Friday 24.
Saturday 25.
176, to be gaining 41" 36"' per day, and fall of mean time at Greenwich
on the 20th of may, at noon, 4h 36' 55"; inftead of the rates fettled on
fhore at the obfervatory on Owhyhee. As this eftimated corrected rate
was found to agree much nearer with the longitude of Trinidad bay, according
to its pofition as determined by us the preceding year, I (hall
continue to allow the above rate and error, until I Ihall have authority
fullicient to alter my opinion of its corrcctnels.
As we proceeded towards the ocean the wind gradually veered to the
fouth-eaft, with which we fleered along the coaft to the nbrth-weftward,
pafling the entrance of Buena Efperanza, which had a very different appearance
to us, from that exhibited in the Spanilh chart. The fame was
noticed by Mr. Puget; but we had no opportunity of fixing more than its
exterior points, nor was any correftion made in confequence o f the
Chatham’s vifit. A t eight in the evening we were within about 3 leagues
of Woody point, bearing by compafs N . 66 w . As the general appearance
indicated very unpleafant weather, and as I was defirous of obtaining,
if poflible, a more competent knowledge of the fpace between cape
Scott and the entrance into Fitzhugh’s found, than we were able to
obtain by our inconclufive obfervations on our former vifit ; the third
reefs were taken in the topfails, and we hauled to the wind off fhore,
until the weather Ihould be more favorable to this inquiry. During the
night the gale increafed with hard fqualls and a heavy rain. The top-
fails were dole reefed, and the topgallant-yards got down. A t eight
the next morning we again flood in for the land, and at eleven it was
feen at no great diftance; but we were not able to direft our courfe
along fhore until the afternoon. About eight the following morning we
were abreaft of cape Scott, which terminates in a low hummock, joined
to the main land by a narrow ifthmus, and forms, with the iflands that
lie from it n . 80 w . a clear navigable channel about 3 \ miles wide.
There are a few breakers at a fmall diftance from the cape, in a direftion
from it s. 27 e . about 7 miles. About 7 miles to the fouth-eaftward of
this cape on the exterior coaft, we paffed an opening with two fmall
iflets lying off its north point o f entrance. This appeared clear, and
promifed to afford very good fhelter. From cape Scott, forming the
weft
weft point of the iflarid 'of ‘Quadra and Vancouver ; the coaft on the
intérior fide takes a direftion n . 62 e . about 11 miles 'to the weft point
of entrance between that ifland, arid thofeof Galiano and Valdes.
The Weatherbecoming fererie and pleafant in the forenoOn, afforded
trie an opportunity o f corre&ing in fome meafure our former erroneous
delineation of the fpace between cape Scott, and the fouthern entrance
into Fitzhugh’s found, comprehending the'politions of the lèverai iflands,
iflets, rocks, and breakers, in the 1 entrance: Of, and about Queen Charlotte’s
found. On comparing this view with our former chart, it appeared,
that land had béeri placed where in reality it had no exiftence,
andvice-veifa, owing ‘to the deceptions o f the'foggy weather that prevailed
whilft we were in thisl‘neighbourhood in -auguft, 1792. It is
therefore réqüifit'e :to repeat, that 'the coaft, iflands, ‘iflets, rocks, &c.
See. between 'Deep-water bluff and- Smith’s inlet, both on the continental,
and oppofite fide o f Quèèri 'Charlotte’s'(bund ; excepting the wéftern
extremities, that on this occafldh'Wefte'in fOrrie degrée'éorredled; a ie 'to
be confidered as likely to have been erroneoufly deferibed, ‘as Well in
refpefl fo thëir pofitivfe,-'as felàtive pofitioris ; the fbrmer occafioned' by
our riot being able to 'procure àny ééleftial obfervations; the latter by
th‘e ‘thick'fOggy weather,'that cdritiririally'produced! deceptions, and’left
us rib rule'On our-former vifit, ‘for eftimatirig the diftance betwee'n one
indiftindl objeft and another.
As I Would by all mentis wifli to guard • agairift too great reliance
being placed on this particular ‘part of our furvèy, I muft beg'leave to
ftate, that I corifider myfelf ahfwerable only for . the ' certainty Of the
connëftion of the continental fliofës between the ftations ‘before mentioned,
thofe having been traced in fuch a manner, as to afeertain'that
faft-beyond all poflible difpute.
A t ’noon the obferved latitude was ‘51* g', the true longitude 231“ 58'.
In this fituation the iflands of'Galiano and Valdes bore by compafs
s. 68 e .; the fouth point of Calvert’s iflands, n . 6 w; ; a low point on
the fame ifland, n. 30 w . arid cape Scott, s.'8 w. ; diftant ‘ 23 miles.
This placed cape'Scott in latitude 56° 48'; '2 miles 'further north' than
the latitude I had before afligned to it, owing to our imperfefbbbfcr-
V ol. II. L I vations