Sunday 12.
to the fouth-eaftward, from the termination of the continent in its n .w ,
direftion, to a certain point on the eaflern Ihore, where Mr. Johnftone,
in the Chatham’s cutter, attended by Mr. Humphreys in the Difcovery’s
Imall cutter, would commence his inquiry. Conceiving the northern
furvey would be infinitely more extenfive than that to the fouth, I joined
Mr. Johnftone’s party, in order to fix on a rendezvous where, agreeably
to my propofed plan, he would on his return find the vefiels, or they
would be on their way from the cove to the place fo appointed.
Our reparation had fcarcely taken place, when our foutherly breeze
frelhened to a brilk gale, attended by a torrent o f rain. The wind
however having favored our purfuit, we reached the eaftern Ihore about
five miles to the northward o f the cove where the Ihips rode. It was low
but compact, with one fmall opening only, impaffable for our boats by
breakers extending acrols it. On the weftern fide two confpicuous openings
had been obferved; the fouthernmofl had the appearance of being a
very fine harbour; the other, about 2 leagues further north, formed a
paflage to fea, in which were feveral rocky iflets. About noon we arrived
at the point where Mr. JohnJfione’s refearches were to commence,
nearly in the direftion o f north from the Ihips, and at the diftance of
about 16 miles. From this point, the north point of the paflage leading
to fea, lies s. 39 w . 4 miles diftant; but the thick rainy weather prevented
our feeing any objefts that were to the northward. Increafed
torrents o f rain, and thick ftormy weather from the s.E. obliged us to
take fhelter in the firft fafe place we could difcover, which prefented itfelfi
in a fmall cove, about a mile from the point above-mentioned, where we
were very unpleafantly detained until near noon the following d a y ;
when the wind having moderated, and the rain in fome degree abated,
we refumed our examination along the ftarboard or continental Ihore,
extending from the above point about a league and a half in a north direftion.
Here the inlet divided into two capacious branches ; that appearing
to be the principal one ftill continued its northerly courfe, the
either ftretched e . n . e . and was in general about a mile wide. In order
to profecute the furvey of the continental Ihore, which I prefumed this
to be, the latter became the fir It objeft of our examination, for which
we
we quitted the former, whofe width we ellimated at . . . a lea°gue. The in- 1792- . Auguft.
termiflion of the rain was for a Ihort time only ; at three m the after- ■ ■
noon, it again returned with fuch fqually and unpleafant weather, that
we were neceflitated, at fix, to take up our abode, for the night, on a
long Tandy beach, about eight miles within the entrance of this eaftern
branch. In the s. E. corner of this beach, was the largeft brook of
frefh water we had yet feen on the coaft. It bore a very high colour,
and emptied itfelf into the fea with confiderable velocity. Here the
mountains which appeared to be a continuation of the fnowy barrier
from mount Stephens, retired a fmall diftance from the beach, and
the low land, occupying the intermediate fpace, produced pine trees
o f inferior growth, from a bed o f mofs and-decayed vegetables in
the ftate of turf, nearly as inflammable as the wood which it produced.
A continuation o f the unpleafant weather confined us to this
uncomfortable fpot until monday afternoon; when, about four, we Mmday 13.
again proceeded up the branch, which, from the beach, took a direction
N. by E. ; the furtheft point feen in that line, was at the diftance
of about 3 leagues; this, after palling an extenfive cove on the ftarboard
fide, we reached about nine at night. Excepting this cove, and
that we had departed from, none other was feen, the fides o f this canal
being compofed of compaft ftupendous mountains, and nearly perpendicular
rocky cliffs, producing pine trees to a confiderable height above
the Ihores, and then nearly barren to their lofty fummits, which were
moftly covered with fnow.
During the night, we had much rain; the next morning the weather was Tuefday 14.
cloudy, with fome pafling Ihowers, which at intervals enabled us to obtain
a tolerably diftinft view of the region before us; and for the firft time,
fince the commencement of this expedition, it Ihewed the branch we were
navigating to be about two miles wide, extending in a n .e . by e . direftion,
feveral leagues ahead. I had been in continual expeftation of finding that
the larboard Ihore would prove to be an ifland, in which cafe, on the return
of the launch and cutter, the veflels Ihould have been removed to its
northern extremity, and, by that means, the return of the boats that were
ftill to proceed, would be materially Ihortened ; but, feeing little reafon
to
fy