Our fituation at this junfture required fome attention. The time was
expired for which our provifions had been fupplied, and we were now
one hundred and twenty miles from the fhips by the neareft route we
could purfue. It was extremely mortifying to refleft, that after all our
exertions, no one point had been gained to facilitate the progrefs o f the
velfels; as the way by which we had advanced thus far was infinitely too
intricate for them; and if the want o f provifions Ihould how oblige us to
return before we could determine the extent o f this fpacious inlet, which
ftill continued to be between 2 and 3 miles wide, our labours would become
irieffeHual, becaufe it would be neceffary that the fame fpace Ihould
be traverfed again, to accomplilh what we might be compelled to leave
unfinilhed.
Under thefe confiderations, and well knowing from experience, that
all the fmall branches leading to the eaftward either terminate at the
foot of the lofty range of rugged mountains, or elfe form into iflands parts
o f the Ihores of thefe inlets; I determined to decline their further examination,
and to proceed in the main channel to afcertain the truth of
the information derived from the natives, or to difcover fome eligible
paffage, by which the velfels might advance towards the extent of our
prefent refearches. Our profpeft of fucceeding in this particular was
not very flattering. We loft no time however in making the belt of our
w a y ; and from the entrance o f this arm, which is fituated in latitude
55° 41', longitude 229° 16', as we advanced up the main inlet, the general
opinion feemed to fupport the account of the natives; and that the
evening would certainly bring us to its final termination. The water was
o f a very light colour, not very fait, and the interior country of the
weftern Ihore rofe to rugged mountains, little inferior in height to thofe
on the eaftern fide ; which we knew to be a continuation o f the continent,
now taking a direftion n. 35 w. In the forenoon we pafled a
fmall duller o f rocks and iflets a mile in extent, lying in the line of the
eaftern fhore, at the diftance of about half a mile from it. The latitude
at noon I obferved to be 55° 44'; and foon afterwards we pafled a fmall
opening, that appeared to form a bay half a mile wide, and about a
mile deep, in a narth-eaft diredion. As we purfued our route in the
afternoon,
afternoon, the Ihores, which were no where more than two miles afun- A> 793^
der, took a more wefterly direction, affording fome fmall bays and ■ »
coves.
The weather being calm and pleafant, we made a tolerable progrefs
until late in the evening, when we arrived at a point in latitude 550 56',
longitude 228° 54T'; and although the night was too far advanced to
fee diftinftly about us, yet we had no doubt o f our having reached the
confluence o f this inlet with two other branches, lying nearly at right
angles to it. A frefh breeze blew up the branch leading to the fouth-weft
till after dark; this I confidered as the fea breeze, indicating our vicinity
to the exterior coaft; or poflibly,. our approach to wider channels leading
more immediately towards the ocean. The whitenels and frefhnefs of the
water, with other circumftances common to our general obfervation,
prefented themfelves however in oppofition to this opinion; and gave
us fome reafon to believe, that we Ihould be obliged to return by the
fame track we had come. Such was the uncertainty with which, in general,
all our - conjefture.s were attended, from the various appearances
that occurred in exploring this country.
I felt much regret that I had left unexamined the fmall branch we
had feen in the morning, and the bay we had pafled in the courfe o f the
afternoon; as thefe refearches would have completely afcertained the
continental fhore to this point, which I diftinguifhed by the name of
.pbint F it z -g ib bon . I determined however to purfue the branch that
now appeared to the north-eaft, and feemed o f fome extent; as, fhould
this be found to terminate, there would be little reafon to fuppofe, even
if we had been able to examine them, that the others would have led
to any thing of importance.
The next morning we accordingly proceeded; the north-eaft branch Sunday u .
was found in general to be about a mile wide; and keeping on its fouthern
fhore, which is much indented with fmall bays; at half paft fix we arrived
at its termination in latitude 56° i|-', longitude 229° 1', by low
land ; through which two or three fmall rivulets appeared to flow over
a bank of mud, ftretching from the head of the arm, and reaching from
fide to fide, on which was lodged a confiderable quantity of drift wood.
Z z 2 - The