Auguft t0 indulge this hope any longer, I appointed a rendezvous with Mr.
— ----- 1 Johnftone, a little to the fouth of the entrance into this arm; where,
on his return, he would find the veffels, or they would be on their
way thither and, after bidding him farewell, returned on my way towards
the {hips.
B y noon we had reached the entrance of this branch o f the inlet,
where, on a fmall iflet near its fouth point, I obferved the latitude to
be 51° 52', making the ftation at which I had parted , with Mr. Johnftone,
and which I had concluded to be the continental {hore, in latitude
52“ 3', longitude 232° 19'. This rendezvous was about 37 miles
from the ftation of the veffels, in as defolate inhofpitable a country
as the moft melancholy creature could be defirous o f inhabiting. The
eagle, crow, and raven, that, occafionally, had borne us company in
our lonely refearches, vifited not thefe dreary {hores. The common fliell-
fifh, fuch as mufcles, clams, and cockles, and the nettle famphire, and
Other coarfe vegetables, that had been fo highly effential to our health
and maintenance in all our former excurfions, were fcarcely found,
any where here, to exift; and the ruins of one miferable hut, near
where we had lodged the preceding night, was the only indication wë
faw that human beings ever reforted to the country before us, which
appeared to be. devoted intirely to the amphibious race; feals and fea-
otters, particularly the latter, were feen in great numbers.
Having dined, and dedicated a {hort interval of fun-Chine to the drying
of our wet clothes, we made the beft of our way towards the (hips ;
where, about midnight, we arrived, moft exceffively fatigued; the inclemency
of thé weather having, on this occafion, been more feverely felt
than in any of our former expeditions.
The fame very difagreeable weather had prevailed on board, attended
with much more wind than we had experienced. From the s.w. the
gale had blown particularly hard, which caufed our moft grateful re-
fleftións for having providentially reached fo comfortable a place of
Ihelter, from the dangers that muft neceffarily have awaited our navigating,
in fuch tempeftuous weather, the intricate and unexplored re*
gion we had fo recently quitted.
During
During our abfence, a fufificient quantity of falmon had been taken, >792-
for every perfon on board the veffel; the neceffary fupplies. of wood ,
and water were nearly completed; but the rife and fall of the tide had
not been equal to our wifhes for the purpofe o f grounding the Chatham,
without landing the greater part of her {lores and provifions; and, as
the bottom at low tide, was found to be {oft mud, unfavorable to fuch
an operation, that bufinefs was neceffarily deferred.
The weather, though clear at intervals for a {hort time, continuT
ing very boifterous, filled our minds with much folicitude for the welfare
of our friends in the boats; particularly thofe detached to the s .e .,
who were greatly expofed not only to its inclemency; but to the violence
of the fea, which, from an uninterrupted ocean1, broke with great
fury on the fouthern {hores. One confolation, however, always attended
my anxious concern on thefe perilous occafions, that, in the expo-
fure of my people to fuch fatiguing and hazardous fervice, I could’
ever depend on their cheerful and ready obedience to the prudent and
judicious direftions of the officers who were intrufted with the command
of thefe adventurous expeditions.
Whilft we thus remained under much concern for the fafety of our Friday 171
detached parties, we were fuddenly furprized by the arrival of a brig
off the entrance of the cove, under Englifh colours. A fight fo uncommon,
created a variety of opinions as to the caufe.that would induce any
veffel in a commercial purfuit, '(for fo flie appeared to be employed) to
vifit a region fo defolate and inhofpitable. Our fufpenfe, however, was
at an end on the return of Lieutenant Baker, who informed me, {he was-
the Venus belonging to Bengal, of 110 tons burthen, commanded by Mr. '
Shepherd, laft from Nootka, and bound on a trading voyage along thefe
fhores; that having found the price of {kins fo exorbitant on the fea-
coaft, he had been induced to try this inland navigation, in the hope of
procuring them at a lefs extravagant price. By him we received the plea-
fant tidings o f the arrival of the Daedalus ftore-ftlip, laden with a fupply-
of provifions and ftores for our ufe; and he acquainted Mr. Baker’
that Sen" Quadra was waiting, with the greateft impatience; to deliver
up the fettlement and territories at Nootka. But, as fortune too frequently