The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-02-12

says Mr.. Swan, the western EN-
pires of Oregon and Washington,
over which, but for Gray's discov-
cry the British flag would now be
flying, and we would be but a
province of Canada, like British
Columbia"
Curiously enough, as Mr.. Swan
quotes from Vancouver's journal,
on the 10Th of April the English
navigator discovered sail to the
Westward, standing inshore. This
was a great novelty, not having
seen any vessel but our consort
during the last eight months.
"She soon hoisted American colors
and fired gun to leeward. At 6
o'clock we spoke to her. She
proved to be the ship Columbia
commanded by Captain Robert
Gray, belonging to Boston, whence
she had been absent nineteen
months" Vancouver had then just
recently attempted the entrance to
the river but found the breakers
impossible, and only twelve days
after the meeting of the two ships
Gray ran through the breakers
with all sail set and anchored in
"a large river of fresh water" ten
miles above it's mouth. Here he
remained three days engaged in
trading and filling her casks with
water and then sailed some four
teen miles up the river along its
northern shore, when he found he
could go no farther having taken
the wrong channel. During a week
he made several attempts to get
out of the river but did not succeed
until May the 18th. Gray named the
extremity of the southern sand
bank Point Adams and the north
ern Cape Hancock, not knowing
then that the latter had beer
named Cape Disappointment by
the English Captain Mears, il
token of his unsuccessful search fol
the river.
Gray had been long time trad
ing and exploring along the coasts
of landowners and Queen Char
lotte's islands and had built {
schooner for the purpose which hi
named the Enterprise. On one
occasion when preparing for sea b,
was visited by a couple of chiefs
with a number of their follower!
between whom and a Hawaiian
seaman on board Gray though
there appeared to be some under
standing; he questioned the Ha
waiian who at length informed hin
that the Indians had formed a plal
for Selling the vessel, and murder
ing the crew and had promised t.
spare his life and make him a chic
if he would aid them by wettini
the printing of all the guns at
particular time. Thus warned b,
the Hawaiian they were on thei
guard and their lives and the vesse
were saved.
When Gray first returned fror
the North West he called, as ha
been stated, at these islands, an
carried to Boston as a passenge
the "crown-prince," CD "son {
King Kamehameha, who was n
ceived with great honor by Govern
or John Hancock, and ON his r.
turn to his native isle," says M
Swan, "a friendship sprang up b.
tween the natives and the Amer
cans, which, by the sagacity an
energy of the American mission
aries and merchants has been C,
mented into a fraternal bond
amity and commerce"
The Spaniards of those days ha
very grand notions of territori
rights over the open sea. TT
Columbia on her way out havin
rounded Cape Horn, put into Jua
Fernandez to repair. The Cove
nor received the Americans wit
great kindness and aided them
reitting their vessel, and above
them to go on their way in peac
For this he was recalled, place
under arrest, and the Viceroy e:
pressed his surprise and disple
sure" at the conduct of the Cor
mandants of Juan Fernandez in NJ
having seized the ship under tt
Royal Ordinance of 1892 whlt
provided that any foreign vessel
( these seas (the Pacific) without
license from the Court of Spa
was to be treated as an enemy, b
: cause no other had, or ought
> have. in those seas any territori