USA > California > The history of Oregon and California & the other territories of the northwest coast of North America > Part 48
USA > Oregon > The history of Oregon and California & the other territories of the northwest coast of North America > Part 48
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These currents, however, convinced me that a great quantity of water rushed from this bay on the ebb of the tide.
The two capes which I name in my plan Cape San Roque * and Cape Frondoso,t lie in the angle of ten degrees of the third quadrant. They are both faced with red earth, and are of little elevation.
On the 18th, I observed Cape Frondoso, with another cape, to which I gave the name of Cape Falcon, ¿ situated in the latitude of 45 degrees 43 minutes, and they lay at the angle of 22 degrees of the third quadrant, and from the last-mentioned cape I traced the coast running in the angle of five degrees of the second quadrant.
This land is mountainous, but not very high, nor so well wooded as that lying between the latitudes of 48 degrees 30 minutes, and 46 degrees.
On sounding, I found great differences : at the distance of 7 leagues, I got bottom at 84 brazas ; and nearer the coast, I sometimes found no bottom; from which I am inclined to believe that there are reefs or . shoals on these coasts, which is also shown by the color of the water. In some places, the coast presents a beach, in others it is rocky.
A flat-topped mountain, which I named The Table, § will enable any nav- igator to know the position of Cape Falcon without observing it; as it is in the latitude of 45 degrees 28 minutes, and may be seen at a great dis- tance, being somewhat elevated.
* Cape Disappointment.
+ Cape Adams. 55
# Cape Lookout.
§ Charke's Point of View.
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(2.)
Extract from the Second Volume of the Log-Book of the Ship Columbia, of Boston, commanded by Robert Gray, containing the Account of her Entrance into the Columbia River, in May, 1792 .*
May 7th, 1792, A. M. - Being within six miles of the land, saw an entrance in the same, which had a very good appearance of a harbor; lowered away the jolly-boat, and went in search of an anchoring-place, the ship standing to and fro, with a very strong weather current. At one, P. M., the boat returned, having found no place where the ship could anchor with safety ; made sail on the ship; stood in for the shore. We soon saw, from our mast-head, a passage in between the sand-bars. At half past three, bore away, and ran in north-east by east, having from four to eight fathoms, sandy bottom; and, as we drew in nearer between the bars, had from ten to thirteen fathoms, having a very strong tide of ebb to stem. Many canoes came alongside. At five, P. M., came to in five fathoms water, sandy bottom, in a safe harbor, well sheltered from the sea by long sand-bars and spits. Our latitude observed this day was 46 degrees 58 minutes north.
May 10th. - Fresh breezes and pleasant weather ; many natives along- side; at noon, all the canoes left us. At one, P. M., began to unmoor, took up the best bower-anchor, and hove short on the small bower-anchor. At half past four, (being high water,) hove up the anchor, and came to sail and a beating down the harbor.
May 11th. - At half past seven, we were out clear of the bars, and directed our course to the southward, along shore. At eight, P. M., the entrance of Bulfinch's Harbor bore north, distance four miles; the south- ern extremity of the land bore south-south-east half east, and the northern north-north-west; sent up the main-top-gallant-yard and set all sail. At four, A. M., saw the entrance of our desired port bearing east-south-east, distance six leagues ; in steering sails, and hauled our wind in shore. At eight, A. M., being a little to windward of the entrance of the Harbor, hore away, and run in east-north-east between the breakers, having from five to seven fathoms of water. When we were over the bar, we found this to be a large river of fresh water, up which we steered. Many canoes came alongside. At one, P. M., came to with the small bower, in ten fathoms, black and white sand. The entrance between the bars bore west-south-west, distant ten miles; the north side of the river a half mile distant from the ship; the south side of the same two and a half miles' distance ; a village on the north side of the river west by north, distant three quarters of a mile. Vast numbers of natives came alongside ; people employed in pumping the salt water out of our water-casks, in order to fill with fresh, while the ship floated in. So ends.
May 12th. - Many natives alongside; noon, fresh wind; let go the
* This extract was made in 1816, by Mr. Bulfinch, of Boston, one of the owners of the Columbia, from the second volume of the log-book, which was then in the pos- session of Captain Gray's heirs, but has since disappeared. It has been frequently published in newspapers and reports to Congress, accompanied by the affidavit of Mr. Bulfinch to its exactness. - See p. 236 of the History.
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best bower-anchor, and veered out on both cables ; sent down the main- top-gallant-yard; filled up all the water-casks in the hold. The latter part, heavy gales, and rainy, dirty weather.
May 13th. - Fresh winds and rainy weather ; many natives along- side; hove up the best bower-anchor; seamen and tradesmen at their various departments.
May 14th. - Fresh gales and cloudy; many natives alongside; at noon, weighed and came to sail, standing up the river north-east by east ; we found the channel very narrow. At four, P. M., we had sailed up- wards of twelve or fifteen miles, when the channel was so very narrow that it was almost impossible to keep in it, having from three to eighteen fathoms water, sandy bottom. At half past four, the ship took ground, but she did not stay long before she came off, without any assistance. We backed her off, stern foremost, into three fathoms, and let go the small bower, and moored ship with kedge and hawser. The jolly-boat was sent to sound the channel out, but found it not navigable any farther up; so, of course, we must have taken the wrong channel. So ends, with rainy weather ; many natives alongside.
May 15th. - Light airs and pleasant weather; many natives from different tribes came alongside. At ten, A. M., unmoored and dropped down with the tide to a better anchoring-place ; smiths and other trades- men constantly employed. In the afternoon, Captain Gray and Mr. Hos- kins, in the jolly-boat, went on shore to take a short view of the country.
May 16th. - Light airs and cloudy. At four, A. M., hove up the anchor and towed down about three miles, with the last of the ebb-tide ; came into six fathoms, sandy bottom, the jolly-boat sounding the channel. At ten, A. M., a fresh breeze came up river. With the first of the ebb- tide we got under way, and beat down river. At one, (from its being very squally,) we came to, about two miles from the village, (Chinouk,) which bore west-south-west; many natives alongside; fresh gales and squally.
May 17th. - Fresh winds and squally ; many canoes alongside; calk- ers calking the pinnace; seamen paying the ship's sides with tar ; painter painting ship; smiths and carpenters at their departments.
May 18th. - Pleasant weather. At four in the morning, began to heave ahead ; at half past, came to sail, standing down river with the ebb- tide; at seven, (being slack water and the wind fluttering,) we came to in five fathoms, sandy bottom ; the entrance between the bars bore south- west by west, distant three miles. The north point of the harbor bore north-west, distant two miles; the south bore south-east, distant three and a half miles. At nine, a breeze sprung up from the eastward ; took up the anchor and came to sail, but the wind soon came fluttering again ; came to with the kedge and hawser; veered out fifty fathoms. Noon, pleasant. Latitude observed, 46 degrees 17 minutes north. At one, came to sail with the first of the ebb-tide, and drifted down broadside, with light airs and strong tide; at three quarters past, a fresh wind camne from the northward; wore ship, and stood into the river again. At four, came to in six fathoms; good holding-ground about six or seven miles up ; many canoes alongside.
May 19th. - Fresh wind and clear weather. Early a number of canoes came alongside; seamen and tradesmen employed in their various departments. Captain Gray gave this river the name of Columbia's
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River, and the north side of the entrance Cape Hancock, the south, Adams's Point.
May 20th. - Gentle breezes and pleasant weather. At one, P. M., (being full sea,) took up the anchor, and made sail, standing down river. At two, the wind left us, we being on the bar with a very strong tide, which set on the breakers; it was now not possible to get out without a breeze to shoot her across the tide; so we were obliged to bring up in three and a half fathoms, the tide running five knots. At three quarters past two, a fresh wind came in from seaward ; we immediately came to sail, and beat over the bar, having from five to seven fathoms water in the channel. At five, P. M., we were out, clear of all the bars, and in twenty fathoms water. A breeze came from the southward; we bore away to the northward; set all sail to the best advantage. At eight, Cape Han- cock bore south-east, distant three leagues ; the north extremity of the land in sight bore north by west. At nine, in steering and top-gallant sails. Midnight, light airs.
May 21st. - At six, A. M., the nearest land in sight bore east-south- east, distant eight leagues. At seven, set top-gallant-sails and light stay- sails. At eleven, set steering-sails fore and aft. Noon, pleasant, agree- able weather. The entrance of Bulfinch's Harbor bore south-east by east half east, distant five leagues.
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SHOWING THAT THE FORTY-NINTH PARALLEL OF LATITUDE WAS NOT SELECTED AS THE LINE OF SEPARATION BETWEEN THE FRENCH AND THE BRITISH TERRITORIES IN NORTH AMERICA, BY COMMISSARIES APPOINTED AGREEABLY TO THE TREATY OF UTRECHT .*
MR. MONROE, minister plenipotentiary of the United States in London, in his letter of September 5th, 1804, to Lord Harrowby, the British secre- tary for foreign affairs,t makes the following statement with regard to the adoption of the 49th parallel of latitude as the northern boundary of Lou- isiana : -
" By the tenth article of the treaty of Utrecht, it is agreed that 'France shall restore to Great Britain the Bay and Straits of Hudson, together with all the lands, seas, sea-coasts, rivers, and places, situate in the said bay and straits, which belong thereto; and it is also agreed, on both sides, to determine, within a year, by commissaries to be forthwith named by each party, the limits which are to be fixed between the said Bay of Hudson and the places appertaining to the French, which limits both the British and French subjects shall be wholly forbid to pass over, or thereby to go to each other, by sea or by land : the same commissioners shall also have orders to describe and settle in like manner the boundaries between the
* Sce p. 282 of the History.
t Communicated to Congress, and published with President Jefferson's message of March 30th, 1808.
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other British and French colonies in those parts.' Commissaries were accordingly appointed by each power, who executed the stipulations of the treaty, in establishing the boundaries proposed by it. They fixed the northern boundary of Canada and Louisiana by a line beginning on the Atlantic, at a cape or promontory in 58 degrees 30 minutes north latitude, thence south-westwardly to the Lake Mistissin, thence farther south-west to the latitude of 49 degrees north from the equator, and along that line indefinitely."
Mr. Monroe does not give his authority for the assertion respecting the adoption of this line by the commissaries; he, however, most probably derived his information from the map of America attached to Postle- thwayt's Dictionary of Commerce, published in 1751, to which he alludes in other parts of his correspondence, and in which a line appears nearly as described by him, with a note on the map, saying, " The line that parts French Canada from British Canada was settled by commissaries, after the peace of Utrecht, making a curve from Davis's Inlet, in the Atlantic Sea, down to the 49th degree, through Lake Abitibis, to the North-West Ocean." In the Dictionary to which this map is attached, the limits of these territories are expressly declared to be undetermined. The map of North America, by Palairet and Delaroche, published at London in 1765, also gives the same line, without any note as to the manner in which it was adopted. In the map of the British Possessions in America, pub- lished by Bowen and Gibson in 1775, and in one or two other inferior maps, the 49th parallel is given as the southern limit of the Hudson's Bay Company's territories, from the vicinity of Lake Superior, westward to Red River, down which the boundary is continued to Lake Winnipeg. These are the only authorities, as yet discovered, for the belief that the 49th parallel was adopted as a boundary by commissaries appointed ac- cording to the treaty of Utrecht.
On the other hand, Mitchell's great map of America, published in 1755 at London, under the patronage of the colonial department, presents a line drawn around Hudson's Bay, at the distance of about one hundred and fifty miles from its shore, as " the bounds of Hudson's Bay by the treaty of Utrecht ; " and the same line appears on the map of America accompanying Smollett's History of England, published in 1760, on that of Bennet, published in 1770, on that of Faden, in 1777, and on some other maps of that period.
No line of separation whatsoever, between the Hudson's Bay territories and the French possessions in America, is to be found on the large and beautiful map of America by Henry Popple, published in 1738, also under the patronage of the colonial department, and bearing the stamp of the approbation of Dr. Halley, which is particularly minute in all that relates to the territories in question ; or on any of the maps in the atlas of Max- well and Senex, published in 1721, or in any of those attached to the volume of Boyer's Political State for 1721 - to the History of Hudson's Bay, by Dobbs - to the American Traveller, by Cluny - to the History of the British Empire in America, by Wynne - to Alcedo's Dictionary of America, or on many other maps, of inferior merit, which might be named.
These discrepancies should not excite surprise; for maps, and books of geography, which are most frequently consulted in relation to bounda- ries, are, or rather have been, the very worst authorities on such subjects ;
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as they are ordinarily made by persons wholly unacquainted with political affairs. Of this, numerous examples may be cited from works of authors the most highly esteemed as geographers, even at the present day .*
No allusion whatsoever to the settlement of any boundary line between the Hudson's Bay territories and the French dominions, by commissaries appointed agreeably to the treaty of Utrecht, is to be found in any of the following works, which have been carefully examined with reference to this question : viz. - Actes, Memoires, &c., concernant la Paix d'Utrecht, a voluminous work, published in 1716- Actes, Negotiations, &c., depuis la Paix d'Utrecht, 1745 - the collections of treaties and state papers by Dumont, Boyer, Martens, Jenkinson, and Herstlet - Collection des Edits, Ordonnances, &c., concernant le Canada - the histories of, and memoirs on, Louisiana, by Dumont, Le Page Dupratz, Vergennes, Marbois, and others - Mémoires des Commissaires Francais et Anglais, sur les Pos- sessions, &c., des deux Couronnes en Amérique, 1754 - the works of Swift and of Bolingbroke - the Parliamentary History of England - and the Histories of England by Tindal, Smollet, Belsham, Mahon, or Wade.
This is strong negative evidence. Anderson, in his elaborate History of Commerce, (vol. iii. p. 267,) thus pointedly denies that any such set- tlement of limits was effected agreeably to the provisions of the treaty of Utrecht : " Though the French king yielded to the queen of Great Britain, to be possessed by her, in full right, forever, the Bay and Straits of Hudson, and all parts thereof, and within the same then possessed by France, yet leaving the boundaries between Hudson's Bay and the north parts of Canada belonging to France to be determined by commissaries within a year, was, in effect, the same thing as giving up the point alto- gether ; it being well known, to all Europe, that France never permits her commissaries to determine matters referred to such, unless it can be done with great advantage to her. Those boundaries, therefore, have never yet been settled, though the British and French subjects are, by that article, expressly debarred from passing over the same, or thereby to go to each other, by sea or land. These commissaries were likewise to settle the boundaries between the other British and French colonies on
* In a large and beautifully-engraved map of the United States, published at Phila- delphia, in 1821, "from the most undoubted authorities, by - , geographer and draughtsman," the northern boundary of the United States west of the Mississippi is represented by a line drawn westward from the sources of that river, nearly under the latitude of 47 degrees and 40 minutes; the country north of this line being stated to be " in dispute between Spain and Great Britain." Now, three years before this map appeared, the boundary between the United States and the British possessions in that part of America had been fixed by treaty, according to which, the dividing line fol- lowed the course of the 49th parallel; and, two years before the date of the map, Spain had also, by treaty, ceded to the United States her rights to all territories in America north of the 42d parallel. These treaties had been published; and it is scarcely credible that they should have been unknown to an American geographer engaged in preparing a map of the United States. Mistakes of the same kind, equally great, are, however, committed in Europe. In the Encyclopedia of Geography, published at Edinburgh, in 1834, by Ingh Murray, and other seientific persons, we find it stated, (p. 1374,) that "the whole region west of the Rocky Mountains, ex- tending between the 42d and the 49th parallels of latitude, has, by discarery and treaty, been assigned to the United States;" and a statement to the same effect may be found in the London Quarterly Review for January, 1822. These mistakes evidently arose from ignorance : but the same defence cannot be pleaded in all cases ; for maps have been drawu, and engraved, and colored, with a full knowledge of their falsehood, in order to forward the ends of governments or of individuals.
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that continent, which, likewise, was never done." The same denial is transferred by Macpherson to his Annals of Commerce.
The only evidence of the appointment of commissaries for the settlement of limits according to the treaty of Utrecht which has been discovered, is contained in a passage in Charlevoix's Histoire de la Nouvelle France, of which the following is a translation: "France took no part in this dispute, [between the British and the Indians of Nova Scotia, in 1722,] in order to avoid giving the slightest pretext for interrupting the good understanding between the two nations, which had been restored with so much difficulty ; even the negotiations between the two courts for the set- tlement of boundaries ceased, although commissaries had been appointed, on both sides, for that object since 1719."
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PAPERS RELATIVE TO THE AMERICAN ESTABLISHMENT OF ASTORIA, ON THE COLUMBIA RIVER .*
(1.)
Letter from J. J. Astor, of New York, to the Honorable John Quincy Adams, Secretary of State of the United States.t
SIR,
NEW YORK, January 4th, 1823.
I had the honor to receive your letter of the 24th ultimo. Indis- position has prevented my acknowledging the receipt thereof at an earlier period.
You request information of arrangements made, at or about 1814, by the North-West Company and citizens of the United States, by which that company became possessed of a settlement made at the mouth of Columbia River by citizens of the United States. The settlement to which you allude, I presume, is " Astoria," as I know of no other having been made at or near the mouth of that river. Several circumstances are alleged, as having contributed to the arrangement by which the North- West Company became in possession of that settlement, but chiefly to the misuse of the confidence which had been placed in Mr. McDougal, who, at the time the arrangement was made, and at the time my agent, Mr. Wilson P. Hunt, was absent, acted as sub-agent.
I beg leave briefly to state, that, contemplating to make an establish- ment, at the mouth of Columbia River, which should serve as a place of depot, and give further facilities for conducting a trade across this conti- nent to that river, and from thence, on the range of north-west coast, &c., to Canton, in China, and from thence to the United States, arrange- ments were accordingly made, in 1810, for a party of men to cross the
* See chap. xiv. of the History.
t Documents accompanying President Monroe's message to Congress of January 27th, 1823.
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continent for the Columbia River. At the same time, I fitted out the ship Tonquin, carrying twenty guns and sixty men, commanded by the late Captain Thorn, lieutenant in the United States navy. The ship sailed in September, 1810, having on board the means for making an establishment at Columbia, where she arrived on the 22d of March, 1811. They landed, found the natives friendly, and built a fort, erected a house, store, &c. This being accomplished, Captain Thorn left thirty men in possession of the place, to await the party who were to make the voyage over land; these, also, happily arrived, though not till several months after. On or about the Ist of June, Captain Thorn left Columbia River, with a view to make some trade on the coast, and then to return to the river ; but, unfortunately, Thorn never returned. At about two hundred miles north of Columbia, he put in a bay to trade with the natives. Not at- tending to the precautions necessary, as he had been instructed to do, to guard against an attack, he suffered a whole tribe of Indians to come on board and about his ship. An attack was made; he was overpowered : fire was communicated to the magazine, the ship was blown up, and every soul on board or near her perished.
In 1811, I fitted out another ship, the Beaver, carrying twenty guns, with a duplicate cargo to the ship Tonquin, and sixty or seventy men. The Captain [Sowles] was instructed to sail for the Columbia River, and in search of the men who were sent across the continent, as also of the Tonquin. The Beaver sailed from this in October, IS11, arrived at Co- lumbia in May following, found the establishment, and landed such men,. goods, provisions, &c., as the establishment was in need of. My instruc- tions to the captain were, that, after supplying the establishment, he should proceed to Chatka,* a Russian settlement, for the purpose of trade, and then return to Columbia, take what furs we had, and proceed to Canton, and thence to New York. He accordingly left Columbia, (and, most unfortunately, Mr. Hunt, of Trenton, New Jersey, my chief agent, left the river with him,) sailed, as directed, for the Russian settlement, and effected their object; but, instead of following instructions to return to Columbia, he sailed direct for Canton, leaving Mr. Hunt at one of the Sandwich Islands, to await the arrival of another ship, which I had prom- ised to send from this in 1812. The ship Beaver arrived at Canton, and received there the news of the war. I had sent orders to the captain to return to Astoria; but he was fearful of being captured, and remained safely at Canton till the war was over, when he came home. In conse- quence of the war, I found it inconvenient to send a ship in 1812, but I did send one, the Lark, early in 1813, with directions to the captain to sail for Columbia River, and to stop af the Sandwich Islands for informa- tion. Being within a few days' sail of those islands, the ship, in a squall of wind, was upset, and finally drifted on the beach of one of those islands, a wreck, - ship and cargo totally lost. Here was met Mr. Hunt, who, after all the information he received, and my great desire to protect the establishment at Columbia River, procured an American vessel, took some provisions, sailed, and arrived in Columbia River. He there learned that Mr. McDougal had transferred all my property to the North-West Company, who were in possession of it by a sale, as he called it, for the sum of about fifty-eight thousand dollars, of which he retained fourteen
* Sitka, or New Archangel, the chief establishment in Russian America.
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thousand dollars, for wages said to be due to some of the men. From the price obtained for the goods, &c., and he having himself become interested in the purchase, and made a partner of the North-West Company, some idea may be formed as to this man's correctness of dealings. It will be seen, by the agreement (that of which I transmit a copy) and the invento- ry, that he sold to the North-West Company eighteen thousand one hundred and seventy and a quarter pounds of beaver at two dollars, which was at that time selling in Canton at five and six dollars; nine hundred and seven otter skins at fifty cents, or half a dollar, which were selling at Canton at five to six dollars per skin.
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