A V O Y A G E O F D I S C O V E R Y
C H A P T E R V.
Defcription o f port Difcovery and the adjacent country— Its inhabitants— .
Method o f depofiting the dead— ConjeEbures relative to the apparent depopulation
o f the country.
I SH A L L now proceed to relate fuch matters refpefting the country of
New Albion as appeared intitled to notice, and which are not inferted
in the preceding narrative.
Port Difcovery, already mentioned as a perfeftly fafe and convenient
harbour, has its outer points 1^ miles afunder, bearing from each other
s. 63 ,w. and N. 63 E . ; its entrance is fituated in latitude 48° 7', longitude
237° 2p'-§-, whence the port firft takes a direftion s. 30 E. about 8
miles, and then terminates s.w. by w . about a league further. I f it lies
under anydifad vantage, it is in its great depth of water; in which re-
fpect, however, wë found no inconvenience, as the bottom was exceed-
ingly good holding ground, and free from rocks. Towards the upper
part of the harbour it is of lefs depth ; but I faw no lituation more eligible
than that in which the veffels rode, off the firft low fandy point on
the weftern fhore, about f miles within the entrance. Here our
wooding, watering, brewing, and all other operations were carried on
with the utmoft facility and convenience. The Ihores of Protection
illand form on its fouth fide, which is about two miles long, a moft excellent
roadftead, and a channel into port Difcovery, near 2 miles wide
on either fide, without any interruption, which with other nautical particulars
are exhibited in the chart.
The country in the neighbourhood of this port may generally be
confidered of a moderate height, although bounded on the weft fide by
mountains
mountains covered with fnow, to which the land from the water’s edge
rifes in a pleafing diverfity by hills of gradual afcent. The fnow on v— .— >
thefe hills probably dilfolves as the fummer advances, for pine trees
were produced on their very fummits. On the fea lhore the land generally
terminated in low fandy cliffs ; though in fome fpaces of confiderable
extent it ran nearly level from high water mark. The foil for the moft
part is a light fandy loam, in feveral places of very confiderable depth,
and abundantly mixed with decayed vegetables. The vigour and luxuriance
of its produftions proved it to be a rich fertile mould, which
poffibly might be confiderably improved by the addition of the calcareous
matter contained in the marrow ftone that prefented itfelf in many
places. In refpeft to its mineral produftions no great variety was observed.
Iron ore, in its various forms, was generally found; and from !j'|ll
the weight and magnetic qualities o f fome fpecimens, appeared tolerably
rich, particularly a kind that much refembled the blood ftone. Thefe,
with quartz, agate, the common flint, and a great intermixture of other
filicious matter, (moft of the ftones we met with being of that clafs) with
fome variety o f calcareous, magnefian, and argilaceous earths, were the
mineral produftions generally found-
The parts of the vegetable kingdom applicable to ufeful purpofes
appeared to grow very luxuriantly, and confifted o f the Canadian and
Norwegian hemlock, filver pines, the Turamahac and Canadian poplar,
arbor-vitas, common yew, black and common dwarf oak, American
alb, common hazel, fycamore, fugar, mountain, and Penfylvanian maple,
oriental arbutus, American alder, and common willow; thefe, with the
Canadian elder, fmall fruited crab, and Penfylvanian cherry trees, con-
ftituted the forefts, which maybe confidered rather as encumbered, than
adorned, with underwood; although there were feveral places where, m
its prefent ftate, the traveller would pafs without being in the leaft incommoded,
excepting by the undecayed trunks of trees which had fallen.
O f efculent vegetables we found but few; the white or dead nettle, and
famphire, were moft common; the wild orache, vulgarly called fat-hen',
with the vetch. Two or three forts of wild peas, and the common hedge
muftard, were frequently though not always met with, and were confi-
VO L .I. K k dered