with him has not operated favourably on the natives. The other four are on Peru Island. In the dispositions of these natives there are some peculiarities: they are said to be subject to despondency and sullenness, that sometimes causes them to commit suicide. Kirby mentioned five instances on Kuria, of both men and women destroying themselves, and of several others who had attempted it, but were prevented by their friends. To terminate their lives they always resort to hanging on a tree. The motive to this act is generally the treatment they have received, or offence taken at the conduct of some person, whom affection or fear renders them unwilling to injure; the mortification and grief produced thereby leads them at last to suicide, which is considered by them as a remedy for their evils, as well as a severe revenge upon those who had ill-treated them. What constitutes the highest ambition among them, is to be considered accomplished men of the world. They have a word in their language (mauda), which expresses one thoroughly instructed in all their arts, a good dancer, an able warrior, versed in all their knowledge and sports, who has mixed in life, enjoyed its highest excitements and delights, both at home and abroad. Such a man in their estimation is the most exalted in character, and is fully qualified on dying to enter at once upon the enjoyments of Elysium. There is a striking contrast between the Pitt Islanders and those of the rest of the group; and if they were originally the same people, which there does not seem to be any reason to doubt, it shows what a great alteration may be effected in the physical race, in the course of two or three generations, by the enjoyment of peace and plenty; for while the one retains still all the savage and cruel propensities, the other has become mild and humane,—proving that a life free from wars, and all their harrassing and distressing tendencies, even among savages, brings with it the practice of virtue. On completing the survey of the Kingsmill Group, Captain Hudson found it necessary to place his crew, and that of the tender, upon a reduced allowance of provisions and water. He then steered away to the northward, through the Mulgrave Islands; and on the morning of the 3d of May, they made Pedder Island of Arrowsmith. The vessels passed along its west side, and through the Fordyce Passage, between it and Arrowsmith's Island. Daniel Island was also seen from aloft to the eastward. These islands are all of coral formation, with lagoons, and are inhabited. The southeast end of Arrowsmith's Island was found to be in latitude 7° 05′ N., longitude 171° 23′ 54′′ E. It is twenty miles long. On the 5th, they made the Pescadores, which was surveyed. Its position is in latitude 11° 23' 15" N., longitude 167° 36′ 30′′ E. The Pescadores is of triangular shape and coral formation; it has on its reef several islets and some sand-spits: the former are covered with a few low bushes, but it has no cocoa-nuts or pandanus-trees, and affords nothing but the pearl-oyster and turtles, in the season. The whole island is about thirty-two miles in circumference. Its greatest length, north and south, is ten miles, and the same between its east and west point. There are two entrances in the lagoon: one about the middle of the north side, the other on the east side. The island has no inhabitants, and is incapable of supporting any. From the description in Mr. Dowsett's journal, there is no doubt that this was the place where he and the boat's crew were either treacherously murdered, or made captives, and carried to another island; and from the nature of the island, little doubt exists that the murderers were a transient fishing party, from some of the adjacent islands. All the facts that are known have been given previously. Korsakoff was in sight for two days; but they were prevented from having communication with it by the boisterous state of the weather. On the afternoon of the 7th, an endeavour was made by a canoe to reach the ship, but without success: the sea was too rough for the boats to live, and the surf too great to permit a landing. Although a few persons were seen upon it, yet nothing showed that it was permanently inhabited. The appearance of Korsakoff was the same as that of the Pescadores, without any vegetable productions capable of sustaining life. Korsakoff, though represented as one island on the charts, was found to be two. The smaller one lies to the southward of the larger, and is fourteen miles long by three wide. The larger island is about twentysix miles long, trending northeast and southwest. It has an entrance into its lagoon on the south side. Captain Hudson now came to the conclusion that his time would not permit him to proceed any further to the westward; indeed, the time appointed in his instructions to be at the Columbia river had already passed, and he was now distant from it upwards of four thousand miles, and would require some sixty or seventy days, in all probability, to reach the Northwest Coast. This caused the abandonment of his visit to Strong's and Ascension Islands, two points I was in hopes would have been reached, not only for the information to be derived from a visit, but I was desirous of having a full knowledge of those islands. I also wished to break up what was deemed a nest of rogues, and to be the means of recovering the property plundered in the several captures made by them, if any of it remained. Captain Hudson, on the 8th, gave Mr. Knox orders to survey and land on Korsakoff, and thence proceed to Oahu, with all despatch; upon which the Peacock and tender parted company, for the purpose of avoiding detention by sailing together. The Peacock lost the trades in latitude 24° N. On the 18th, Captain Hudson was obliged to issue an order to put a stop to the exercise of the guns, on account of the decayed state of their carriages. On the 19th, they passed near the position of the doubtful island of Patrocinio, but without seeing any land. On the 20th, they fell in with great quantities of Janthina: this was in latitude 26° N, longitude 168° E. On the 21st, in latitude 28° 54′ N., longitude 177° E., the Anatifa were met with: they continued in vast quantities as far as latitude 35° N., and were seen as far east as longitude 164° W. Some of the patches were miles in extent, trending in a southeast-by-east and northwest-by-west direction. On the map showing the currents and whaling-grounds, I have marked the spaces occupied in the North Pacific, over which the soft molluscs have been found. By our observations it is equal in area to four hundred thousand square miles. The currents experienced on this cruise will be found exhibited on the Track Map, in the small atlas, as well as the winds. On the 5th June, they fell in with the whale-ship Magnolia, which supplied them with about two hundred gallons of water, and a few potatoes. On the 13th, in latitude 24° N., they again found the trades. On the 14th, they made the island of Oahu, but falling under the lee of the island, Captain Hudson despatched Lieutenant Perry and Mr. Speiden, the purser, to order the necessary supplies for the ship at Honolulu, to avoid any unnecessary detention there; they did not, however, reach their destination until late in the evening of the same day, where they found the Flying-Fish had arrived the day previous. Our consul, Mr. Brinsmade, hearing that the Peacock was in the offing, with his usual kindness and attention, filled a boat with provisions, and went off to her; these proved a very acceptable treat after the short allowance they had been on for the previous sixty days. On the morning of the 16th, the Peacock anchored in the port of Honolulu. Captain Hudson now made every exertion to take in provisions, and overhaul the ship; the crew were allowed liberty of twenty-four hours, by dividing them into three parts, and one-third permitted to go ashore at a time, while the rest attended to the duty.. K The two men, Wood and Kirby, were given over to the consul of Her Britannic Majesty. By the 21st, they had embarked the provisions and finished the necessary repairs, when they sailed for the Columbia river. In the latitude of 40° N., they met with the Anatifa and Velella, the ocean being literally covered with them: these continued to latitude 43° N., and between the longitude of 154° and 157° W. The temperature of the air was 51°, that of the water 53°. The weather had now become cold, damp, and cloudy. Until they reached the latitude of 45° N., they had the wind constantly from the eastern quarter; but after passing that parallel, it veered to the west-southwest, and so continued for several days, when it hauled to the southeast, and remained between that point and south, until they reached soundings off the bar of the Columbia river, on the 17th July, the day prior to the wreck, of which I have already spoken. I cannot close this account of the cruise of the Peacock and FlyingFish, without saying a few words in relation to the activity which this cruise evinces in Captain Hudson, his officers, and crew; this will be shown in a strong light, by stating the simple fact, that during this voyage the Peacock had sailed upwards of nineteen thousand miles; was two hundred and sixty days at sea, and only twenty-two in port, and that during the whole time, although they were exposed to great vicissitudes of climate, and had been long on short allowance, they returned to port without a single sick man on board. KINGSMILL IDOL 1 CHAPTER IV. CONTENTS. PREPARATIONS FOR THE SURVEY OF THE COLUMBIA-DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS- - - INDIANS PORTAGE TO THE SACHAL-LAKES-EMBARKATION AND DESCENT COUNTRY ON THE CHICKEELES CARVED PLANKS- - MR. ELD ENTERS GRAY'S HARBOUR-THE INDIANS REFUSE HIM AID-DIFFICULTIES ATTENDING THE SURVEY-MR. ELD'S PARTY IS RELIEVED BY LIEUTENANT DE HAVENSURVEY OF THE RIVER COMPLETED-CHARACTER OF GRAY'S HARBOUR OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD-DEPARTURE FROM GRAY'S HARBOUR-PASSAGE ALONG THE COAST-ARRIVAL OF MR. ELD AT ASTORIA — ORGANIZATION OF THE EXPEDI TION TO CALIFORNIA-DEPARTURE FROM VANCOUVER-POSTS OF THE HUDSON BAY COMPANY-Trade of tHE HUDSON BAY COMPANY-CLIMATE OF OREGON-WINDSFEVER AND AGUE-INDIAN POPULATION - PROGRESS DOWN THE RIVER - LETTERS FROM THE UNITED STATES-DEEP WATER -SURVEY OF THE COWLITZ - PUGET ISLAND-PILLAR ROCK-CHANNEL AT TONGUE POINT-RETURN TO ASTORIA-PORPOISE ANCHORS AT ASTORIA-PRIMEVAL FOREST-PREPARATIONS FOR PASSING THE BAR-DISPOSITION MADE OF THE PEACOCK'S LAUNCH-BAR PASSED-SURVEYS COMPLETED-ORNAMENTS, NORTHWEST COAST-WE SAIL FOR SAN FRANCISCO-LETTER OF THANKS TO DR. M'LAUGHLIN VOYAGE TO SAN FRANCISCO-ARRIVAL THERELAUNCH DESPATCHED TO MEET LIEUTENANT EMMONS. (111) |