o f oceanic and perfeftly fait. By fun-fet we had palfed the channel
which had been obferved to lead into the gulph, to the fouthward of
Anvil ifland ; and about nine o’clock landed for the night, near the weft
point o f entrance into the found, which I diftinguiflied by the name of
H o w e ’ s S o u n d , in honor o f Admiral Earl Howe; and this point,
fituated in latitude 49°23', longitude 236°5i', P o i n t G o w e r ; between
which and point Atkinfon, up to Anvil ifland, is an extenfive group of
iflands of various fizes. The fhores of thefe, like the adjacent coaft, are
compofed principally of rocks riling perpendicularly from an unfathomable
fea; they are tolerably well covered with trees, chiefly o f the pine
tribe, though few are o f a luxuriant growth.
A t four o’clock on faturday morning we refumed our courfe to north-
weftward, along the llarboard or continental Ihore o f the gulph o f
Georgia, which from point Gower takes a direction about w. N.w. and
affords a more pleafing appearance than the Ihores of Howe’s found.
This part of the coaft is o f a moderate height for fome diftance inland,
and it frequently jets out into low fandy projefting points. The country
in general produces foreft trees in great abundance, o f fome variety
and magnitude ; the pine is the moft common, and the woods are little
encumbered with bullies or trees of inferior growth. We continued in
this line about 5 leagues along the coaft, palling fome rocks and rocky
iflets, until we arrived at the north point o f an ifland about 2 leagues in
circuit, with another about half that fize to the weftward o f it, and a
Imaller ifland between them. From the north point o f this ifland, which
forms a channel with the main about half a mile wide, and is fituated
in latitude 49“ 28% longitude 236° 31', the coaft of the continent takes a
direftion for about eight miles n . 30 w . and is compofed of a rugged
rocky Ihore,- with many detached rocks lying at a little diftance. The
track we thus purfued had not the appearance o f the main branch o f the
gulph, but o f a channel between the Continent and that land, which
from point Roberts, feemed like a fmall though very high round ifland.
This now appeared of confiderable extent, its n .e . fide formed a channel
leading to the n .w . as far as the eye could reach, about five miles in
width. The main branch of the gulph, apparently of infinitely greater
extent,
R O U N D t h e w o r l d . 3°7
extent, took a direftion to the fouth-weftward of this land, which now
looked more like a peninfula than an ifland. Along this rocky Ihore of t---- <— >
the main land we palled in quell of a refting place for the night, to no
effeft, until after dark; when we found, Ihelter in a very dreary uncomfortable
cove near the fouth point of an ifland, about a mile long, and
about two miles to the s. s. e,. of a narrow opening leading to the northward.
This on the return o f day-light we proceeded to examine; and Sunday 17.
pafled, through a very narrow, though navigable channel, amongft a
duller of rocks and rocky iflets, lying juft in the front o f its entrance,
which is: fituated in latitude 49° 35'i> longitude 236° 26'. It is about
half a mile wide, winding towards the n . n . e . for about 3 leagues,
where it divides into two branches, one ftretching to the eaftward, the
other to the weftward of north, with an ifland before the entrance of the
latter. Agreeably to our general mode o f proceeding, the north-eafterly
branch became the firft objeft -of our attention, and was found from
hence to continue in an irregular courfe to the latitude of 490 49', longitude
236° 3 5 'i ; where, finding a tolerably comfortable fituation, we
relied fo r the night.
We had feen .about feventeen Indians in our travels this day, who
were much more painted than any we had hitherto met with. Some
o f their arrows were pointed with Hate, the firft I had feen fo armed
on m-y prefent vifit to this coaft; thefe they appeared to efteem
very highly, and like the inhabitants of Nootka, took much pains to
guard them from injury. They however fpoke not the Nootka language,
nor the dialed of any Indians, we had converfed with ; at leaft,
the few words we had acquired were repeated to them without effeft; m
their perfons they differed in no other refpeft, and were equally civil and
inoffenfive in their behaviour. The Ihores we palfed this day are of a
moderate height within a few miles of this llation, ,and are principally
compofed of craggy rocks, in the chafms of which a foil of decayed vegetables
has been formed by the hand of time ; from which pine trees
o f an inferior dwarf growth are produced, with a confiderable quantity
o f bulhes and underwood. We palfed a few rocky iflets near the divi-
fion of the inlet. , Thefe feemed lleep, as foundings with the hand line
could not be gained ; nor had we any where in mid-channel been able
R r 2 to
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