being made one of the thousand links among the associations and cordial sympathies which unite our kindred nations.

"With feelings of high respect and regard for yourself, "I am, sir, very respectfully,

"To Sir RODERICK MURCHISON,

"Your obedient servant,

"J. C. FREMONT."

"President of the Royal Geographical Society,

"London."

CHAPTER XII.

CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN COL. FREMONT AND CAPTAIN CHARLES WILKES.

WHILE preparing his map and Geographical Memoir for publication, and a few days before its completion, Col. Fremont became accidentally involved in a public discussion with Capt. Wilkes, of the navy, which possesses an interest now quite independent of the little incident out of which it originated. That incident is stated in the following note addressed to the Editors of the National Intelligencer:

"C STREET, May 14, 1848. "GENTLEMEN: We read in the National Intelligencer for May 9, as follows:

"The United States sloop of war Portsmouth, Commander Montgomery, arrived in Boston, on Friday, from the Pacific Ocean.

"Commander Montgomery states that the British frigate Herald, and the brig Pandora, are engaged in making a new survey of the gulf and coast of California.

"The whale-ship Hope, of Providence (R. I.), was recently ost on the coast in consequence of an error in the charts now in general use, which locate the coast and islands from Monterey to * See "National Intelligencer," May 15, 1848.

Cape San Lucas, from fifteen to forty miles too far to the eastward.'

"On reading this notice in your paper, I have to say that the error in question has already been detected by Mr. Fremont and corrected in his map of Oregon and Upper California, now in course of preparation, and nearly ready to be laid before the Senate, by whom its construction was ordered. In his last expedition, Mr. Fremont made a series of astronomical observations across the continent, terminating at Santa Cruz, near Anno Nuevo, the northwestern point of the Bay of Monterey. It was found, on laying down these positions on his map, that the west end of the line went beyond the coast, as given in Vancouver's charts (the basis of all in use), and that it projected two miles into the sea. His own map was immediately corrected accordingly, placing the coast and islands of Upper California ten miles further west.

"Mr. Fremont's observations were made in the winter and spring of 1845 and 1846. They were calculated by Professor Hubbard, of the Washington City Observatory, during the past winter; and were laid down on the map by Mr. Chas. Preuss, in February last.

"This map, with a memoir to illustrate it, and the calculations of Prof. Hubbard, will be laid before the Senate in a few days. "Respectfully, gentlemen, your obedient servant,

"THOMAS H. BENTON.

To this note there shortly appeared the following reply:

LETTER FROM CAPTAIN WILKES.

*

"MESSRS. GALES & SEATON: On my return to the city after a few weeks' absence, your paper of the 15th of May, containing some remarks on the errors existing in the charts of the northwest coast of California, by Col. Benton, was brought to my notice. Although I have no desire to detract from any one,

* "National Intelligencer," June 8, 1848.

yet I think it due to others, as well as to the United States Exploring Expedition, to place the following facts before the public respecting the errors which did exist in the longitude of this coast, the 'discovery' of which is now claimed to have been first made, and the errors corrected, by Col. Fremont, through a series of astronomical observations across the continent.

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Shortly after the publication of Vancouver's charts in 1798, errors were suspected to exist in them (his points were determined by lunar observations, and several chronometers, which latter performed but indifferently; and from these his results. were obtained), from a difference which was found between him and the Spanish surveying vessels, employed at the same time. on the coast of California. The amount of error was not, however, truly ascertained until some years after this, when Captain Beechey, of H. B. M. ship, the Blossom, visited this coast in 1826. His observations were confirmed by Captain Sir Edward Belcher, in H. B. M. surveying ship, the Sulphur, in 1835; and it was again confirmed by the United States Exploring Expedition in 1841.

These corrections were all made on the general charts published by order of Congress in 1844, from the surveys and examinations of the Exploring Expedition, and have been in possession of our ships navigating the Pacific Ocean since that time.

"By comparing dates, it will be perceived that these 'discoveries' were known long since, and that the actual amount of error was ascertained some twenty years ago by both the English and French expeditions, and were published by our own government in the results of the Exploring Expedition, a year prior to the earliest date claimed by Col. Benton, as the time when the observations of Lieut. Col. Fremont were made.

"With great respect, I am, yours, &c.,
"CHARLES WILKES.

Washington, June 6th, 1848." *

* This letter was accompanied with the following editorial note: "In a matter purely scientific, difference of opinion cannot be any

This letter brought Col. Fremont into the field, who. conducted the remainder of the correspondence with Capt. Wilkes to its close.

LETTER FROM COL. FREMONT TO THE EDITORS.*

WASHINGTON, June 8th, 1848.

"MESSRS. GALES AND SEATON: In the absence of Col. Benton, and as the matter relates specially to myself, I desire to take some notice of the publication made in your paper of to-day by Captain Wilkes of the navy, concerning the rectification of an error on our western coast.

66

Capt. Wilkes could not have examined with much care the note of Col. Benton, which he undertakes to criticise, or he would have perceived that it is not against anything stated by Col. Benton, or claimed for the observations made by myself, that his strictures apply: but that his sole dispute, if he has any, is with the reports brought in by the sloop of war Portsmouth, Commander Montgomery, and only quoted in the note of Col. Benton. He must also have perceived, with a little more attentention, that the word 'discovery,' which he has introduced as a quotation italicized, does not exist in Col. Benton's note: and hence that his use of the word, as if copied from Col. Benton's note, is, in both instances unwarranted.

"The plain facts in the matter in question are these: in my map published in 1845, accompanying the report of the first and second expeditions under my command, the line of the Pacific cause of quarrel, nor even of unkind feeling. We publish Capt. Wilkes's note as we did Mr. Benton's, without requiring any other authority than the name of the writer.

"We cannot however, repress the obvious remark, that, as Col. Fremont was not in possession of the corrected charts spoken of by Captain Wilkes, he is still entitled to the merit of having, by means of his astronomical observations, discovered the error, though others also had discovered the same error."

*"National Intelligencer," June 10th, 1848.

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