416
179=. obfervations during that voyage point Breakers is placed in latitude
Oftober. o /
The wind at n.w . blew a pleafant gale until the evening, when it was
fucceeded by calms and light variable airs off the land, which continued
Sunday 14. until near noon the next day. During the fore part of the night the depth
of water was from 70 to go fathoms, but by the morning we were drifted
too far from the land to gain foundings. The weather, though clear over
head, was hazy towards the horizon, and rendered the land very indistinct
; in the afternoon we had a fine breeze from the weftward,. which
enabled us to fleer in for the land, and to gain a diftant view of Clayoquot
and Nittinat, which, according to the Spaniards, are the native names of
port Cox and Berkley’s found. The eaft point of the former at fun-fet
by compafs bore N. 50 w . about 4 leagues diftant; the weft point o f the
latter,, our neareft fhore, N . ' 28 E . about five miles diftant, and the coaft
in fight extended from eaft to N. 63 w. We fhortened fail for the night,
and inclined our courfe towards cape Claffet. I had been given to underhand,
that this promontory was by the natives called Claffet; but now
finding that this name had originated only from that of an inferior chief’s
refiding in its neighbourhood, I have therefore refumed Captain Cook’s
original appellation of cape Flattery;
The weftwardly wind died away as the night approached, when, we
were in foundings from 30 to 40 fathoms ; but light airs and calms fuc-
ceeding, we were foon driven to a confiderable diftance from the land,
Monday 15. which in the morning was nearly obfcured by a thick haze at the diftance
of 5 or 6 leagues. The obferved latitude at noon was 48° 41', longitude
234° 30'; the- coaft then in fight bearing by compafs. from n . w . to
e . by N.
Tuefday 16. A want “of wind until the next day much increafed our diftance from
the fhore, by our. being fet to the fouthward; and the land being ftill
obfcured by adenfe haze, prevented our difcovering that we had paffed
cape Flattery until ten in thé forenoon, when.it was announced by the
rocks to the foudi ofit;/the largeft of which, independently of Deftruc-
tion ifland, is the moft extenfive detached land exifting on the fea coaft
between cape Flattery and cape Mendocino. It is o f an oblong fhape,
and
and nearly level on the top, where it produces a few trees, its fides are *792-
i-« n . . _ 1 . Oaober. almolt perpendicular; near it are lome fmall white barren rocks, fome ■ ■
funken ones, and fome rocky iftets of curious and romantic fhapes. At
noon the obferved latitude was 48° 8’, and the longitude, deduced from
four different fets of obfervations for the chronometer taken in the afternoon,
was 235? 26'. In this fituation the fouthernmoft land in fight
bore by compafs s. 78 E . and the mountain before confidered as mount
Olympus, eaft. Whether our having been latterly accuftomed to fee more
lofty mountains, or whether the mountain being difrobed of its winter
garment (the fndw now being only in patches) produced the, effeft, is
not eafily determined; but it certainly feemed of lefs ftupendous height
than when we firft beheld it in the fpring. A light favorable breeze from
the n . w . during the afternoon, afforded a good opportunity for determining
the, fituation of this Cape^ and I had the fatisfaftion to find it
correfpönd exaftly with the- pofition I had afligned to it, on pafling it
in the fpring. This evinced the propriety of adopting the meridian of
Nootka for our charts, agreeably to “the refult of the obfervations we
had made for afcertaining it.,' '
In thé point of view we this day faw the entrance o f De Fuca’s ftraits ;
it appeared in no refpedi remarkable, or likely to be an opening o f any
confiderable extent. The night being again almoft calm, our diftance
from the land was increafed as before. We approached it flowly in the
forenoon, and at mid-day the coaft by compafs extended n . n . w . to e . s . e . ; Wednef. 17.
mount Olympus bore N . .40 e . and the neareft fhore n . e . about 4
leagues diftant. Our -obferved latitude 4.70 27', longitude 235° 38',
agreed exceedingly well with our former pofition of this part of the coaft.
A light N.w. breeze prevailed in the afternoon, which by fun-fet
brought us within 4 miles of the fhore, having foundings from 50 to 30
fathoms. At eight the wind died away, and as we were now approaching
a part of the coaft which we had formerly paffed at a greater diftance than
I could have wifhed, we anchored for the night to prevent the fame thing
happening a fecond time. The depth o f water was 24 fathoms, black
fandy bottom. At five the next morning, with a gentle breeze from the ThurfdayiS.
land, we turned up along fhore, and had foundings from 17 to 40
V o l. I. 3 H fathoms.