250 PRETENDED CESSION OF OWYHEE TO GREAT BRITAIN. [1794. 



continent, and the islands in its vicinity, from the northern entrance 

 of the Strait of Fuca, near the 51st degree of latitude, northward, 

 as far as the 54th parallel ; tracing to their terminations, as in the 

 preceding year, all the passages which appeared to run eastward, as 

 well as many others, which were found to be channels separating 

 islands from each other or from the main land. Several open- 

 ings still remained unexplored beyond the 54th parallel ; but the 

 weather became so stormy at the end of September, that the 

 survey could no longer be continued with safety or advantage : 

 Vancouver accordingly returned along the western side of Queen 

 Charlotte's Island to Nootka, and thence took his departure for 

 Port San Francisco, which he reached on the 19th of October. 



From Port San Francisco the British navigators sailed along the 

 shores of California — which Vancouver takes care always to call 

 New Albion — as far south as San Diego, near the 33d degree of 

 latitude, visiting every important point on their way, and observing 

 the coasts with great exactness ; and thence, in the middle of De- 

 cember, they went to Owyhee, where they found that the supremacy 

 of Tamahamaha was admitted, though with some qualifications, by 

 the people and the other chiefs. Here Vancouver succeeded in 

 effecting a reconciliation between the king and Tahowmannoo, 

 his sultana, (since better known as Kaahumanu,) from whom he 

 had been for some time separated on account of her open and 

 repeated infidelities ; and he soon after gave further proof of his 

 talents as negotiator, in a transaction the particulars of which do 

 not appear to have been understood in the same light by both 

 the parties. 



The navigator states that a strong disposition had been manifested 

 by several chiefs, at the time of his first visit, to place their island 

 under subjection to the British king, but that it had been opposed 

 by other chiefs, on the ground that they should not surrender 

 themselves to a superior foreign power, unless they were assured 

 that they would thus be really protected against distant and 

 neighboring enemies. At the time of his second visit, however, 

 he found the disposition to submit much increased, and, as he says, 

 "Under a conviction of the importance of these islands to Great 

 Britain, in the event of an extension of her commerce over the 

 Pacific Ocean, and in return for the essential services we had 

 derived from the excellent productions of the country, and the 

 ready assistance of its inhabitants, I lost no opportunity for encour- 

 aging their friendly dispositions toward us, notwithstanding the 



