»793-
Auguft. About noon I landed in a., fmall ifland lying to. die fonth from cape
Northumberland, where I obferved. the latitude U> be 54“ 51-5-', longitude
228° 55^ ; from this ifland, which is tolerably high, I gained a very
diftinfl: view o f the furrounding rocks and breakers in all direftions ; the
outermoft of thefe towards the north-weft lies n. 57 w . three miles and a
half diftant, thole towards the louth-weft, S.67W. four miles and a half;
the fouthernmoft, which were the furtheft off, fouth fix miles and a half;
and the fouth-eafternmoft S..50E. five miles diftant. The intermediate
fpaces were occupied by an immenfe number of rocks and breakers.
From hence alfo the weft point of entrance into this arm of the fea,
called by Sen*- Caamano cape de Chacon, lies s. 67 w. 8 or g leagues,
and cape Fox, e . by s. 5 leagues diftant. About a mile to the north-
eaftward of us, on a high detached rock, were the remains o f a large
village, much more expofed to the inclemency o f the weather than any
refidence of the natives I had before feen. Here was found a fepulchre
o f a peculiar charafler. It was a kind of vault,: formed partly by the
natural cavity o f the rocks, and partly by the rude artifts of the country.
It was lined with boards, and contained fome fragments o f warlike implements,
lying near a fquare box covered with mats and very curioufly
corded down. This we naturally conje&ured contained the remains of
fome perfon of conlequence, and it much excited the curiofity of fome of
our party; but as the further examination could not poffibly have ferved
any ufeful purpofe, and might have given umbrage and pain to the
friends of the deceafed, Ihould it be their cuftom to vifit the repofitarie*
o f their dead, I did not think it right that it Ihould be difturbed. Not
from motives of fuperftition as fome were then pleafed to fuppofe, but
from a conviftion, that it was highly proper to reftrain our curiofity,
when it tended to no good purpofe whatever.
Our courfe was dire&ed from hence acrofs the fouth-eaft entrance
of the Canal de Revilla Gigedo, with a favorable gale, though we were
not more fortunate in being able to fee round us, than when we pafled
the fame region on the 4 th ; for immediately after noon the weather became
extremely thick and hazy, with intervals of fo g ; and, towards
the evening, a very heavy fwell rolled from the s,w,, and broke upon
the
the Ihores with great violence, and with every other appearance of an ap- A‘ 793^
preaching ftorm. Before dark, however, we reached the cove that had t —_/
afforded us Ihelter under fimilar circumftances on the evening of the 3d ;
here we relied for the night, which was more temperate than we had
reafon to expect, and early on the following morning we again bent our Thurfdayis.
way towards the veflels.
In the forenoon we reached that arm o f the fea, whole examination
had occupied, our time from the 27th of the preceding to the 2d. of
this month. The idiftance from its entrance to its fource is about 70
miles ; which, in honor o f the noble family of Bentinck, I named Po r t -
l a n d ’s C a n a l .
Our provifions being now fo nearly exhaufted, that we each dined
this day on half a pint of peas, we were under the necelfity o f keeping on
our oars, or under fail, all night ; and about feven in the morning we Friday 16.
arrived on board, much to the fatisfaffion o f all parties, as we had now
been almoft intirely confined to the boats for twenty-three days ; in which
time we had traverfed upwards of 700 geographical miles, without
having advanced our primary objeft, of tracing the continental boundary,
more than 20 leagues from the ftation of the veflels. Such were
the perplexing, tedious, and laborious means, by which alone we were
enabled by degrees to trace the north-weftern «limits of the American
continent.
Our return was attended with much relief to the feelings of thofe on
board, who had begun to fuffer the greateft anxiety for our welfare ; all
o f whom I had the fatisfaftion o f finding perfeftly well, and alfo that the
feveral requifite fervices were completed, and that the weather had been
fufficiently clear to admit o f fuch aftronomical obfervations being procured
as were fatisfaftory for all our purpofes.
B y the timely afliftance, and the great care that had been taken of
the two wounded men, who were each valuable in their refpeftive Hâtions,
they were both in a fair way of recovery ; and as we had no object
to detain us longer in this fituation, I gave direftions that every
thing Ihould be taken from the fhore, and the veflels got in readinefs to
proceed down the inlet in the morning.
3 B 2 Mr.