1793- nifhed at the tafte of i t ; he gave fome to feveral of his attendants, who
. J“iy~ . feemed to be equally furprized. After dinner Mr. Whidbey returned
down this branch, accompanied by the chief and his whole party, who
every now and then' fung fongs, by no means unmelodious or unpleafing.
The party reached the entrance in the evening, where they Hopped for the
night in a fmall cove within a bay. On making figns to the Indians that
they were going to reft, all thefe immediately retired to another cOve,
at a little diftance, where they remained perfe&ly quiet; and at four
the next morning (the 30th) they accompanied them again in their
refearches up the main branch of the inlet. From hence it was about
two miles wide, and took nearly a north direftion 9 miles, to the latitude
of 540 4', longitude 231° 19', where it Was terminated by a border of
low land; whence extended a fhalloW flat from fide to fide, through
which a fmall rivulet difcharged itfelf at its eaftern corner, navigable
for canoeS only. This termination differed in fome refpedl from many
o f the others; its fhores were nót very abrupt, but were bounded on
each fide by a range of lofty mountains, which, however, were not (as had
been conftantly the cafe) connefted at the head o f the arm, but continued
feemingly in a direftion parallel to each other. The valley between
them, which was three or four miles wide, formed nearly a plain, and
was covered with tall foreft trees, moftly Of the pine tribe. This plain was
fuppofed by Mr. Whidbey to extend fome leagues, to where the diftant
mountains appeared to connect the two rangés. Our party made a late
breakfaft near the entrance o f the rivulet, where they found thé remains of
an Indian village. On their moving from thenCe, their Indian attendants
took their leave, went up the rivulet in their canoes, and were feeh no
more. Contrary winds, though the weather was now pleafant, retarded
their progrefs fo much, that by nine at night they had not reached more
than eleven miles in a direction S . 2 0 W . from the head of the inlet.
Here they flopped for the night on the weftern fhöre, clofe to a very
large water-fall, about ten feet above high water mark, that had its
fource in a lake of ffefh water which appeared to be deep, lying in a
north-weft direction.
About
About three-in the morning.of the tft of july, the party proceeded
down the weftern (hore, and foon arrived at the weftern divifion o f the
main inlet, mentioned on the'29th o f june to have been feen from point
Hopkins. This, which took a direftion s. 35 \y., was about a mile wide;
its weftern fhorebeing ftill a continuation of the continent, its eaftern
having the appearance of being an ifland, or a group of iflands; fo that
little doubt was entertained of finding a paffage by that route, inftead
o f returning by the way they had come. For this reafon Mr. Whidbey
did not hefitate to proceed down the arm, and having advanced about
five miles along the continental fhore, he came to a .point in latitude
53° 5°> longitude 231° 8- j , which he named P o i n t A s h t o n . Here
another branch extended from that they were’’ purfuing to the northward,
and, at a little diftance, appeared again to divide into two arms,
to the north and the north-weft.
By this time their provifions were nearly exhaufted;" and as there
was no certainty o f gaining a paffage to the (hip by this route, Mr.
Whidbey deemed it moft prudent'to quit the further examination of
the continental fhore, and to make the beft of his way towards the
veffels. A t point Alhton they breakfafted, and by the fhore found it
high water there 13' after the moon paffed the meridian. From this
point in a foutherly direftion were feveral rocky iflets, and two fmall
iflands. After breakfaft they made confiderable progrefs, and found the arm
take a direftion s. 30 w., 14 miles to a point on the eaft fhore. About
half way from point Afhton, they paffed on that fhore by an opening,
ftretching to the north-eaft, and communicating moft probably with one
of thofe they had paffed on the oppofite fide of the land, extending to
the weftward. From this laft ftation the channel ran nearly fouth ; and
by ten in the forenoon of the 2d of july, their former opinion was confirmed,
by their arriving at the fouth-weft extremity of the land which,
in their way up to point Hopkins, had formed their weftern, and on their
return from point Afhton, their eaftern fhore. This, which I called
P o i n t C u m m i n g , is fituated in latitude 530 i8|-', longitude 230” 58',
from hence the iflet, on which Mr. Whidbey had left u note the 23d of
V ol. II. R r june,