C H A P T E R VI.
Enter Admiralty inlet— Anchor off Rejloration point— Vijit an Indian vil-
lage— Account o f feveral boat excurjions— Proceed to another part o f
inlet— Take p o jjffon o f the country.
May.’ A G R E E A B L Y to the propofed deftination o f each veffel, the Difco-
Friday i8.~' vei7 an<^ Chatham, at noon, on the 18th o f may, directed their courfe towards
the objefts of their refpeftive purfuits; and as I had already traced
the weftern fhore in the boats, we now kept the eaftern fide on board,
which, like the other, abounds with thofe verdant open places that have
been fo repeatedly noticed. On one o f thefe beautiful lawns, nearly a
league within the entrance of the inlet, about thirty o f the natives came
from the furrounding woods, and attentively noticed us as we failed
along. We did not difcover any habitations near them, nor did we fee
any canoes on the beach. On the fouth fide o f the lawn, were many
uprights in the ground, which had the appearance of having formerly
been the fupporters of their large wooden houfes. We ufed our endeavours
to invite thefe good people on board, but without effeft. After
advancing about 4 leagues up the inlet, the pleafant gale, which had attended
us from the n .w . died away, and a ftrong ebb making againft us,
we were compelled to anchor for the night, in 18 fathoms water, about
half a mile from the eaftern fhore: Marrow-Stone point bearing by
compafs n . 56 w . ; the n . e . point o f Oak-cove s. 48 w . ; and Foulwea-
ther bluff s. 51 e .
During thé night, we had a gentle foutherly breeze, attended by a
Saturday 19. fog which continued until nine o’clock on faturday morning, when it
was
was difperfed by a return o f the n .w . wind, with which we purfued our W9®-
route up the inlet; our progrefs was, however, foon retarded by the c— y—
fore-topfail yard giving way in' the flings ; on examination it appeared
to have been in a defeftive ftate fome time. The fpare fore-topfail yard
was alfo very imperfeft; which obliged us to get the fpare main-topfail
yard up in its room; and it was a very fortunate1 circumftance, that
thefe defefts were difcovered in a country abounding with materials to
which we could refort; having only to make our choice from amongft
thoufands of the fineft fpars the world produces.
T o defcrihe the beauties of this region, will, on fome future oceafion,
be a very grateful talk to the pen of a Ikilful panegyrift. The fere-
nity of the climate, the innumerable pleafing landfcapes, and the abundant
fertility that unaflifted nature puts forth, require only to be enriched
by the induftry of man with villages, manfions, cottages, and
other buildings, to render it the moft lovely country that can be imagined;
whilft the labour of the inhabitants would be amply rewarded,
in the bounties which nature feems ready to bellow on cultivation.
About noon, we paffed an inlet on the larboard or eaftern fhore, which
• feemed to ftretch far to the northward ; but, as it was out of the line of
our intended purfuit of keeping the continental fhore on board, I continued
our courfe up the main inlet, which now extended as far as, from
the deck, the eye could reach, though, from the maft-head, intervening
land appeared, beyond which another high round mountain covered
with fnow was difcovered apparently fituated feveral leagues to the fouth
of mount Rainier, and bearing by compafs s. 22 £. This I confidered
as a further extenfion of the eaftern fnowy range; but the intermediate
mountains, connefting it with mount Rainier, were not fufficiently high
to be feen at that diflance. Having advanced about 8 leagues from our
laft night’s ftation, We arrived off a projecting point o f land, not formed
by a low fandy fpit, but rifing abruptly in a low cliff about ten or
twelve feet from the water fide. Its furface was a beautiful meadow,- covered
with luxuriant herbage; on its weftern extreme, bordering on the
woods, was an Indian village, confifting of temporary habitations, from
whence feveral of the natives affembled to view the {hip as we paffed
L I 2 by;