2 1 4 A V O Y A G E Ó F D I S C O V E R Y
- zies on board to acquire fuch information as might be ferviceable in our
— -) future operations. ■
The moft remarkable mountain we had feen on the cóaft of New
Albion, now prefented itfelf. Its ftimmit, covered with eternal fnow,
was divided into a very elegant double fork, and rófe confpicuoufly from
“a bafe o f lofty mountains clothed in the fame manner, which defcendéd
gradually to hills of a moderate height, and terminated like that we had
feen the preceding day, in low cliffs falling perpendicularly on a fandy
beach; off which were fcattered many rocks and rocky iflets of various
forms and fizes. This ‘was generally confidered, though it was not confirmed
by its latitude, to be the mount Olympus of Mr. Mears; it being
the only confpicuous mountain we had obferved on the part of the
coaft he had vifited. Mount Olympus is placed in latitude 47” id';
whereas our latitude now was 47° 38': and as this mountain bore n . 55 È.
it muft confequently be to the north o f us ; although we were unable
to determine its precife fituation, by the thick hazy weather which fhort-
ly fucceeded.
On the return o f the boat, we found our conjectures had not. been
ill grounded, that this Was the Tame’ gentleman who had commanded
the floop Wafhingtorr at the time, we are informed, lhe had made a -very
lingular voyage behind Nootka. It was not a little remarkable that,' on
our approach to the 'entrance- of this' inland fea, we fhould fall in with
the identical perfon who, it had been fluted, had failed through it. His
relation, however, differed'very' materially from that publifhed in England.
It is not poffible to conceive any one to be more aftonifhed than
was Mr. Gray, on his being made acquainted, that his authority had
been quoted, and the track pointed out that he had been faid to have
made in the floop Wafhington. In contradiftion to which, he af-
fured the officers, that he had penetrated only 50 miles into the ftraits
in queftion, in an e . s . e . direétion; that he found the paffage 5 leagues
wide ; and that he underflood, from the natives, that the Opening extended
a confiderable diftance to the northward ; that this was all the information
he had acquired refpefting this inland fea1, arid that he returned
into the ocean by the fame way he had entered at. The inlet he fuppofed
R O U N D T H E W O R L D . 215
pofed to be the fame that De Fuca. had difcovered, -which opinion ^79*-
feemed to be univerfally received by all the modern vifitors.y He like- i—gp—
wife informed them of his having heen off the. mouth o f . a river in the
latitude of 46°l.o,> where the outfet, or reflux, was fo: ftrong as to
prevent his entering.for nine days. This was, probably,- the^qpening
paffed by us on the forenoon o f the 27 th;.-and was, apparently, inae-
ceffible, not from the . current, but from the breakers that extended
acrofs it. He had alfo. entered, another inlet to thfi northward, in latitude
54?-§; in which he had failed to the latitude, o f 56°, without dif-
covering its termination. The fouth point o f entrance into De Fuea’jS
ftreights he ftated to be in 48“ 24',. and conceived our .diftance, from it
to be about 8 leagues. The faff winter he had fpent. ip port Cox, or, as
the natives call it, Clayoquot, from whence he. had failed but a few days.
During the winter he.had. built a fmall yeflej, in. which fte had difpatch-
ed a mate andrten men to barter for furs on. .Queen. Charlotte’s-, ifiands,
and was himfelf now commencing his fummer’s trade -along the coaft to
the fouthward. Whilft he remained at C la y o q u o tWicananijk, the chief
of that diftrift, had concerted a plan to capture his.fhip, by bribing .a
native of Owhyhee, whom Mr. Gray had with him, Ip wet the priming
of all the fire-arms on. board, which were conftantly kept loaded; upon
which the chief would eafily have overpowered the fhip’s crew, by a
number of daring Indians . who were affembled for that purpofe. This
projeft was happily difcovered, and the Americans being on- their guard
the fatal effedts of the enterprize. were prevented.
Having obtained this information,, our courfe was-again direfted along
the coaft to- the northward. It continued to incr-eafe in height as. we
advanced, with numberlefs. detached- rocky iflets, amongft which were
many funken rocks, extending in fome places a league from the, fit ore:
As we paffed the outermoft o f thefe rocks at the diftance of. a mile, we
plainly diftinguifhed the-fouth point of entrance into De Fuca’s ftraits,
bearing by compafs n.8 w . : the oppofite fide of the ftraits, though
indiftinftly feen in confequence: o f the haze, plainly indicated an opening
of confiderable extent. 'The thick rainy weather permitted us to
fee little of the country, yet.yre, were enabled to ascertain that, this coaft,