arkable progress of the Pacific port cities of Seattle and Tacoma
make Washington an especially bright, new star on the national flag.
Surrounded as these cities are with some of the grandest and most poetic
scenery in the United States, with gigantic forests and rich farm-lands,
with mountains of ores, with coal-mines, iron-mines, copper-mines, and
mines of the more precious treasures; washed as they are by the water of
noble harbors, and smiled upon by skies of almost continuous April
weather--there must be a great future before the cities of Puget Sound.

The State of Washington is one of the youngest in the Union, and yet she
is not too young to celebrate soon the one-hundredth anniversary of
several interesting events.

It was on the 15th of December, 1790, that Captain George Vancouver
received his commission as commander of his Majesty's sloop of war the
Discovery. Three of his officers were Peter Puget, Joseph Baker, and
Joseph Whidby, whose names now live in Puget Sound--Mount Baker, and
Whidby Island.

The great island of British Columbia, and its energetic port city,
received the name of Vancouver himself, and Vancouver named most of the
places on Puget Sound in honor of his personal friends. He must have had a
heart formed for friendship, thus to have immortalized those whom he
esteemed and loved. It is the discovery and the naming of mountains,
islands, and ports of the Puget Sound that suggest poetic and patriotic
celebrations.

The old journals of Vancouver lie before us. In these we read:

"From this direction, round by the north and northwest, the high, distant
land formed, like detached islands, among which the lofty mountains
discovered in the afternoon by the third lieutenant, and in compliment to
him called by me Mount Baker, rose to a very conspicuous object."

It was on Monday, April 30, 1792, that Mount Baker was thus discovered
and named. In May, 1792, Vancouver states that he came to a "very safe"
and "capatious" harbor, and that "to this port I gave the name of Port
Townshend, in honor of the noble marquis of that name."

Again, on Thursday, May 29, 1792, Vancouver discovered another excellent
port, and says:

"This harbor, after the gentleman who discovered it, obtained the name of
Port Orchard."

In May, 1792, he makes the following very important historical note:

"Thus by our joint efforts we had completely explored every turning of
this extensive inlet; and, to commemorate Mr.