Bed with this changte in their appearance, though I had every reafon to
believe their intentions were 'of the moft inodenlive nature, and that it
was moft probable they had thus produced their arms to {hew their
Wealth, and imprefs us with an idea of their confequence: I deemed it,
however, moft advifeable to withdraw; and having diftributed the few
remaining articles we had Merved-, Cliejlakees was informed I was about
to return; on which he, With his relations who had attended us through
the village, accompanied us to the fandy ifland, whither I went to ob-
ferye its latitude.
Some few others of the Indians attended «s on this occafion, whofe
behaviour bfeingOrderly abd civil, they Were permitted to affemble round
me whilft obferving.' They were exdeffively amufed with the effect of
the fun’s raVs through the reading glafs; and the extraordinary quality of
the quickfilver ufed for the purpofe Of an artificial horizon, afforded
them the 'greateft entertainment, until our bufi ne-fs was ended, when
they in avdryfrierifflymahffer took leave, and confirmed me in the opi-
hidn, that tHe martial appearance they had affumed, was purely the ef-
"feEl o f oftentaticfn.
in moft o f the houfes wehe two or three mulkets,. which; by their locks
and mounting, appeared to be Spanifh. Chejlakees had no left than
'eight in his houfe, all kept in excellent order-: thefe, together with a
great variety o f other European commodities, I prefumed, were pro-
'Cffred immediately from Nootka, as, on pointing to many o f them, they
gave Us to Underftand they had come from thence, ahd in their Sommer-
'cial'concerns with us, frequently explained, that-their Hans -would fetch
hiore at Nodtka than We chofe to offer. Their total '-number we efti-
'mated at about five hundred. They were well verfed in the ^principles o f
Trade, and'carried it on in a very fair and- honorable1 manner. Sea-otter
fkins were the chief Objefts of our people’s traffic, who purchafed- nearly
two hundred in the courfe of the day. Mr. Menzies informed me, that
thefe had been procured at leaft an hundred per cent, dearer than when
hevifited the coaft on a former occafion, which manifeftly proved, that
either afurplus quantity'of European commodities had been fince imported
into this country, -or more probably, that the avidity {hewn by
• - the
r o u n d t h e w o r l d .
the rival adventurers in this commerce, and the eagernefij of an pnre- yj>*-.
{trained throng of purchafers from different nations, had brought Euro-
pean commodities into low eftirnation. Iron was bepome a mpre drug ;
and when we refilled them fire arms and ammunition, wh}ph humanity,
prudence, and policy direfted to be with-held, nothing but large {heets,,
of copper, and blue woollen cloth engaged their attention in. a pommer-
cial way ; beads and other trinkets they accepted as prefents, but they
returned nothing in exchange.
Thefe were the principal circumftances that occurred to me on our
Ihort vifit to this ftation. The further and mprs general obfervatiops,
that fell under my notice refpeôing the very gxtraordinajy .regjpu we had
lately paffed through, and which were not noticed in the: narratives of the
lèverai parties who were employed in exploring if, I fha.11 now briefly
{late, with fuch' reflections as were confequent thereon, .
The length .of -coaft from point Mudge to this ftation, about: 32
leagues, forms a channel which, though narrow, is . fa ir and navigable |
mantfefted by the adverfe winds obliging us to beat to windward every
foot of the channel, and to perform, a complété trayerfe from fliore to
fhore through its whole extent, without -meeting the leaft obfti u(£lion
from irocks.or fhoals. T he great depth of water not only here, but that
which as generally found waffiing, the {bores o f this very broken and
divided country, muft ever be confidered as a very peculiar eirCumflancq,
and a great inconvenience to its navigation. We however found a fuf-
ficient number of Hopping places -to anfwer all our purpofes, and, in
.général, without gOinglfar out of Our way. In coming from the weft-
ward, through Johnftone’s ftraits, the beft channel .into the gulph of
Georgia in thick weather might, though not eafily, be miftaken. Such
.error however may .be avoided, by -keeping the foilthernfhpre- clofe, on
-board, which is,compaCt, and fo ftccp, that it may be;.paffed -within a-
few yards in the greateft fafety: .indeed I have every reafqn.to,believe
the whole of the paffageno bel equally void- of .dangers that, do not evidently
iffiew themfelves.. The height ,of -the land that -comppfe thefe
ffiores and the interior country, has been already Haled to.decreafe as we
proceeded weft ward. The land on the; fouthern fide, which is an extenfiye
ifland,