Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 12.djvu/16

 8 F. W. How AY considerable number of points and islands named amongst others, Cape Beale, at the southern entrance to Barkley sound, and by some regarded as the northern entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Leaving Barkley sound on a July day in 1787, Captain Barkley discovered that afternoon the opening we now call the Strait of Fuca. I quote from Mrs. Barkley's diary : "In the afternoon, to our great astonishment, we arrived off "a large opening extending to the eastward, the entrance of "which appeared to be about four leagues wide, and remained "about that width as far as the eye could see, with a clear "easterly horizon, which my husband immediately recognized "as the long lost strait of Juan de Fuca, and to which he gave "the name of the original discoverer, my husband placing it "on his chart". The statement in Meares's Voyage, page LV., that the whole of Captain Barkley's voyage below Barkley sound was made in the ship's boat is absolutely incorrect. It may hardly be necessary to add that this is by no means the only error which exists in Meares's published volume. Captain Barkley did not examine the opening or explore the strait at all, so his opinion as to its original discovery by the old Greek pilot is merely superficial. The Imperial Eagle proceeded along the coast and in latitude 47 43', on a river supposed to be the Ohahlat, near Destruc- tion island, in attempting to trade with the natives, the mate, Mr. Miller, the purser, Mr. Beale, and four seamen were mur- dered. After this loss, Captain Barkley proceeded as far as Cape Fear, and thence sailed to China. This ends his connec- tion with our subject, for although he returned in 1792, in the brig Halcyon, that voyage had to do only with the Alaskan coast. Before Captain Barkley finally passes off our little stage it may be of interest to give verbatim from Mrs. Barkley's diary her side of the difficulty which occurred between her husband and the owners of the Imperial Eagle. She says :