2/4 A V O Y A G E O F D I S C O V E R Y
|79a be little doubt of an eafv intercourfe by land. About noon we landed
May. : : J J
' ■ < on a point of the eaftern Ihore, whole latitude is 47° 15'%, longitude
237° 17'y. From hence we proceeded with a pleafant foutherly gale, to af-
certain if any communication exilted, as we had before conjefiured.
The further we advanced the more doubtful it became, until at length
about 3 leagues north of the above point, it terminated like all the other
canals in a lhallow flat before a low fwampy bog. Here- we dined, and
about four in the afternoon fet out on our return by the way we had
come, purpofing to flop for the night at a cove a little to the fouth of
the point we were upon at noon, where we arrived about nine in the
evening. Mr. Johnfhone, who had kept along the weftern Ihore in
order to look into a fmall opening we had palled in lading down, had
the advantage by being on the weather Ihore, and had arrived a Ihort
time before us. He informed me the opening was very narrow, and
could extend but a little way before it joined that which we had quitted
this morning. Whdft he was on Ihore for the purpofe of taking the
neceflary angles, a deer came down to the beach, which Mr. Le Mefu-
rier, the gentleman who had attended him in the boat, fired at, and fortunately
killed. It proved to be a very fine buck, and afforded our
people a good frelh meal, which was fome compenfation for the ddlap-
pointment we experienced in not finding a palfage home by the route
we had lately purfued.
Tuefday 29. About day-break, as ufual, on the morning o f the 29th, we again
refumed our voyage towards the Ihips, which were now diftant about
45 miles. Towards noon we landed on the north point of entrance
into the fecond opening we had palled on faturday evening; the latitude
of which is 470 15'A. The ftrength of the ebb tide facilitated our
progrefs, and our conjeftures were foon proved to have been well
founded in this being the fame inlet, which I had direfted the other party
to examine. We were" carried with great rapidity for fome time up the
branch leading to the northward, and - through this channel we arrived
m the evening on board, without feeing any other opening leading to
the weftward. The land compofing the eaftern Ihore of this channel,
and the weftern Ihore o f that we had purfued on faturday. morning,
was
R O U N D T H E W O R L D . 275
was now afcertained to be the moll extenfive illand we had yet met with
in our feveral examinations of this coaft; which after my friend Captain t------—
Valhon of the navy, I have diftinguilhed by the name of V a s h o n ’ s
I s l a n d .
Late on the preceding faturday night, or rather on funday morning,
our other party had returned. It was them we had feen the firft evening
of our excurfion from the illand, and they very diftin&ly faw our
fire ; but as they did not hear the report of the mulkets, concluded it a
fire of the natives, not having the leaft idea o f any of our boats being
in that neighbourhood. They had explored all thofe parts of the inlet
we had palfed by, and found the three openings we left unexamined, the
firft afternoon, leading to the weftward, to be channels dividing that Ihore
into three iflands ; and thofe we had not attended to on monday morning
formed two fmall branches leading to the s.w. ; the wefternmoft o f which
extends to the latitude of 47° 6', about 2 leagues to the weftward of our
refearches in that direction ; that in which the deer was Ihot communicated
with the s.w. branch of the inlet by a very narrow channel. They
had alfo pafled the opening we had purfued leading towards mount
Rainier ; but agreeably to my directions had not profecuted its examination
; the termination of every other opening in the land they had afcertained.
Thus by our joint efforts, we had completely explored every
turning of this extenfive inlet; and to commemorate Mr. Puget's exertions,
the fouth extremity of it I named P u g e t ’ s S o u n d ..
The Chatham had failed on monday, and Mr. Whidbeyhad departed
in the Difcovery’s launch for the purpofe of carrying into effeft the
orders I had left with Mr. Broughton.
Mr. Puget had little more to communicate refpefting his late expedition
than what had fallen under my own obfervations, excepting the
diforderly behaviour of an. Indian tribe he had met with at fome dif-
tance up the firft arm leading to the weftward within the' narrows,
whofe conduft had materially differed from that of the natives in genera
l; and in particular from that of a party confifting of about- twenty
natives whom they had before feen in that route, and who had behaved
with their ufual friendlhip and civility. In this, arm they found the Ihores
N n 2 ’ in