June’ was t*le ^ea m° re favorable to our wants, the deep rocky fhores pre-
i— v---- i vented the ufe of the feine, and not a filh at the bottom could be tempted
to take the hook.
I had abfented myfelf from the prefent furveying excurlions, in order
to procure fome obfervations for the longitude here, and to arrange the
charts of the different furveys in the order they had been made. Thefe
when fo methodized, my third lieutenant Mr. Baker had undertaken to
copy and embellifh, and who, in point o f accuracy, neatnefs, and fuch
difpatch as circumftances admitted, certainly excelled in a very high degree.
To conclude our operations up to the prefent period fome further
angles were required. Befide thefe I'was defirous of acquiring fome
knowledge o f the main channel of the gulph we had quitted on monday
afternoon, and to which no one o f our boats had been direfted.
Saturday 30. ■ Early the next morning I fat out in the yawl on that purfuit, with a
favorable breeze from the N.w. which fhortly fhifted to the oppofite
quarter, and blew a frefh gale, attended with a very heavy rain. Having
reached by ten in the forenoon no further than the ifland under
which we had anchored at midnight on the 25th, a profpeft o f a certain
continuance of the unfettled weather obliged me to abandon my defign,
and return to the fhip ; where I had the pleafure of hearing the launch
and cutter had arrived foon after my departure, after having completed
the examination o f the continental coaft from the place where we had
left it, the night we had entered the found, to; about 3 leagues north-
weftward of our prefent ftation, making the land near which we were
then at anchor on our northern fide, an ifland, or a clufter of iflands o f
confiderable extent. Thefe gentlemen were likewife of opinion, that all
the land before us to the weftward and N.w. from its infular appearance,
formed an immenfe archipelago; but knowing Mr. Johnftone was
directed to examine that quarter, and coming within fight o f the (flips,
they had returned on board for further inftruftions.
On the commencement of their furvey, they found the continental
(hore continue nearly in its N.w. direftion to the eaftern point of entrance
into this found, which I called P o in t S a r a h , and is fituated in
latitude 50° 4% longitude 2350 2 5 'f ; its oppofite point, which I named
P o i n t
P o in t M a r y , lying n . 72 w . about half a league diftant; from point
Sarah they proceeded along the continental (hore up a very narrow ca- 1
nal, rendered almoft inacceflible by the number of funken rocks and
rocky iflets which it contained.' It was found to lead in a fouth-eafterly
direftion, almoft parallel with, and 2 or 3 miles from, the northern
(hore of the gulph at the diftance of about 3 leagues, with a fmaller
branch near the middle, extending about a league from its northern
(hore to the n . N. e . From this canal they continued along the continental
(hore in an eafterly and N. e . direftion, which led to that part of
the coaft under the infpeftion of Sen'-Valdes. The eaftern (hore, for
the fpace of 2 leagues, was found much indented; and feveral fmall
iflands and rocks were feen lying near it to the latitude of 50° 10', longitude
235° 35'. Here thefe rocky iflets difappeared, and the coaft took
a winding courfe N.w. and weftward, to a point bearing from the above
■ ftation N. 35 w . diftant about 2 leagues, and forming the eaft point of
an arm of the found, whofe entrance, about half a league wide, has two
fmall iflets lying in it. About a mile up this arm they met Sen'- Valdes,
who informed them he had thoroughly explored that place, and that in
the channel leading to the north-weft ward he had fpoke'n with Mr. John-
done, fo that there could be no doubt of a paffage to the (hips by that
route. Sen1- Valdes intimated that he confidered any further inveftiga-
tion of that place totally unneceffary; but the officers not having on
this occafion any directions of a difcretionary nature, afted according to
the orders they had formerly received for the execution of fuch fervice,
and profecuted its examination. They found it extend in an irregular
north-eafterly direftion to the latitude of go° 22', longitude 233° 46',
.where it terminated in (hallow water and a little low land ; through which
flowed two fmall rivulets. In thefe rivulets, and On the fhoal parts, feveral
wears wereerefted. Along the (hores of the- upper part of this
■ arm, which are moftly compofed o f high fteêp barren rocks, were feveral
fences formed by thin laths, ftuck either in the ground, or in the chinks
o f the rocks, with others placed along them; fome in horizontal, others
in oblique, and different direftions. Ranges of thefe were fixed along
•the rocky cliffs in the line o f the fhore, others varied from, that direftion,
T t 2 and
179».
June.
É