

 winds blowing almost constantly from the north-west ; so that it was 

 not until the 18th of July that the Santiago reached the 54th par- 

 allel of latitude, under which land was first seen in the east. The 

 coast thus observed was high and rocky, extending southward as far 

 as the eye could penetrate, and terminating, in the north, in a point, 

 to which Perez gave the name of Cape Santa Margarita. In the 

 interior was seen a lofty, snow-covered range of mountains, which 

 he called the Sierra de San Cristoval. On approaching the shore, 

 the Spaniards could find no place where it would be safe to anchor ; 

 and, on rounding the cape, the coast beyond it was found to stretch 

 directly westward. By this time, the crew were beginning to show 

 symptoms of scurvy, the weather was tempestuous, and the vessel 

 was small, and badly provided in every respect ; under which cir- 

 cumstances, it was determined that no attempt should be made to 

 go farther north. The Spaniards accordingly steered southward, 

 along the coast, for about a hundred miles, and were then driven 

 off by a storm: before leaving it, however, they met some of the 

 natives, in' their canoes, with whom they traded, receiving sea-otter 

 and other valuable skins in return for old clothes, knives, shells, 

 and other trifles. 



The land thus discovered was the west side of the large island 

 afterwards named Queen Charlotte's Island by the British ; Cape 

 Santa Margarita being the north-easternmost point, now called, on 

 English maps, Cape North, at the entrance of Dixon's Channel. 

 Many particulars respecting the people of these coasts are recorded 

 in the journals of the Spaniards, which agree precisely with the 

 accounts of subsequent navigators. 



On the 9th of August, Perez again made the land, and discov- 

 ered, under the parallel of 49 degrees 30 minutes, a deep bay, at 

 the entrance of which he anchored, between two high points, one 

 bearing six leagues north-west, the other two leagues south-east. 

 Ere long, his vessel was surrounded by canoes, filled with natives of 

 the country, who readily engaged in trade with his crew : they are 



