THE QUARTERLY
of the
Oregon Historical Society
VOLUME XXII DECEMBER, 1921 NUMBER 4
Copyright, 1921, by the Oregon Historical Society
The Quarterly disavows responsibility for the positions taken by contributors to its pages
JOHN BOIT'S LOG OF THE COLUMBIA—1790-1793
Introduction
The Massachusetts Historical Society early in 1919 received as a bequest from Robert Apthorpe Boit the journals and log-books of his grandfather, John Boit. Among these was a journal kept of the Columbia's second voyage from Boston to the northwest coast of America for the collection of furs from the Indians for the markets of China. The Columbia's first voyage is memorable as the first circumnavigation of the globe by an American ship. Captain Robert Gray was in command of the vessel on this first voyage from the time of her departure from the northwest coast to China and retained command throughout the second voyage. This second voyage of which the Boit journal gives an account outshines the first in renown through the fact that in course of it the Columbia river was first entered and was named for the vessel.
Not only thus is the Boit journal a record of probably the most memorable of American voyages but it is also unique in being the only record extant of this voyage as a whole. And of none of the parallel voyages in these furtrading activities of this period by Americans is there a similar complete record. Of the official log of the Columbia only a remnant is preserved, covering the days from May 7th (1792) to May 21st, or from the time Gray first approached the entrance to Gray's harbor, to be discovered and by him named Bulfinch harbor, to his return to that vicinity after having entered and named the Columbia river. This portion of the official log is reprinted in this number of the Quarterly with the Boit document.
