porter's journal. 



7 



fallen into that error, arising from national prejudice, wbicb 

 he so much contemns ; and notwithstanding our prior right, 

 founded on a discovery well known to him, has attached 

 to these islands the names given to them by Marchand, 

 He has had the liberality, however, to admit that they 

 had been first discovered by the Americans ; but, notwith- 

 standing this acknowledgment, he cannot devest himself of 

 national prejudice so far as to allow them the names given 

 by our countrymen. These substitutions of names (as 

 Fleurien justly remarks) cannot but create confusion in 

 Geography, and, in the sequel, give birth to uncertainties 

 and doubts respecting the periods of discoveries. Fleu- 

 rien claims for the French priority of the British, in the 

 discovery of this group, and in the discussion loses sight 

 of any claim of ours. Perhaps he has not considered us 

 as rivals worthy of either of the great nations, and has 

 attached to us no more merit than he would have given to 

 one of the natives for being born there. The whole 

 merit of a navigator, he says, consists in finding what he 

 seeks for, not in accidental discoveries : if so, where is 

 the merit of captain Marchand's finding this group, if he 

 was previously ignorant of their existence. Yet Monsieur 

 Fleurien makes this discovery one of the most conspicu- 

 ous features of Marchand's voyage, and exults no little 

 that they should have been seen by a citizen of France, 

 before they had been visited by a servant of the British 

 government. History and Geography will, however, do 

 justice to the discovery of Mr. Ingraham, and whatever 

 names may be given to them by English or French parti- 

 zans, posterity will probably know them only as Wash- 

 ington's Group. 



After this digression, which I have been led into from a 

 sense of justice to my countrymen, I shall proceed in my 

 narrative. 



On the morning of the 24th, discovered the island of 

 Rooahooga (so called by the natives, but by us Adams^ 

 Island) one of the Washington Group. Its aspect, on first 

 making it, was little better than the barren and desolate 

 islands we had been so long among. But on our nearer 

 approach, the fertile valleys, whose beauties were height- 

 ened by the pleasant streams and clusters of houses, and 

 groups of the natives on the hills inviting us to land, pro- 



