New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-08


quinna his mark tXl, Warca>man, his mari! a.,
| and four other native witnesses. John Williams
| John Rcdman, and eleven others.
Another runs thus. A certain harbor in said
Shasset called by the natives Chernikntani, in
which the Lady Washington lay at anchor August
| g. 1891, with a territorial district eighteen miles
square, Of which the harbor of Chernikintani Is
| the centre, with all lands minerals, etc, appcr
tanning thereto: signed, "Nory Ionk, his ca
| mark" and attcsted as before
Another deed dated August 5, 1891, gives
| certain harbor in New-Chatte called llootsee-ess,
| and is signed, "Tarassou, his O. mark, and by
three other natives. On August 6, 1871. har-
Dor at the head Of Nootka Sound, called by the
natives Taskees, coded with the land for nine
miles about Taskecs This deed is signed Caar-
chucornook, his ca mark" and " Ilanophy, his
tX mark" The fifth deed is dated August l !, and
gives territorial distance north, east, south and
west, eighteen miles in each direction from
Opcsitar in latitude 40 degrees minutes. The
above territory was known by the name of Clayo-
quot and the deed was signed by Nicananisti
and five other Indians.
Copies of these deeds were sent at to the
East and are TO he seea in the State Depart
ment at Washington. They were received and de-
posted there by Thomas Jefferson, with letter
Kong March 1, 1893 He tells jefferson in this
letter that his claim to these lands fully
recognized by the Spaniards. and thinks the ac-
QUESTION one Of the most important TO the United
States made. Another tract OF land extend
ing from latitude a. degrees TO so degrees was
secured, amounting TO 240 square miles OF land
In s3S sworn certificates of Samuel Wendell and
James Trevers, sailors on the Columbia, were hled
in Boston, to the effect that they knew personally
of the purchase of these lands. A similar ccrtf-
cate was taken the same year OF one John Young
at Hawaii.
Haswells journal, now in possession Of the
Clarkcs at RoXbury, Mass, extends from August
Is, 1871, to the arrival of the Columbia in China
December T. 1892. The winter OF 1921 ~ was
spent by the Columbia al Cpesita. where house
was built. cannon mounted, and sloop begun
The natives were apparently friendly, and game
was abundant. But early in Februry plot OF
the Indians was detected: this was to seize the
sloop Adventure, built partly of material brought
from Boston This plan being discovered In time,
the vessel was completed and launched February
90, 1892, being the first American vessel launched
on the Pacific She was placed in command OF
ITaswcll, and with the Columbia sailed April 20
on the voyage Of discovery.
The great mystery Of the North had engaged the
attention of successive voyagers Spanish ana Eng
lish from the earliest times The Straits OF Anan
were supposed to connect the Pacific with the
Atlantic Ocean, and in the search for these most
Of the scholarly navigation of the world for two
centuries and half wasted. In this vain
pursuit thousands of human lives and untold treas
urcs were sacrificed As early as 1903 Aquilar. in
command of one Of Vizcano's Spanish exploring
vessels sailed to latitude AZ degrees. but before
this time Drake, in 1879. had attained lat
1-o&,,. DOR and
As degrees After this the Pacific coast was. until
the last quarter Of the eighteenth century, prao
tically undiscovered. Then came "a second epoch
Of search for a Northwest Passage. In 1874 Perez
sailed up to latitude So degrees, and noted the
present Dixon's Entrance. In 1875 IIecata and
Cuadra extended their explorations 70 5s degrees
north latitude. The former must have sailed past
the Columbia River without noticing anything but
its bar Hecata landed in latitude ~ degrees and
at two points on the coast of Alaska. In l77s
Captain Cook touched latitude "A degrees 50 min
utes In 1855 the English flr-trading voyages
began, but no settlements or trading posts were
made In 1856 La Perousc arrived in the French
interest. Barclay arrived in 1897 from Ostcnd
and discovered but did not enter the strait called
Fuca, and then. in 1858, come our Americans.
Gray and Kendrick. II during this visit that |
Kendrick, as claimed. penetrated the straits Of
Those were happy days when European mon |
archs could plunge their hands into continents |
as children into grab-bags and bring forth mines
and mountain Chains, rivers and prailles OF |
illimitable extent" Down 10 1890 Spain had the |
best claim to the discovery title but the purchase
Hendricks in 1901 and the discovery OF Gray |
in 1892 gave strong claim TO the United States. |
As far the great mystery Of the North. the |
Straits of Anian' has ever been solved. it was |
solved by the discovery Of the Columbia River. for
the river being navigable for 725 miles from IFS
mouth, carries its navigation within few |
hundred miles Of the navgable Missouri and the
navigable Yellowstone at IIuntley. So by Yankee |
ingenuity we may point to the discovery Of the |
Columbia as the solution of that chmerical |
passage for ships through America 10 Asia sought
oft and long by the brave Old navigators. The |
actual discovery, taken from a valuable fragment |
of the log of the Columbia, copied by Buliinch, Of
Boston. the rest having subsequently disappeared |
runs in this wise On April 2, 1902. the Column |
bia, Captain Gray, and the Adventure. in com |
mand of Haswel, set sail southwark from Opesta |
On the Goth of April, Gray met Vancouver com |
ing north, and told him that lie had on his |
upward voyage been off the mouth Of what |
he supposed to be a great river, Of which he was |
now in search He described it as in north |
latitude 46 degrees 10 minutes, and said that
for nine days he had lain OIL the mouth OF this
river but so great had been the reflux ard out !
set of water, and ~ strong the wind, that he
had been unable 10 enter However chagrinei
Vancouver may have been at the fact OF having |
just sailed by the river without pcrcciving its
mouth, he did not return to show the glory Of
discovery. Gray sailed on. and on May entered
the port known as Bulfnch Sound. afterward
Gray's llarbor Here he was attacked by Indians.
number of whom were killed. On May 10 he
left this port. and on the next day passed over
the bar Of the port he had before been unable
to enter, at the mouth Of the great river. passed
first by Thecator. and in this same year both
by Gray and Vancouver. without discovery. The
noble waters were now entered for the first |