we 



Point GreiivlttV.— Deitrueiion 

 l»le.— Coati afOregou. 



OEEGOR 



lmli.i!i« vkil Hie »liip.— New PnagMMf j 

 Prulecliou l»l*ntl.— Port Discovery. 



proceeded at tlic rate of eight or ten miles an 



boor. 



The weather was very thick, and the wind soulh- 

 south-west At ten o'clock the Porpoise was clone 

 under our lee-quarter. 1 wan myself below, when 

 I wan informed by the officer of the deck that we 

 had entered disturbed water. A number of birds, 

 were around the vessels, and a east of the lead 

 nave fifteen fathoms. By the time I reached the 

 deck, land was seen through the haze, close 

 aboard. The ship was at once brought by the 

 wind and all the studding-sails taken in. 



Th«' weather before long cleared up sufficiently to 

 give us a view of the land, which proved to he Point 

 Grenvilh; of Vancouver, and Destruction Isle. The 

 latter is easily known by some remarkable [wrfura- 

 tions through a rock near it. 



On the 30th, 1 was in hopes that the wind would 

 continue fair, and enable us to have reached Neah 

 Harbour ere night; but as we approached Capo 

 Flattery ami opened the Strait* of Fuea, it became 

 contrary. We were therefore compelled to pass 

 the night, which proved dark ami rainy, imd< r way. 

 We hail but little knowledge of the dangers that 

 might surround us; but our frequent tacks througli- 

 nut ill- night showed us that but few evicted at the 

 mouth of i ho straits. 



The coast of Oregon, to tJie south of Cape Flat- 

 ten, is rocky, much broken, and attbrda no har- 

 bours, except for very small vessels. It may there- 

 fore be considered an extremely dangerous, and 

 particularly on account of its outhiug rucks. The 

 bounding* on thid coast, however, I afterwards dis- 

 covered, may nerve aa a sure indication by which 

 danger may ho avoided, and safely may be insiiP d 

 by not approaching the coast into soundings of less 

 than s»ev i ii t v fathoms, 



On the morning of the 1st of May, we found our- 

 selves well into the straits; and as I proposed to 

 d'-fer the survey of thin part of thein until my 

 return, we hastened to reach Port Discovery, where 

 we anchored at half-past <i i\M. on the 'Jnd of May; 

 just forty-nine years after Vancouver, pursuing 

 the truck of De Fuea, had visited the same hur- 

 bour. 



The Straits of Junn de Fuca may be safely navi- 

 gated. The wind wilj for the greater part of the 

 year he I'.iutnl to I. low directly through iln-nt, and 

 generally outwards: this wind is at limes very vio- 

 lent. The shores of the strait are hold, and an- 

 chorage is to be found in but few places We could 

 not obtain bottom in some places with sixty fa- 

 thoms of Hue, 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 bpe- 

 eies 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 alti- 

 tude of eight thousand one hundred and thirty-eight 

 feet. 



The north shore is roeky, and composed, as for 

 us we could examine it, of conglomerate, and in 

 some few places of a reddish granite. 



In the morning Ave were boarded by a large 

 canoe, with Indians who sjKike a few words of 

 English. The principal man of the party was 

 dressed in a coarse coal of red cloth, with the 



Hudson Bay Company's buttons, and corduroy 

 trousers, lie had neither shirt, shoes, nor hat, 

 although the rain was falling fast. The others 

 were habited in blankets or skins, and wore conical 

 grass hats, resembling in shape those or the 

 Chinese. 



The first inquiry was, whether we were Boston 

 or King George's ships, by which terms they dis- 

 tinguish Americans and English. 



They brought with them for «de some fish and 

 a few furs. On the latter they appeared to seta 

 high value, and were not a" little disappointed 

 when they learned tliat we had no desire lo pur- 

 chase them. They readily parted with their fine 

 fish for a few fish-hooks and a little tobacco. 



It was amusing to us. who had no very exalted 

 opinion of the FeejeeaiiH, to observe the contempt 

 our prisoner Vendovi entertained for these Indians, 

 « hieh was such that he would hardly deign to look 

 at them. 



Late tn the afternoon, wo reached and weathered 

 the low sand-point, called by Vancouver New 

 Dungeuess, and stood over for his Protection 

 Island. We passed within less than a quarter 

 of a mile of the ftoint, w here we had three and a 

 half fathoms water. 



After passing that island, an extensive bay 

 opened, 00 whose shores we saw the long p o ki 

 mentioned by Vancouver, and represented in his 

 book. The use of these he was unable to discover, 

 but the Indians in formed us that they were for the 

 purpose of suspending nets for taking the wild-fowl 

 that frequent these shores in great numbers. On 

 these pole* the nets are set up at night, at which 

 time the geese search these grounds for food : fires 

 are then lighted, which alarm the birds, and canst 

 I hem to fly against the ueta, by which they are 

 thrown upon the ground, where, before they 

 time to recover themselves, ihey arc caught and 

 killed. 



The description of Vancouver is so exactly ap- 

 plicable to the present state uf this port, that it was 

 difficult to believe that almost half a century had 

 elapsed since it was written. The beautiful woods 

 and lawns uf Protection Island, in particular, exist 

 unchanged. Tho lawns still produce the same 

 beautiful flowers and shrubs, and although closely 

 surrounded by dense woods, do not seem to have 

 been encroached upon by their luxuriant growth, 

 although there is tut apparent reason why it should 

 not long ere this have overrun them. 



Our anchorage in Port Discovery was close to the 

 shore, in iwcnty-soven fathoms water. It is a well- 

 protected harbour, and very convenient of access, 

 but the depih of water and the high prtcipit.iu.- 

 banks would almost preclude its being made the 

 seat of a settlement. 



Tiio name of Port Discovery was given by Van- 

 couver. It is eight miles lung, two miles in average 

 width, and its points, which terminate in low sandy 

 projections, interlock each other. The shores are 

 supplied with largo quantities of shell fish. Pro- 

 tection Island covers it completely to the north, 

 and would render it easily defensive against the 

 most formidable attack. The only objection to it 

 as a harbour is that already spoken of, the gn at 

 depth of the water, which in the middle is no where 

 less llian forty or fifty fathoms, and is often as 

 much as sixteen fathoms close to the shore. 



The ludiauswhom we found dwelling here are oi 



