296 NISQUALLY AND COLUMBIA RIVER. 



As a memorial of this extraordinary incident, porcelain of Japanese 

 manufacture, which was purchased from the Indians who plundered 

 the junk, was seen in possession of Mr. Burnie, the agent of the Hudson 

 Bay Company, at Astoria. 



On the 29th and part of the 30th, we had light airs and calms, so 

 that we made little or no progress. In the afternoon of the 30th, the 

 breeze freshened and carried us briskly to our destination. While 

 thus proceeding, a large canoe, containing about twenty Indians, en- 

 deavoured to board us ; but I was too anxious to reach an anchorage 

 to regard their desires. 



I was in hopes that the wind would continue fair, and enable us to 

 have reached Neah Harbour ere night ; but as we approached Cape 

 Flattery and opened the Straits of Fuca, it became contrary. We 

 were therefore compelled to pass the night, which proved dark and 

 rainy, under way. We had but little knowledge of the dangers that 

 might surround us ; but our frequent tacks throughout the night showed 

 us that but few existed at the mouth of the straits. 



The coast of Oregon, to the south of Cape Flattery, is rocky, much 

 broken, and affords no harbours, except for very small vessels. It 

 may therefore be considered as extremely dangerous, and particularly 

 on account of its outlying rocks. The soundings on this coast, 

 however, I afterwards discovered, may serve as a sure indication by 

 which danger may be avoided, and safety may be insured by not 

 approaching the coast into soundings of less than seventy fathoms. 



On the morning of the 1st of May, we found ourselves well into 

 the straits ; and as I proposed to defer the survey of this part of them 

 until my return, we hastened to reach Port Discovery, where we 

 anchored at half-past 6 p. m. on the 2d of May ; just forty-nine years 

 after Vancouver, pursuing the track of De Fuca, had visited the same 

 harbour. 



The Straits of Juan de Fuca may be safely navigated. The wind 

 will for the greater part of the year be found to blow directly through 

 them, and generally outwards: this wind is at times very violent. 

 The shores of the strait are bold, and anchorage is to be found in but 

 few places. We could not obtain bottom in some places with sixty 

 fathoms of line, even within a boat's length of the shore. 



The south shore is composed of perpendicular sandy cliffs, that run 

 back into high and rugged peaks, and is covered with a forest of 

 various species of pines, that rises almost to the highest points of the 

 range of mountains. The highest points themselves are covered with 

 snow ; and among them Mount Olympus was conspicuous, rising to 

 an altitude of eight thousand one hundred and thirty-eight feet. 



