C H A P T E R III.
The veffels proceed— Pafs through Milhank’s found, and along the continentalJhore—
Arrive in a fm all cove— Two boat parties difpatched on the
furvey— One returns— Account o f their difcoveries— The veffels again
proceed— Tedious navigation— The other boat party returns— Their
report.
Jum. N o time was to be loft in proceeding to the ftation where Mr.
' v Johnftone had quitted the examination of the continental Ihore. For
Tuefday 18. this purpofe, about nine in the morning of tuefday the 18th, it being
calm, all our boats were employed in towing us round the weft point of
this opening, which, though not more than a mile from our anchorage,
was not effeCled until one o’clock in the afternoon. By eleven at night
we had advanced only 2 leagues further to the fouth-weft, where we anchored.
Our fituation was nearly a mile to the north-eaft o f the fouth
point o f the iiland, forming the weft fide o f the opening we had quitted,
and from which Mr. Swaine had feen the ocean. This channel is a more
northerly one than that by which Mr. Johnftone had returned.
Wednef. 19. The next morning either a brig or a fchooner was feen Handing to-
• wards the fea, in a paflage to the fouthward o f our then ftation, but was
foon out of fight, owing to the many intervening iflands between us and
the ocean. In our way thither were fome iflands and rocks; Mr. Johnftone
had pafled to the fouth of thefe, but as our neareft way was to the
north of them, I went with the boats to take a Ihort furvey o f the channel
before us, and obtained fome neceffary angles for fixing its feveral
parts, leaving directions for the veffels to follow in my abfence. Although
though I faw many rocks and breakers in this channel, they were all
fufficiently confpicuous to be avoided in fair weather, fo that I had no
hefitation in proceeding with the veffels, although the channel was extremely
intricate; and having got a good obfervation for the latitude at
noon, I returned on board. On my arrival I found, that in near four
hours the Difcovery had gained only half a mile, and was beginning to
lofe even that advantage. This compelled us to anchor between the
above fouth point of the ifland, and a fmall round ifland, at a little dif-
tance from the eaft point of which lie an iflet and a funken rock. The
depth of water was 35 fathoms, foft bottom. The fouth point o f the
ifland, fituated in latitude 52° 17 j', longitude 231° 53', bore by eompafs
n. w. a fourth of a mile diftant; the paflage leading out to fea, s. 53 w.,
and the fmall round ifland, s. s. e ., at the diftance of a cable and an
half. The weather was clear and pleafant, but as we had a freth breeze
from the s.w., we remained at anchor until eleven at night; when the
wind ceafing, and the ebb tide making in our favor, with the afliftance
of our boats we made fome progrefs towards the north-weft extreme of a
clufter -of iflands, lying off the north-weft point of a fpacious found, extending
to the s. s . e . amongft the iflands that lie before the continent.
This extremity is not more than 2 miles s. 68 w . from our laft anchorage;
yet it was not until after day-light the next morning, that we
pafled between it and a clufter of low barren rocks, that lie from it
s. 74 w . at the diftance of a mile.
About half a league within thefe rocks, in a wefterly direction, nearly
reaching to the continental fhore, are two rocky iflets covered with wood;
about them are fome funken rocks, and another clufter of low barren
rocks, between the rocky iflets and the rocks firft mentioned; in
whofe neighbourhood are feveral funken rocks, fo that the fafeft paflage
is that we had pafled through, in which there are fome detached rocks
near the fhores of the clufter of fmall iflands; thefe however extend but
a little diftance; and in all other refpeCts, fo far as appeared to us, the
paflage was tolerably free from danger. Having got through this paf-
fage, we were faVored with a light north-eafterly breeze, with which we
flood to the weftward in a channel about 2. miles wide, that led into the
V o l . II. Pp
Thurfdayao.
arm