,s . 6o e ., near two miles. OIF point Edmund lie feveral rocky iflets;
with one on the oppoFite fhore, a little within point Walker; but the
channel is fair to navigate.
We had a frefh foutherly gale in our favor, but the cloudinefs of the
weather prevented my obtaining an obfervation for the latitude. For
this purpofe, though we did not fucceed, we landed on fome rocks near
the weftern Ihore; here we were vifited by a few of the natives, who were
at firft fomewhat lhy, but the diftribution of a few trinkets amongft
them foon gained their confidence and friendlhip. Thefe people appeared
to be of a different race from thofe we had feen to the fouth-
ward, ufed a different language, and were totally unacquainted with that
fpoken by the inhabitants o f Nootka. The ftature of the few here feen,
(not exceeding twenty) was much more flout and robufl than that of the
Indians further fouth. The prominence of their countenances, and the
regularity of their features, refembled the northern Europeans ; their
faces were generally broad, with high cheek bones ; and had it not been
for the filth, oil, and paint, with which, from their earlieft infancy,
they are befmeared from head to foot, there is great reafon to believe
that their colour would have differed but little from fuch of the labouring
Europeans, as are conflantly expofed to the inclemency and alterations
o f the weather. From thefe rocks we fleered over to the oppofite fhore,
the canal being from a mile to half a league wide. The eaftern, almofl
a compaft fhore, lies in a north direftion, to the fouth point o f a fmall
opening, in latitude 52° 6f-'; this extended e . by n . four miles, and terminated
as is ufual with the generality of thefe branches. Its north
point of entrance lies from its fouth point n. 14 e., diftant two miles.
Before its entrance are two fmall iflands, and towards its northern fhore
are fome rocks. This opening formed a good harbour, and was by me
named P ort John. From the north point the eafterneoaft ftill continued
nearly in its former direftion for two miles and an half, and then took a
more eaftwardly bend. The country we had paffed along, fince we had
entered Fifher’s canal, might, on the weftern fide, be eonfidered of a
moderate height; its furface, compofed principally of rocks, was uneven,
-and full o f chafms, where a foil, formed by the decay of vegetables, produced
duced fome different forts of pine trees of {lender growth, the maple, ‘ 793-
birch, fmall-fruited crab, and a variety of fhrubs, and berry bulhes. t_ X X
The eaftern fhore rofe more abruptly, and was bounded behind by very
lofty rugged mountains, covered with fnow.
As we proceeded along the eaftern fhore, we paffed, and left for future
examination, an opening on the oppofite fhore, that took a n .n .w .
direftion, and was of fuch confiderable extent, as to make me doubtful
whether it might not be the main branch of the inlet. Agreeably however
to my former praftice, we kept the ftarboard fhore on board, as the
moft pofitive means of afcertaining the continental boundary; and as we
advanced, the land to the north-eaft o f the above opening, forming the
north-weft fide of the canal, rofe to an equal if not a fuperior height
to that on the fouth-eaft fide.
The evening was very rough, rainy, and unpleafant, and what contributed
to render our fituatjon more uncomfortable, was the fteep precipices,
that conftituted.the ftiores, not admitting us to land until near
midnight; when with difficulty we found room for erefting. our tents,
that had been conftrufted on a fmall fcale for the convenience o f this
fervice.
During the night we had a very heavy fall o f rain; and at day-light the 3‘-
next morning our lodging was difcovered to have been in a morafs,
and moft o f our things were very wet. In this very unpleafant abode
we were detained by the weather until eight o’clock, when, although the
rain continued, the haze cleared fufficiently to allow of our proceeding
northward to a point on the oppofite fhore, fituated in latitude 52014J',
longitude 2320 12J '; where the channel divided into two branches, one
leading to the n . n . e ., the other n . 63 e . The latter, for the reafons
before given, became the objeft o f our purfuit. From Mr. Johnftone’s
fketch the preceding year, and from the direftion this branch was now
feen to take, we had fome reafon to fuppofe the eaftern land was an
tfiand. Towards noon the weather enabled me to get an indifferent obfervation
for the latitude, which fhewed 52° 19'. The inlet now extending
to the north-eaftward was generally about a mile wide, the fhores
fteep, rocky, and compaft, if a fmall opening, or fheltered bay, on the
fouth