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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1881)
January, 1881. of the well-fitted English vessel; anil whatever that was, Vancouver is care ful not to tell ub; and owing to the con dition of affairs between England and Spain succeeding this summer, their explorations have never been given to the world. Vancouver said: "Senor Galiano, who spoke a little English, informed us that they had arrived at Nootka on the nth of April from which they had sailed on the 5th of June, in order to complete the examination of this inlet, which had in the preceding year been partly surveyed by some Spanish officers, whose chart they pro duced." The only way in which he tells anything about the Spanish sur veys which ante-dated his own, is in the following sentence: "I cannot avoid acknowledging that on this occasion I experienced no small degree of mortifi cation in finding the external shores of the gulf had been visited a few miles beyond where my researches during the ex cursion had extended" He is speaking, evidently, ot an accomplished fact; therefore the Sutil and Mexicana had been a few miles furthcr"up the Sound," as we would say, than his excursion had extended. We do not know what names they gave to places because their charts have not been published; but that the two small vessels which Van couver saw coming out of the narrows in the twilight, were the Sutil and Mexicana, there can be no doubt Van couver speaks of them with much con tempt. They were "each about forty five tons burthen ; mounted with two brass guns ; were navigated by twenty four men; bearing one lieutenant with out a single inferior officer. Their apartments just allowed room for sleep ing places on each side, with a table in the intermediate space at which four persons with soine diliculty could sit ; and were in all other respects, the most ill-calculated and unfit vessels possible for such aif'expcdition. Because they were not so well furnished by their government as himself, Vancouver reasoned that what they had, should be taken away. Owing to the political embarrass ments in Europe, the northwest coast of America was left to fur traders for more than fifty years. In 1839 Eng. land had a surveying expedition in the Pacific, and the French also olmut the same time. But no further examina tion wit made of the Sound until the THE WEST SHORE. United States sent out its first really scientific expedition under Lieutenant Wilkes in 1S3S-184J, inclusive. In 1841 Wilkes was in the Sound with the Vincenncs, a sloop-of-wnr of seven hundred and eighty tons burthen, and the Porpoise, a gun brig of two hundred and thirty tons. Like his predecessors, he came first to anchor at Port Quadra of Discovery, where he studied the natives and the other productions of the country, proceeding up the Sound to Nisqually, and dispatching his survey ing parties from this point. Wilkes re spected the performances of the Span ish and English, and contented himself with making a pretty thorough explor ation, and with naming places that had never before been christened. He called the port known as Ludlow, Port Lawrc nee. Pilots Cove he so named because Capt. McNeil, of the Hudson Bay Company, sent him a pilot to this place. Apple Tree Cove, from the abundance of flowering shrubs that looked like orchard trees. Port Madi son was also named by him. On ar riving at Niwpially he sent Lieut. Ring gold to survey Canul de Camano or Admiralty Inlet, with the Porpoise and two boats from the Vincenncs. While this was going 011 Wilkes made a hasty visit to the Columbia ond Wil lamette rivers. He had expected to meet the Peacock at the mouth of the Columbia, but being disappointed, re turned and finished the survey of the Sound, while some of his scientific as sistants made excursions east of the mountains. The first Fourth of July celebration ever held in Washington Territory, If not west of the Rocky Mountains, was held at Nisqually, by the officers and men of the Vincenncs, the olficcrs of the Hudson Bay Company mid some Methodist Missionaries being the guests invited to dinner.. The ceremonies wire conducted in true military style, with a proccsdon, hand of music, Bring of cannon, etc. One poor fellow had his arm shot ofT, 11s too often happens on similar occasions', Mr. Wilkes also erected an observatory at Nisqually, using the stump of a tree to fix his pendulum upon. The additions made to the nomencla ture of the Sound hy the United States' expedition were chiefly those about the head of the Sound. Drayton's Pass, Dana's Pass, (Drayton was one of the at draughtsmen, and Dana a mineralogist of the expedition) CVeN Inltt, Carr's Inlet, Budd's Inlet, Eld's Inlet, Tot leu's Inlet, Pickering's Pass, Hender son's Inlet, Hammersly's Inlet, etc. Further down the Sound, commencing below the Narrows, the tine buy where New Tacoma is now located was called Commencement Bay, simply because the survey of that pint of the Sound was commenced there. Maury's Island, Hale's Pass were named by Wilkes. Maury was one of his lieutenants, nnd Hale the philologist of the expedition. There are probably many other places whose names were bestowed by Wilkes and his officers; but the oppor tunities for finding very considerable objects for nomenclature had been lost to the world by the visit of Vancouver. It is rather pleasing to feel that his memory is perpetuated by the island that bears his name, though if strict justice were done, it should have been called Kcndrick's Island. As for the Mediterranean sea called Puget Sound, the whole thing is misnomer for inthn first place it is not a sound, and in the second place the name of Puget was only given to that I portion south of Commencement Bay. It is too late to remedy the blunder, . and the name Is unique therefore Puget Sound it is. 1 .0, Some say that it is 110 use for them to advertise, that they have lieen in the place in business all their lives, uud ev erybody knows them. Such people seem to forget to take in consideration that our country is increasing in popu lation nearly hfty per cent, every ten years, ami no matter how old the place may lie, there are constant changes tak ing place; some remove to other parts, and Grangers till their places. In this age of the world, unless the name of a business firm is kept constantly In-fore the public, some new firm may stmt up, and, by lileral advertising, in a very short time take the place ot' the older ones, and the latter ruli out, its it were, uud le forgotten. No man ever lost money by judicious udvcitising, ---- - , By a recent xt.il decision, state ments of accounts and bills of sale when made out on paer having printed head ings, can be sunt by mail for one cent, if the envelojie is left utisciiled; when, if it is made out 011 uiipriiiud per, it will cost three cents. Jones says it in't the color of hel hair that trouble him in choosing a helpmeet The color of her money is what interests him vastly mors,