)lfy‘ f°r the night, which, as well as the day, .was very rainy and
— unpleafant.
Although the rain dill continued, the party again proceeded at four
the next morning along the continental fhore, N. 31 w.„ ten miles, to
the fouth point of' a bay, about a mile wide,, and two miles deep, in a
north-call direction, with many illets and feveral funken rocks about it.
Here they, were detained by thick foggy weather until near noon,
when it cleared; up, and, permitted Mr. Whidbey to obferve the latitude
of the above point to be 53? 53', its longitude 230; 12'y. Having examined
the bay, they proceeded, and. found the eall fhore to take a rounding
direfilion wederly to a. cove, lying from the above bay N.23W:., dif-
tant about nine mijes,. Here they relied for the night, which, like the
former, was very wyt and uncomfortable.
In their way hither the continental Ihore was. found to. be lined with
innumerable rocky illets. and rocks, above, and below the furface of the
fea ; nor was the middle- of the. channel free from thefe obllructions,
where was alfo a duller of idands;- and behind them, an-extenlive .opening
on the opgodte.fhore ran. to the S..S.AK,, appearing, to divide the
land. To . the north-well o f that opening the fbuth-wed Ihore Hill
continued, N» 35;.vt., from, whence the. main. arm increafed, its width
to near half a league, and formed- a; channel., leading, to. the north-
wellward, writh land lying between it and the, continental Ihorei
This Iaft now took a direflion N. 5 w „ and? formed a channel with the
ealtern Ihore of the above intermediate- land, from 2 to 3 miles wide.
The fouth point, o f this, land bore from hence, n . 6g wt., didant 3
miles. In the. morning, of.the 9th they bent.their way up, this.channel,
palling along the continent, and found the fhores. compofed o f deep
rocky, cliffs, difficult to land upon, though, hut moderately elevated;
their lower parts being well wooded, but towards.their fummits rugged
and barren; herea(fo they met with immenfe numbers of fea otters, playing.
about the. boats, which were-frequently, fired at, but, without effefl.
Soo.n after.they had left-the. cove they found themlelves oppoled by
a,very rapid dream, agsund which the boats could, fcarqely make any
way.; it .was .remarked, that no. part, of; this dream- leemed to enter the,
palfage
paffage which the boats had purfued, but was wholly direfled towards the
above s. s.w. opening, that appeared to divide the fóuth-wedern Ihore,
and left little doubt of that paffage communicating with the ocean, as
the current was evidently the ebb tide.
Having advanced feven miles along the main land in the above direction,
they arrived at a point from which the intermediate land before mentioned
was clearly perceived to be a high idand, about fevèn miles long; its
north point ly ing w. 77 w. at the didance of three miles and a half. This
formed the fouth-wed point of a paffage communicating with a very ex-
tenfive found, in which were feveral idands'; between thefe the open
fea was fuppofed to be feen, as the horizon appeared unbounded beyond
thofe idands. From this point alfo, the éad point o f that paffage bore
n . 64 w . i-i miles didant. This proved to be the fouth point o f a
high idand, where the party met with a Hood tide, and found thé
continental Ihore continue in the fame direftion about a league, when
they fuddenly came into four feet water; and found themfelVes at thé
entrance of a branch leading to the north-ead, about 2 miles wide. To
gain a greater depth of water, they hauled over to its northern Ihore,
paffing many dead trees that were lodged on the bank, where no more
than three to fix feet water were found, until within half a mile of
thé northern Ihore, when the water fuddenly deepened to 7 fathoms.
This bank joins on to the fouth point o f entrance into this branch, to
which I gave the name of P o i n t L a m b e r t , after commiffioner Lambert
o f the n av y; it is dtuated in latitude 54° io£', longitude 230° 6±'.
From it the ffioal forms a rounding fpit, and terminates on the fouthern
fhore, about two miles within the point. They now proceeded in the
diïëftión o f the branch n . 30 e ., with foundings from 10 to 7 fathoms,
for about 7 miles, when they came abread o f feme idands on the northern
fhore, lying before the entrance o f a narrow opening which tdok a fouth-
ead direflion. Having paffed this, they continued in mid-channel about
2 miles further, when they came into 2 fathoms water. Here Mr.
Whidbey remained till high water, which was i h 45' after the moon
paffed the meridian, and then difpatched Mr. Barrie to the northern
S f 2 fhore,