The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-08-21


the wreck at the time in question. He places the
schooner Just where Lieut.. Knox and myself have
said she was; and may safely say, that this con-
curing testimony will convince any reasonable
man that the Flying Fish did enter the river on the
day after the Peacock went the breakers even il
il should suit Commander Wilkes borrowing a
phrase Of his OWN to again "deny the fact"
| As this incident was never noticed in the official
reports of the day, Lieut. Knox and myself never
cared to call attention to the matter until Comman-
der Wilkes saw fit TO give Mr. Blair so positive
| contradiction
Commander Wilkes exults over what he terms
IAN error of mine, which Che says) Is inekcusable in
an officer engaged for two months in the survey"
He has not quoted me fairly My note does not
say "theSs (the north) breakers extend more than
miles TO seward" IL reads, las The breakers extend"
DC and refers to all the breakers off the river too
evidently to be misunderstood. The south break.
ers extend into the at times more than four miles
| TO the westward; frequently not so far or more
than three miles" The north breakers run to the
southwark more than two miles. | used that ex-
preston pHpo'styj giving the kast extent Of the
solth breakers instead Of the greatest and consider
ed sufficiently accurate for It's purpose Of sxpana
| ton.
Commander Wilkes must have been at a loss for
weak points In my letter when he pounced upon
this note. II does not even afford him his fanced
victory over the accuracy of my recollection. He
says, che only refers TO this error to show how La
! BILE am to be wrong, when trusting to memory
alone" Now, It is not possible for Commander
Wilkes, at Washington, to know 1hat authorities
have at my elbow here. In this particular instance,
had the published chart Of the Columbia before
| me, and the compasses in my hand
Commander Wilkes next says, "that il would
have been the height Of imprudence in Capt. Hud-
son TO have permitted the schooner TO anchor where
she then was, and that he very properly and pru-
IDENTIFY ordered her TO an oflng"
IL appears 10 be natural TO the commander to in
m il taft hat aaSalF
thrown. He is himself perfectly aware that albss-
queniy the schooner was anchored in every quarter
OF that channel, in carrying out his Instruction.
during her survey. Her anchering stations may be
pointed out on the chart, and one shows itself near
that very uckllsh place. "the extremity Of the north
breaker" She could, then, anchor in this horrible
channel for surveying purposes; but if we wish to
crafty Commander Wilkes, we must not for mo-
ment suppose she could have anchored there to as
| slst the Peacock.
| Nor is Commander Wilkes more correct in say
| ing "the schooner was ordered to an offing." The
log does not furnish him with any authority for this
very positive, but erroneous assertion" The
schooner was not ordered 10 ofng, either proper
ly or prudently," or otherwise.
Commander Wilkes is pleased to charge me with
connecting fabulous account Of the CONVERSE
ton regarding Capt. Belcher. ! annex an extract
from letter from Lieut.. Knox, dated Boston, July
| 9Th, which amply conoborates my statement, and
proves that conversation to have been reality.
81 was somewhat astonished that Com. Wilkes
| should have 80 changed his mind with regard TO
| Capt. Belcher. He made his sentiments too we'll
known to his officers to change them now without
| some very urgent reason. | remember to have
heard him say, that he would pay Becher, and
that # it had not been for him his conducD we
| would not have lost the Peacock"
MIR. Blair also recollects my mentioning the mat
ter TO him at the time. have since spoken Of 1t, in
various parts Of the world, and cannot permit
those statements TO be questioned by these recent
letters of Commander Wilkes.
! cannot avoid contrasting the allusion to Capt.
Belcher in the Narratve-to which turned with
some eagerness TO find the threatened censurc when
the book appeared-with the labored compliment
paid him by Commander Wilkes in his first letter
in the Union.
The Narrative says "tor, although met those yes
sells (Becher's) at the Feeees, received no COM
munlcaton from them on This subject" (the Colum-
bia rver.) (The italics are mine.)
This language certainly implies that, haring met
Captain Bslehsr, he srpeeted Information from him
respecting the COLUMBIAN and that he was disap-
pointed, not to say vexed, at not receiving it. Ii is
evidently the language of reptoach.
Commander Wilkes INDUCES in some very un-
amiabe remarks about my want of knowledge and
non.improvement and also TO the little value that
Is TO be placed upon my thoughts recolecuons,
and opinions upon such subjects as the Columbia
river survey, &C. On this head, have not much
TO say, except to observe that in any statement
furnished by me respecting the Columbia, there
does not appear such highly imaginative descrip-
ton OF the terrors of its entrances any mention
of "cross tides upon the bar that change every
half hourn-(w hirpoos that our experience entire
ly failed TO detect) nor any assertion "that the
river is inaccessible for two-thrds Of the year."
nor any unsound argument in support Of this as.
sertlon, drawn from the delay Of the schooner Cad
borough, or from any other source; nor any such
marvellous sailing directions require ''both the
wind and tide to be adverse to enable vessels to en-
nj nm AtfDSs pf uya-
tiers upon the barr" nor, in short, anything having
the least resemblance to the description of the mouth
of the Columbia which Commander Wilkes has
spread before the world in his Narrstive-a descrp
ton that savors too much of romance, not to say
| of fable to find place upon the sober pages of
practical navigator and surveyor.
In the last paragraph of his letter, Commander
Wilkes betrays an evident disposition to recede
from his former unqualified statement respecting the
Columbia river.
The letters of Mr.. Knox show that we could not
sound in the boats, except at slack water and that
we could not move the schooner to her stations
til the tide served This would have been the case
had we been at work in the East river at New York.
They also show that the schooner was very uncon,-
Portable when at anchor in those outer passages du
ring fresh breese, as the little vessel always was,
except in smooth water Neither these letters, nor
the log-book, contain any mention of danger threat
ening the schooner; nor was Mr.. Knox or myself
aware that we had been in any very great peril the
last time we took Commander Wilkes to sea in the
schooner until we read it in the Narrative.
| must take the liberty to correct Commander
Wilkes in matter that he should feel somewhat
ashamed of. Passed Midshipman Reynolds, as he is
pleased to term me, in his published letters and in
his memorial to the Senate, has made no statements
recently whatever. parted from that title, suff-
GENTLY honorable in itself, several years before
Commander Wilkes attained his present rank.
VIM. REYNOLDS,
Lieut. U. S. Navy
LANoAsrER, PENN, August l3, 1916.
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