* Now Lord
Liverpool.
june, was feen lying nearly eaft, at the diftance of about nine miles. Thus,
his conjectures were proved to have been well founded, and that die
intervening land compofed an extenfive ifland about thirty-three miles:
in length, and from three to eleven miles in'breadth.
This ifland, after that noble and indefatigable promoter o f the Britilh
commerce, Lord Hawkelbury,* I named H a w k e s b w y ’ s I s l a n d ,
From point Gumming the party returned to the fhips as already related.
CH A P T E R
C H A P T E R IV.
Mr. Whidbey again dijpatched with, two boats — Anchor tiear the ifle de
G il—Account o j Mr. Whidbey''s excurfion— Quit Fißiermarss cove— Paß
between Banks’s ifland and P itt’s archipelago into the ocean — Enter
Chatham’s found— Meet three Englifli vejfels—Arrive in Obfervatory inlet
— Anchor in Salmon bay— Boats again difpatched on the furvey.
O u R diftance from the place where Mr.Whidbey had quitted the examination
of the continental Ihore being at leaft 15 leagues, and the probability
there was, that the branches he had left unexamined, on the
weftern fhore, were only fmall arms, induced me not to proceed in the
veflels fo far, in fuch a tedious and difagreeable navigation, but to take
a fituation fomewhere in the neigbourhood of the north-weft part o f
Mr. Johnftone’s refearches; where the veflels would be conveniently
Rationed for proceeding in the inland navigation, fhould this be found
advifeable, or for purfuing the route Mr. Johnftone had explored leading
towards the ocean.
With a favorable breeze we fleered to the weftward, but we had no foon-
er entered the channel by which the boats had returned, which was about
half a league in width, and communicated with Nepean’s found, than the
favorable breeze died away, and it was fucceeded by light baffling winds
in the contrary direftion. As we at firft advanced in this channel, foundings
were gained from 40 to 45 fathoms, at the diftance of near two
cables’ length on each fide ; but, the ebb-tide being in our favor, and we
being alfo in hopes of finding foundings as we proceeded, I was not
induced to anchor until the flood Ihould return ; at which time, the
R r 2 wind