1788.] MEARES AT THE STRAIT OF FUCA. 175 



the above statement ; and Meares nowhere in his narrative pretends 

 that he acquired permanent possession of it, or of any other land in 

 America. On the contrary, he expressly says that, " as a bribe to 

 secure Maquinna's attachment, he was promised that, when we 

 finally left the coast, he should enter into full possession of the 

 house, and all the goods thereunto belonging." In the Memorial 

 addressed to his government, however, Meares declares that, " im- 

 mediately on his arrival at Nootka Sound, he purchased from 

 Maquinna, the chief of the district surrounding that place, a spot 

 of ground, whereon he built an house, for his occasional residence, 

 as well as for the more convenient pursuit of his trade among the 

 natives, and hoisted British colors thereon." Of this asserted 

 purchase of land and erection of buildings at Nootka, no evidence 

 or mention whatsoever is to be found among the documents sub- 

 mitted with the Memorial to the British ministry, except in the 

 deposition of William Graham, of Grub Street, a seaman of the 

 Felice, taken in London after the date of the Memorial. 



Having completed these arrangements, Meares sailed from Nootka 

 in the Felice, leaving a part of his crew employed in building the 

 small vessel, and proceeded to the entrance of the passage supposed 

 to be the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which, as he expressly states in 

 the Dissertation prefixed to his narrative, had been discovered in 

 the preceding year by Berkeley. The following extract from his 

 narrative will serve still further to show what value is to be placed 

 on his testimony in matters in which his own reputation or interests 

 are involved : — 



" June 29th. At noon the latitude was 48 degrees 39 minutes 

 north, at which time we had a complete view of an inlet, whose 

 entrance appeared very extensive, bearing east-south-east, distant 

 about six leagues. We endeavored to keep up with the shore as 

 much as possible, in order to have a perfect view of the land. This 

 was an object of particular anxiety, as the part of the coast along 

 vjhich we were now sailing had not been seen by Captain Cook, and. 

 we knew no other navigator, said to have been this way, except 

 Maurelle ; and his chart, which we now had on board, convinced 

 us that he had either never seen this part of the coast, or that he 

 had purposely misrepresented it. By three o'clock in the afternoon, 

 we arrived at the entrance of the great inlet, which appeared to be 

 twelve or fourteen leagues broad. From the mast head, it was 

 observed to stretch to the east by the north, and a clear and 

 unbounded horizon was seen, in this direction, as far as the eye 



