river is well known. The natives flocked around the strangers and manifested the utmost surprise, at what they saw and heard. A traffic was opened with them in which furs were received from the Indians, in exchange for coarse goods; and after having continued in the river eight days, making repairs, trading with the natives, exploring the river, and taking observations of the surrounding country, Captain Gray again passed the breakers at the entrance, through the intricate channel, prepared to announce to the world the most important discovery that was ever made on the north-west coast.

Before taking his departure, Captain Gray bestowed the name of his vessel upon the majestic river which he had discovered, calling it the Columbia, a name which, in honor of the generous captain who bestowed it, and of the gallant ship that first anchored in its waters, it should forever retain. The high promontory on the north side of the entrance, which was called Cape Disappointment, by Meares, in token of his unsuccessful search, by Captain Gray was called Cape Hancock, and the low point on the south side Cape Adams.

It has been asserted by one writer, that the existence of this river was long known before Gray or Vancouver visited it. * Doubtless, it was known by the Indian tribes that lived upon its banks, but if any white man ever saw it he was not permitted to survive to tell of his discovery. From a survey of the whole ground, it appears clearly that Captain Robert Gray is entitled to the credit of being the original discoverer of this great river of Oregon; a river which, when viewed as the only convenient or practicable channel to and from one of the most extensive and fertile valleys in North America, will bear comparison with almost any river in the world.

From the mouth of this river, Gray returned to the north, and in the vicinity of Queen Charlotte's Island, while his vessel was under full sail, she struck a rock and received so great an injury that she was near

* Astoria.

foundering, but he finally succeeded in getting her into Nootka Sound, when his damage was soon repaired. Gray found at this place a Spaniard who had the command of the establishment, and to him he immediately communicated the results of his examinations, and particularly his discovery of the Columbia river, which proved a very fortunate circumstance, for he thereby obtained an unimpeachable witness in his favor. He continued in this region a few months actively employed in his trade with the natives, and other business, and in the ensuing fall took his final departure from the north

west coast.

In a discussion of the conflicting claims of the two governments, it had been arranged between the Spanish and English, that the former should surrender to the latter the country lying around the Nootka Sound, and Captain Vancouver was the commissioner from England to receive the surrender. The negotiations between Vancouver and the Spanish commissioner took place while Gray and other American captains were on the coast. The contest which was carried on between the two parties, however interesting, would be too tedious to introduce here. Suffice it to say, the place was not surrendered nor does it appear that the Spanish flag was ever struck to the British at Nootka Sound. Be this as it may, in the month of October, Vancouver left Nootka with his three vessels, the Discovery, Chatham, and Doedalus, having procured from Quadra, the Spanish commissioner, copies of the charts and descriptions of Gray, and proceeded southward to satisfy himself of the correctness of Gray's representations. Whidby in the Doedalus was sent to explore Bulfinch's Harbor, while Vancouver proceeded with the other vessels to the mouth of the Columbia. Vancouver's own ship, the Discovery, was not able to enter the river, and he therefore proceeded on to the Bay of San Francisco. But the Chatham, under Lieutenant Braughton, succeeded, with great difficulty, in crossing the bar. He found lying at anchor in the bay the brig Jenny, from Bristol, which had left Nootka a few days previous. The Chatham

ran aground soon after entering, and Braughton, from the intricacy of the channel, resolved to leave her about four miles within the bar and proceed up the river in a boat. Accordingly he set out, and thoroughly examining every part of the river, he penetrated to the distance of about ninety-six miles from the mouth, where the river takes a bend and where the strength of the current was such as to induce them to return. This bend or point in the river, they called Point Vancouver. Returning to their ship they gave a bay on the north side of the river, the name of Gray's Bay, but the bay back of Cape Disappointment, they called Baker's Bay, after the captain of the brig Jenny.

Having remained in the river twenty days, on the 10th of November they again crossed the bar, and proceeded south to join Vancouver in the bay of San Francisco. With the usual avariciousness of English aristocrats, Braughton, before his departure, formally took possession of the river and of the country in the vicinity, in the name of his Britanic Majesty, "Having every reason to believe that the subjects of no other civilized nation or state had ever entered this river before ;" an act of justice the like of which the subjects of Great Britain are ever ready to perform towards American citizens.

At the bay of San Francisco, Braughton and Whidby reported the result of their observations to Vancouver, and the former was dispatched to England, while the latter proceeded to the Sandwich Islands.

Vancouver never again returned to the coast of Oregon, though he subsequently explored minutely the region round about Cook's Inlet. However, he sailed south as far as Nootka, from which place he took his departure for England, where he arrived in August, 1795, having been absent more than four years.

Braughton having been elevated to the rank of Captain, was again sent by the British government to the Pacific, and arrived on the coast of Nootka in the spring of 1796, empowered to receive the surrender of the place from the Spanish, but found it entirely abandoned by the whites, and in the possession of savages, under the

treacherous, cruel and notorious Maquinna. It should be observed that Nootka Sound is on the west side of Vancouver's Island, consequently it does not properly belong to the coast of Oregon.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Oregon territory-History continued-European nations involved in war-Pacific trade carried by the Great Republic-Ship Boston siezed by the Indians-Land Expedi tions-Captain Jonathan Carver-Sir Alexander McKinzie-Lewis and ClarkProject of John Jacob Astor-Captain Thorn and the Tonquin-McDougal and Concomley-Fate of the Tonquin-Wilson Price Hunt-Depression at the fortEncouragement-Ship Beaver arrives-Declaration of war-Thompson and the north-west company-Ross Cox-Astoria in danger-Visit of McTavish and Stuart Alarming news-Effect on the American company-Sloop of war-Racoon and Captain Black--Astoria falls into the hands of the British-Astor's magnificent enterprise terminated.

FOR twenty years following 1796, the nations of Europe were involved in the most bloody and destructive wars, and consequently but little if any interest was taken by either Spain or England, in the north-west coast of America, either as it regards its occupancy or its trade; and seldom during that entire period, did the vessels of any other nations than those of the United States, appear in the North Pacific. The trade, therefore, between this coast and other parts of the world, was exclusively carried on under the flag of the great Republic.

Though they made no establishment on the coast for the first sixteen years, the Americans sent their vessels annually to this region, laden with such articles as the natives of the country desired, which they exchanged for furs. These were carried to Canton and exchanged for silks, porcelain, teas, and other articles suited to the various markets then open to American vessels. This trade engaged the attention of many persons from various parts of the Union, and in its earlier stages, fortunes were amassed, but it will be understood that, from the length of the voyages performed, the nature of the coast, the diffi