160 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

leaving the sloop "to demand from the officers, and petty officers, the
log books, journals, drawings, etc., they may have kept, and to seal
them up for our inspection; and enjoining them, and the whole crew
not to divulge where they had been until they shall have permission to
do so." ■' 

The Chatham and Discovery sailed from Falmouth the ist of
April, 1791, and after a long passage, in the course of which New Hol-
land, Van Diemen's Land, and New Zealand were visited, the ves-
sels arrived at the Sandwich Islands in January, 1792. Departing
thence in March, Vancouver sighted the coast of New Albion on the
17th of April, in latitude 39^27'. "The shore appeared straight and
unbroken, of a moderate height, with mountainous land behind, cov-
ered with stately forest trees; except in some spots, which had the
appearance of having been cleared by manual labour ; and e.xhibited a
verdant, agreeable aspect." * 

Vancouver directed his course along the coast to the northward,
keeping within sight of land and determining the position of its vari-
ous capes and bays. Off Cape Orford the vessels were visited by
the natives in canoes and the explorer observes that "a pleasing and
courteous deportment distinguished these people." Under the 46th
parallel, the Cape Disappointment of Meares was sighted, but, as
Meares had done before him, Vancouver failed to observe the great
fluvial artery, the estuary of which was discovered a few months later
by Captain Gray of the American ship Columbia. So much has been
said and written of Vancouver's failure to discover the opening, found
shortly afterwards by the American captain, that exceptional interest
is added to the British explorer's observations with regard to the land
sighted on Friday, the 29th of April. "Noon brought us up," so runs
the journal, "with a very conspicuous point of land composed of a
cluster of hummocks, moderately high, and projecting into the sea
from the low land before mentioned. These hummocks are barren,
and steep near the sea, but their tops thinly covered with wood. On the
south side of this promontorv was the appearance of an inlet, or small
river, the land behind not indicating it to be of any great extent; nor
did it seem accessible for vessels of our burthen, as the breakers
extended from the above point 2 or 3 miles into the ocean, until they 

^Vancouver's Voyage, Quarto ed., vol. i, p. XXVIII.
* Id., p. 196. 

Aiii'i ;iri ni,| Drawing by Davidson 

IN THE STRAITS OF JUAN DE FUCA
Captain Gray obliged to fire upon the natives
who disregarded liis orders to keep off 

After one of DavKlson's old KrawlnKs 

AT THE FALKLAND ISLANDS 

Ca])tain Gray with chart in liand, eonversing 

with one of liis odici'rs 

Afler yii liltl Itriiwlng by Davidsun 

IN WINTER QUARTERS AT CLAYOQUOT
Captain Gray giving orders to Mr. Yendell con-
cerning tlie buiUIing of the sloop
"Adventure" 

AftiT an old Drawing by PavUlson 

AT WHAMPOA 

Captinii Gray, facing the slii|is, converses with
a Irieiid upon the discovery of Oregon 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 161 

joined those on the beach nearly four leagues further south. On refer-
ence to Mr. Meares's description of the coast south of this promontory,
I was at first inclined to believe it to be Cape Shoalvvater, but on ascer-
taining its latitude, I presumed it to be that which he calls Cape
Disappointment; and the opening to the south of it. Deception Bay." "
So Vancouver missed the mouth of the Columbia River. 

Passing Point Grenville and Barkley's Destruction Island, Van-
couver reached the latitude in which geographers of more than a cen-
tury and a half had placed the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Dalrymple,
the cartographer, in his rare pamphlet entitled "Plan for Promoting
the Fur Trade," published in 1789, states that "it is alledged that the
Spaniards have recently found an entrance in the latitude of 47^45'
north, which in 27 days course brought them to the vicinity of Hud-
son's Bay; this latitude exactly corresponds to the ancient relation of
John de Fuce, the Greek, pilot in 1592." Here, by a coincidence as
strange as it was fortunate, Vancouver fell in with the Columbia, com-
manded by Captain Robert Gray. Having read Meares' account of
the voyage of the sloop JVashington behind Nootka, he was naturally
anxious to hear more of the discoveries made on that occasion. Puget
and Menzies were sent on board to acquire "such information as might
be serviceable in our future operations." On the return of the boat
Vancouver learned that Gray had commanded the sloop Washington
in 1789 at the time she was supposed to have made a singular voyage
behind Nootka. "It was not a little remarkable," observed Vancou-
ver, "that, on our approach to the entrance of this inland sea, we
should fall in with the identical person, who, it had been stated, had
sailed through it. His relation, however, differed very materially
from that published in England. It is not possible to conceive anyone
to be more astonished than was Captain Gray, on his being made
acquainted, that his authority had been quoted, and the track pointed
out that he had been said to have made in the sloop Washington. In
contradiction to which, he assured the oflicers, that he had penetrated
only 50 miles into the Straits in question, in an E. S. E. direction ; that
he found the passage 5 leagues wide; and that he understood from the
natives that the opening extended a considerable distance to the north-
ward; that this was all the information he had acquired respecting
this inland sea, and that he returned into the ocean by the same way he 

'Vancouver's Voyage, Quarto ed., vol. i, pp. 209-10. 

Vol I— I I 

162 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

had entered at." Gray also gave his visitors information as to his
operations on the coast in the winter, relating, among other things,
that the Clayoquot chief, Wicaninish, planned to capture his ship by
bribing a Sandwich islander on board to wet the priming of his fire-
arms, thus to enable the Indians who had assembled for that purpose
to overpower the crew. The plot was happily discovered in time to
prevent its execution. The ships then parted, the Discovery and Chat-
liani to the northward, while the Co/unihia followed them, although
Gray had stated that it was his intention to proceed southward on a
trading cruise.'' 

At noon on Sunday, April 29th, the Discovery and Chatliani, the
latter in the lead, sailed into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Vancouver
in passing gave the name of Classet to the Cape Flattery of Cook.
The vessels passed between Tatooche Island and a large rock, which in
honour of Duncan, who had first sketched the entrance of the strait,
was named Rock Duncan. Then Vancouver commenced his careful
and laborious survey of the great inland sea, studded with islands, that
is such a remarkable feature of the coast. Vancouver hugged the con-
tinental shore and, proceeding from point to point, at last reached the
maze of islands and inlets, to which he gave the name of Puget Sound,
in honour of Peter Puget, his second lieutenant. Although the
e.xplorer anchored under New Dungeness not far from the Port
Angeles of the present day, it is not recorded either in the narrative of
the expedition, nor in any other authentic work, that he visited that
beautiful park-like country at the southern extremity of Vancouver
Island, which fifty years later excited the admiration of Captain
McNeill, of the steamer Beaver, and James Douglas, chief factor of
the Hudson's Bay Company. 

Strictly following the letter of his instructions. Vancouver sur-
veyed, with elaborate care, each bay and harbour, each inlet and
sound. The nomenclature of the shores of that mediterranean sea
bears ample testimony of his minute examination. With the excep-
tion of the names bestowed by the Spaniards in their surveys of the
years 1791 and 1792, there is scarcely a large island, bay or sound, or
a prominent cape that does not bear the name given it by the British
explorer. Vancouver at once and forever disposed of the mystery of
the Strait of Anian. Before his investigations Maldonado and De 

* Vancouver's Voyage, Quarto ed., vol. i, pp. 214-15. 

Prom an old Drawing by Haswell 

THE SHIP "OOLUMBIA" AND THE BRIO 

"HANCOCK" IN HANCOCK'S RIVER, 

QUEEN CHARLOTTE'S ISLANDS 

From an old Drawiiiy by Hiuwull 

THE SHIP 

"COLUMBIA" AND THE SLOOP
"WASHINGTON" 

MEDAL STRUCK TO COMMEMORATE THE DI'^PARTURE
OF THE "COLUMBIA" AND THE "WASHINGTON" 

THE SHIP '■COLUMBIA" SlKI'HISKn
THE NATIVES OF CHICKLESET 

BY 

Krom an old Drawlnn hy Davidson 

THE "a)LUMBIA" IN A SQUALL

CHAPTER VIII 

CAPTAIN GEORGE VANCOUVER 

Some months before news of the capture of the British vessels at
Nootka Sound had reached England, the Government had determined
to continue the survey of the Northwest coast, so well begun by Cap-
tain Cook. Henry Roberts, who had served under that great navi-
gator, was offered and accepted command of the expedition. George
Vancouver, who also had sailed with Cook as midshipman, was com-
missioned to accompany Roberts as second in command. However,
just as preparations were nearing completion, word reached the Gov-
ernment of the Nootka trouble. It appeared, at first, that neither
Great Britain nor Spain would submit to the demands of the other.
Both countries actively prepared for war and, for the time being, the
second British expedition to the Northwest coast was abandoned, in
order that the officers and men might be drafted into the vessels then
being commissioned for active service. Spain, as related in the pre-
ceding chapter, was in no position to engage in hostilities and before
the autumn of 1790 the Nootka Convention had been arranged and
peaceful relations restored. 

The Nootka dispute was no sooner settled than the British Gov-
ernment again turned its attention to western American affairs. Van-
couver was given command of the postponed expedition, Roberts
being engaged elsewhere. The Discovery, a new sloop of three hun-
dred and forty tons, originally designed for the service, was recom-
missioned. She was to be accompanied by the armed tender Chatham,
of one hundred and thirty-five tons, in command of Lieutenant
William Robert Broughton. Great care was exercised in preparing
the vessels for their long voyage. As in the case of Cook's ships, the
stores supplied were of the best that the arsenals could produce. 

In accordance with the terms of the Nootka Convention, Van-
couver was clothed with authority to' receive from the Spanish officer 

157 

158 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

he was to meet at Nootka, the lands and houses that Meares claimed
had been wrested from him in May, 1789. He was also to explore
the Northwest coast of America, between the parallels of 30 degrees
and 60 degrees, north latitude. In his examination Vancouver was to
take particular pains to keep in view: 

" ist. The acquiring accurate information with respect to the nature
and extent of any water communication, which may tend in any con-
siderable degree, to facilitate an intercourse, for the purposes of com-
merce, between the North-West coast, and the countries upon the
opposite side of the continent, which are inhabited or occupied by His
Majesty's subjects." 

"andly. The ascertaining, vvith as much precision as possible, the
number, extent, and situation of any settlements which have been made
within the limits above mentioned, by any European nation, and the
time when such settlement was first made." ^ 

With respect to the first, it was deemed of great importance that
it should be definitely settled whether any of the inlets or fiords
recently discovered, or that might be discovered, communicated with
the Atlantic; or if there were any large rivers communicating with
the lakes discovered by the French and British furtraders in the heart
of the continent. Men still clung to the false theories respecting that
ignis fatuus, the Strait of Anian, which for so many years had exer-
cised the minds of geographers and led them to believe all manner of
strange stories of that mysterious northern way. Cook's voyage,
although it had done much to rob these false theories of their vogue,
at least among British men of science, had not by any means killed
belief in the Strait of Anian. Meares had endeavoured to revive inter-
est in the ancient relations, and his positive assertions for a time influ-
enced the opinion of some geographers; and just at this time Buache,
the French geographer, astonished Europe bv proving, to his own
satisfaction at least, that the strait of the charlatan Maldonado was
not a figment of tlic imagination but a reality. So Vancouver was
instructed to lay at rest once and forever all such crude theories
respecting navigable rivers and straits that by long and sinuous pas-
sages connected the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. British geographers
of that generation were not impressed with Maldonado or de Fonte;
nor did they believe in the existence of their chains of lakes and rivers. 

'Vancouver's Voyage, Quarto ed., vol. i, p. X\'III. 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 159 

The romance of the Elizabethan era could not flourish in the materi-
alistic Georgian period. Already the golden age of discovery had
passed, and no longer were the extravagant tales of the quack explorer
received with credulous regard. In fact, the material view of the
Georgian period had suppressed the romantic and placed on high the
politico-economic. In that age Samuel Purchas and his accounts
of the "silver bowels"' and "golden entrails" of America, and such
picturesque descriptions deceived no one. 

In view of the fact that the officer placed in command of the expe-
dition failed to find the two principal rivers of western America, the
Columbia and the Eraser, it is interesting to recall that he was speci-
fically instructed not only to ascertain the general line of the sea coast,
"but also the direction and extent of all such considerable inlets,
whether made by arms of the sea, or by the mouths of large rivers, as
may be likely to lead to or facilitate"" a communication with the
Atlantic. 

To all vessels belonging to His Catholic Majesty, Vancouver was
to extend every assistance in his power and to avoid giving any ofifence
to the subjects of the Spanish King. It was particularly recommended
that the British officer upon meeting with Spanish men of war, should
enter into a free and unreserved communication of all charts and
discaveries made by him, upon the condition that the Spanish officers
should reciprocate the courtesy. 

Additional instructions were forwarded by the Admiralty with
Lieutenant Hergest, commanding the trans-port Daedalus. These
were confined more particularly to the procedure to be followed at
Nootka Sound in the surrender of the "buildings," and "districts," or
"parcels of land," recently seized by the Spaniards and to the move-
ments of the transport. With the additional instructions a letter was
transmitted from Count Floridablanca, dated the 12th of May, 1791,
and addressed to the Governor or Commander of the "Port at St.
Lawrence," instructing that officer to immediately surrender the lands
at Nootka Sound and Port Cox, claimed by the British. 

Yet another note of instruction was despatched to Vancouver, but
this was merely the usual formal order that he should repair to Lon-
don immediately on his return, to lay before the Lords Commissioners
of the Admiralty a full account of his voyage, and to take care, before 

- Vancouver's Voyage, Quarto ed., vol. i, p. XIX.