»793- word -Exam we underftood to, fignify great, or, powerful; as, Ewen
—,_j Smoket, a great chief; but the word Nafs was completely unknown to
Mr. Brown, and all o f his party.
The divided country we had now examined, from the 47th degree of
north latitude to this Ration, and the information derived from Mr.
Brown, rendered it highly probable that the continental Ihore Hill continued
to have extenfive iflands. lying between it and the ocean, to a
very confiderable diftance further north.
The length of time which, as Mr. Brown underftood, occupied thefe
people in making fo diftant a journey, may be accounted for by their
tardy mode of travelling through, each others dominions, or in palling
through the various windings and crooked lhallow channels, many of.
which, though fufficient for their canpes, were very probably unfit for
the navigation of {hipping. I have ever found it extremely hard, al-
raoft impoffible, indeed, to make the.inhabitants o f thefe remote parts,
and even the Sandwich iflanders with whofe language w.e, are much-better
acquainted, comprehend the kind of paflage that is required for Ihips
to pafs through, or the kind of port or opening in the land that is capable
of affording, them fafe and convenient Iheker. In addition to which
difficulty felfilh or Snifter views too frequently .regulate them, in .the information
they communicate. Be this as it may, it was. our bufinefs
now to determine the queftion, and embracing the favorable opportunity
o f a fair wind, we fleered up the inlet, and.,-werejoinedby Mr.
Whidbey in the cutter, who had traced the continental, Ihore to point
Malkelyne; where, on its becoming broken, he.had defifted from any
further examination until a future opportunity.
From point Malkelyne,. the two clufters o f low rocks and breakers
before noticed, fie, .the northernmoft s. 28 w . eight miles, and thefouth-
ernmoft s. 33 w., diftant ten miles and a half; thefe,- in the day time,
and in clear weather, are ealily avoided, as there are always fome ,of them
above the furface. o f the water; but in dark nights,, or foggy, weather;
they mull render the navigation, of the found .very-dangerous. After
palling between the northern duller o f thefe rocks, and the, .continental
Ihore, with which they form ,.a channel about a mile in width, we had
2 about
about that diftance from the main land, foundings at the depth of 45,55, ‘ 793»
go, lg , 12, and 8 fathoms, foft bottom; the latter about half a mile t— y— >
from point Malkelyne. No bottom was however gained, after palling
that point, with 60 and 70 fathoms of line, until ten at night, when the
Prince lee Boo having reached the contracted part o f the inlet, made
the fignal for having foundings and anchorage. We arrived at this ftation
about eleven, and anchored in 35 fathoms water, foft bottom,
after palfing two openings on the eaftern Ihore, befides that immediately
round point Malkelyne, where Mr. Brown had had his difpute with the
natiVeSl'<'-b"e..;v.s',;;..r,r r; ;:' ..... yladil '.o.noc j| j
We found our Ration the next morning to |>e off the north-weft part Monday 21,
of an ifland lying near the eaftern Ihore, and further up the inlet than
thofe in the Hoop had yet been; no information from them could therefore
be any longer of ufe, though a continuation of their fervices would
have been very acceptable. This made me regret, that we had not one
or two veflels o f thirty or forty tons burthen, calculated as .well for
rowing as for failing, to alfift us in this intricate inveftigation, by which
means much difpatch would have been given to our Purvey, and our
labours would have been parried on with much lefs danger and hardlhip
than we had conftantly endured.
I intended to proceed up this inlet, until I Ihould fee fufficient employment
for two boat parties, which I was convinced the furrounding
region would fioon afford; .as alfo to Peek a convenient fituation
where the veflels might remain; and whilft this fervice was executing, to
embrace the opportunity for making fuch aftronomical obfervations as
might be procured, and which were become necefiary for correcting our
Purvey, and afcertaining with precifion the fituation of the feveral parts
o f the broken region, through which we had palled in the veflels and in
the boats from Reiteration cove to this inlet. Purfuant to this determination
we weighed about feven in the morning, and the Prince le Boo
returned .to the Butterworth'.
At our anchorage, lying from point Malkelyne N. 24 .£., diftant 6
miles, the width of the inlet was fcarcely half a league. On the weitem
Ihore a final 1 opening appeared to branch off in different directions.
V o r . H U u North'