The north-west coast of America was made by La Perouse, in latitude sixty degrees north:  from this latitude he carefully traced and examined it to the Spanish settlement of Monterey.—­an extent of coast of which Cook had had only a transient and imperfect view.  Of this he constructed a chart, which at the time was justly regarded as extremely accurate and complete, but was subsequently rendered much more so by the survey of particular points and bays made by the vessels engaged in the fur trade, and especially by that which was constructed by Vancouver, from a close and careful examination of the numerous channels with which this coast abounds, principally performed in boats, and therefore descending into very minute details.

The accessions made by him to geography in other parts of the globe, as well as his unfortunate fate, will be afterwards related.

In the year 1790, a dispute arose between Britain and Spain, respecting Nootka Sound:  on the adjustment of this dispute, the British government determined to send out an officer to secure possession of the settlement, and also to determine the question respecting the existence of a navigable passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  Captain Vancouver was selected for these purposes:  his instructions were, after accomplishing his mission at Nootka Sound, to examine that part of the coast occupied by the chain of islands, discovered by the vessels in the fur trade, “and to ascertain, with the greatest exactitude, the nature and extent of every communication by water which might seem to tend to facilitate commercial relations between the north-west coast and the countries on the east of the continent, inhabited by British subjects or claimed by Great Britain;” and in particular to search for the strait of John de Fuca, and to examine if Cook’s River had not its source in some of the lakes frequented by the Canadian traders, or by the servants of the Hudson’s Bay Company.

He sailed from England with a sloop and brig on the 1st of April, 1791.  He began his examination of the west coast of America, in latitude 39 deg. 27’ north, and continued it as far as Nootka:  finding that the Spaniards raised difficulties to the restoration of this settlement, he proceeded to carry into execution the other objects of this voyage.  During three summers, he surveyed the north-west coast of America as far as Cook’s River, with a diligence, attention, and accuracy which could not have been surpassed.  Every opening which presented itself was explored, and never left till its termination was determined; so that on a very careful and minute inspection of every creek and inlet of a coast consisting almost entirely of creeks and channels, formed by an innumerable multitude of islands, he thought himself justified in pronouncing, that there is no navigable passage between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, unless there may be a possibility of sailing through the strait between Asia and America, and navigating the Frozen