The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-08-02
OBJ esnqutrm
RICHMOND, I'd AUGUST, 1905.
TOUR TO THE WEST. No. J.

TOUR TO THE WEST, No. 7.
Whcnthe Europeanshad direStehtheirattent;-
on towards the North wetern coats of Amer;c,
they naturally delired to G,orten the length of
their voyages by difcovering fome fhorter Route
between the two continents. They perceived
that there was avigable connection between
them on the fouth, either around the Cane nf
Good Hope orby the traits of Magellan and
they very naturally inquired, why the ocean.
which waihes the Northern Coat of America
would not furniih Gmilar communicative.
hut like other fpiendid conceptions of the ina.
ginatlon, 1t was the fate of this daring pro;eef
to dltaPpear before the light offIccefiive exne.
riments. Capt. Cock who explored the fr.;.s
OF Behring in fearch of fuch a North Fafern
Paiiage, was unable TO advance higher than the
72nd degree oflatitude, on account of the i'm.
menie fields OF Ice which oppofcd his progrefs.
MS voyages are in arnoit every tudent's hands ::
our the experiments OF Mr.. Hea-ne, who went
oy iand IN iearch of the fame pahage, are not as
exteniively known. This young traveller fet
out on his tour from Prince of Wales fort OF
churchill river, n. Lat. SIS II, w. Long. 90 :.
and travelled nearly 1900 miles in north WEI
terly direction. His Whole track to the North
ward or 81 M Int. lay nearly 600 miles DIN
welt from the weftern COAT of Hudfon's Raw.
and his Indian guides affured him, that there
were vait tracts lying further in the fame dre6ti
on. Hence It appears that paffage into the Pa
cine ocean, round thenor weftern part of Anne.
ca, is clearly impradicable.
The fplendid projects of American navigation
did not however terminate here. Though there
was no fuch paHage around the Northern Coal.
OF America, why it was commended could there
not be an opening through the bofom of the con.
tlnent iticlf? Why could not fone arm of the
facihc extend 10 far in.o the land, as to com.
muncate with Tome corresponding arm of the
Atlantic or fome of the rivers that empty into
1t! TO confirm fuch vifonary fpeculations.
thete phofophers of the clofet even appealed
to the charts &c :!ic n. w. Coat of America.
which repretented it indented, broken in, and
perhaps penetrated by the waters of the Paci-
nc they appealed too with much greater req
ioh to the authority of SpaDifh Admiral, NAM
Cd DE Fonta, and OF Mr.. Nicholas ShapeIy of
boton' who was faid to have penetrated thro'
me imaginary Archipelago of St. Lazarus,
" by falling through Mediterranean fea on the
coaft OF n. w. America, within few leagues
OF the oceanic flores of that Archipelago ;
where ne is laid 10 have met the admiral. ''(ol
But DE Fonta and MI. Shapely have now given
way TO more correct experimeDtslifts. To Van.
cohver particularly and aio to Mckenzie, IS all
Tue honour due of having laid forever at ref this
problem Of Mediterranean paffage.
Vancouvers voyage of difcovery TO the N.
wet Coat of America was undertaken and
performed during the years 1890, '9i, '92,
49, 49, and '95, by bis mnieRp's Ibeciai coa,-
iHand, principally with view of determining
ms very problem. Whatever refearches he NAV
therefore have made into this fubie6t, NAV
be conliderea AS the mott correct and con.
cluive, of any that have yet been made. t,ut
all bis reitarches after nayigabe commune
cation were completely unfucccfsfiiI. He
traveried and founded the whole coat az
North America, without discovering the final.
Ieu chance OF tuch communication. CooL's
river, as 1t had hitherto been called he found =,
lat to terminate III circular bay, bounded bv
a PLAIN which ftretched to tho foot of \ con-
nected body of mountains from which circum-
ftance he has called il Cooks inlet. And as TO
Columbia river, which ieemed to promiCe fine
mott eAtetiiive opcung to- the eaft, he expto-
req u about 81 miles from its mouth, in
Iat' 49, 81 longitude 257o sos, and Inferred
from the narrownefs and nIallowneC of lie
channel that It could not be extenliye enough TO
communicate with a nream of the Atlantic
ocean. 1t was left to MsKenzie, however, TO
penetrate the Interior of the continent
2nd explore this FLYER more compleatIy
and nearer towards its fource. lie def
cendcd the Columbia river from 80 o.
norm lat. 70 It's mouth, though he travelled A.
long its banks for fome time before he embarked
w canoe. As rude 0andard for determininy
me NE of the river he mentions that cit was
about so yards in BREADTH" & by obfcrvinv ga
man fli'iing with dipping net, he Judged It 10
De about 10 feet at the foot of tn era f1llD
which he arrived at. A river of fuch dimenG-
OTIS running tor iuch comfortable diAance
pdFeIei 10 The coat, and making 70 l;tle eating
can tcaro ely be fuppo!ed extenliyc enough to
interIock with the rayigabIc waters of the AZ.
laniic.
stu though there is no northern con,muaica.
-------
ID VlUoOenvc-, vol /. intro.