LOG OF THE COLUMBIA 263
ferring to the expression: "I landed abreast the ship with Captain Gray to view the Country and take possession, leaving charge with the 2d Officer", Mr. Ford notes, "the words 'and take possession' were inserted at a later time and are in quite different ink". The official log says, "In the afternoon, Cap- tain Gray and Mr. Hoskins, in the jolly-boat went on shore to take a short view of the country." An over-zealous nationalist it seems tampered with the record and made it say what had not been in the mind of Boit to record. As Boit attended Captain Gray in this landing party he would have been enough impressed with the ceremony, had it taken place, to have made a record of it.
In historical literature this voyage has been celebrated as an event initiating a new turn of events politically that was consummated in the establishment of the jurisdiction of the United States over the main portion of the Columbia river basin. This major outcome of this voyage, so far as yet recognized, was an incident or by-product with regard to the purpose contemplated with it. .The enterprise of the company of Boston merchants was rather in direct line of evolution of New England's main interests of shipping and cod and whale fisheries during the 18th century. It is quite easy to believe that in line with increasing international interdependence in trade and cooperation for the best utilization of the earth's resources for human purposes this second voyage of the Co- lumbia may in time to come have larger meaning as an achieve- ment in the evolution of trade than as an exploit of discovery laying the basis for national territorial expansion. These fur trading ventures to the northwest coast of America were the natural expansion of the New England activities in cod fisheries on the banks of New Foundland and in the whale fisheries in the South Sea. These were the mainstay of New England prosperity. On an Act placing an embargo on these fisheries and restricting the trade they involved did Parliament in 1775 rely "to starve New England." This intent brought forth the following glowing tribute from Edmund Burke to the daring exploits of the American whalemen which would have been as well deserved by the fur traders on their more extended voy-
