A 35° V O Y A G E O F D I S C O V E R Y
A1u7g9u3f- t. cas de Ouadra. The fouth point o f its entrance in the .chart is, how-
'— v— • ever, placed m 550 11', which is io° further north than it appeared to
be by our obfervations.
An extenfive opening, dividing the weftern land between n. 6o w .,
and n . 46 w ., was evidently a continuation of the Canal de Revilla Gi-
gedo, and its fouthern fide, the Ifland de Gravina. The width o f this
canal at Foggy point is about four miles, and abreaft of this ifland not
quite a league; though, in the Spanilh chart, it is laid down at the
width of eight or nine miles, from the entrance to this ftation. The land
in the Canal de Revilla Gigedo was too diftant to admit of our afcertain-
ing the fituation o f any o f its particular points, excepting that above
mentioned, lying n. 46% w ., five miles from this ifland ; it is very con-
fpicuous, and forms the weft part of an extenfive branch, taking apparently
a northern courfe along the Ihores-of the continent. T o this
point I gave the name o f P oint A l a v a , in compliment to the Spanilh
governor at Nootka.
The oppofite, or weftern fhore, particularly to the fouth o f the Canal
de Revilla Gigedo, feemed to be much broken. The Ihores in molt
dire&ions were low, or of a moderate height; but the more interior
country was compofed of mountains covered with fnow, not only in the
eaftern qdarter, but to the northward and weftward.
The iflet, on which we had dined, feemed to be formed o f different
■ materials from thofe we had been accuftomed to v ifit; it being one intire
quarry of Hate. In walking round and acrofs it, through the trees,
we found no other fort o f ftone. Slate had been frequently feen forming
a kind of beach, or in thin ftrata, lying between the rocks; but;
till now, we had never met with this fubftance in fuch a prodigious
mafs. This iflef, which obtained the name of S l a t e I s le t , we quitted,
leaving the Canal de Revilla Gigedo to the weftward o f us, and direfling
our inquiries along the continental fhore, to a point that lies from Slate
iflet n . 10 w. four miles. This, after one o f the gentlemen of the Difco-
very, I named Point Syk-es. From thence, the continental fhore,which
is a little indented and has a few fmall iflets and rocks lying near it, takes
a direflion about n. 37 e. to a point, which, after Captain Nelfon o f the
3 , navy,
R O U N D T H E W O R L D .
navy, I named Point Nelson, fituated in latitude 5 5 ° ’15', longitude 1793.
229° and which we reached the next morning by half paft fix. The . Augult~_,
inlet up which we had thus navigated, was from 2 to 4 miles wide. From Thurrday 8-
this point it feemed to be divided into three branches; one leading to the"
north-weft; another to the north, in the center o f which, 4 or 5 leagues
diftant, was a rock much refembling a veffel Under fail, lying n . 7 w.,
and feemingly detached from the Ihores; and the third took-an eaft-
erly direflion along the continuation o f the continent. The laft occupied
our attention, and employed the whole day, which was very
rainy and unpleafant. It was found to be about three quarters of a mile
wide, irregularly extending n; 80 e. for 2 leagues,, and then towards the
north-eaft for 4 miles further, where it terminated in the ufual manner,
in latitude 55° 18^', longitude 229° 29A'; having a bay or cove on its
eaftern fhore, which, in an e. s. e. direflion, approached within about
two miles of the northern part of Bocas de Quadra.
The furrounding country confifted o f a huge mafs o f fteep, barren,
rocky mountains, deftitute o f foil; whole fummits were perpetually co-
vered'with fnow. Excepting at the head o f the arm where the land
was low, thefe mountains rofe in nearly perpendicular cliffs from the
water’s edge, producing only a few fcattered dwarf trees.
Not far from the fpot on which we had dined, and near the ruins of a
few temporary huts of the natives, we found a box about three feet
fquare, and a foot and a half deep, in which were the remains o f a human
fkdeton, which appeared, from the confufed fituation of the bones,
either to have been cut to pieces, or thruft with great violence into this
fmall fpace. One or two other coffins, fimilar to this, had been feen in
the excurfions o f the boats this feafon ; but as we had met with fo few
of this defcription, I was inclined to fuppofe that this mode of depo-
fiting their dead is praftifed only in refpect to certain perfons of their
fociety, fince if it had been the general ufage, we fhould in all probability
have more frequently noticed them.
By the evening we reached the mam inlet again, where, on a point
which I named P oint T rol lop , in a direflion from point Nelfon
N. 20 W.