•793- was ^a° 44', longitude 228° so'. In this fituation, the north fide o f Dun-
Augult. ” 0
1 das’s ifland bore, by eompafs, from N. 80 e . to s. 82 e . ; the ifland of
Zayas s.5 5 e . to s. 73.E.;, diftant 3 or 4 leagues:;' the fbuthernmoft of
the rocks, lying off cape Northumberland N. 89 w „ three miles and a half;
(this is a round lump of barren rock, very fmall, always above water, and
which has fame breakers lying at a little diftance off its fouth-eaft fide ;)
and the fouth-eafternmoft of thofe rocks n. 22 w . . This.laft: lies from the
fouth rock n . 43 e . , diftant four miles and a- half, and is;a lo,w, flat, .dovn.
ble rock, always above water, but has much, broken ground in its.
neighbourhood....
In the afternoon we palled .the fouth-wefternmbft of the above rocks.
Thefe latter are two fmall rocks, above water, with much broken ground
to the north and north-caff of them, and in a direct line towards the
fouth-eafternmoft rocks; they-bear by eompafs, from the fouth rock,
n . 44 w ., five miles and a half diftant. Between thefe and the. eaftern
fliore lie many dangerous rocks and breakers ; but as we pafled the fouth
rock, I did not obferve any danger to the north o f it, between it and
die other rocks; where the channel, to all appearance, feemed to be as
free from impediments, as that which we were purfuing towards the wef-
tern fhore of Sen'- Caamano’s fuppofed ftraits of De Font. .Having at
this time a frefh gale from the s.w., with a very threatening unpleafant
appearance of weather, which however gave us no other annoyance than
a little rain, we were enabled to make great progrefs,, and pafled a fmall
opening that, fo r a fhort diftance, took a fouth-wefterly direftion. Its
entrance is fituated in latitude 54° 58^', longitude 228° 22'; from whence,
about a league N. by w ., an extenfive found was pafled, taking a fouth-
wefterly dire&ion, and appearing to be divided into feveral branches, with
fome iflands lying before its entrance. From this found, which I have
diftinguifhed as M o-i r a ’s S o u n d , after the noble earl of that title, the
weftern fhore takes a direction nearly north, and forms fome bays ; the
largeft of thefe, fituated in latitude 55? 8', has, in and before it, feveral
fmall iflets; the outermoft is by far the largeft; and as it, in many points
o f view, refembled a wedge, it obtained the name of W e d g e I s l a n d ;
from.
from its fouth point lies a- ledge o f dangerous rocks, on which the fea
broke with great violence.
-The land in the neighbourhood of Moira’s found .is- high, and rather
fteep to the fea ; but as we advanced beyond Wedge ifland, the ftraight
and compaft fhores were more moderately elevated, and the interior
country was compofed of lofty, though uneven, mountains, producing
an almoft impenetrable foreft o f pine trees, from the water fide nearly to
their fummits ; but by. no means fo high as thofe we had been accuftomed-
to fee in the more inland countries. About eight in the evening, ftill continuing
along the weftern fhore, we arrived off a projecting point, fituated
in latitude 550 16F', longitude 228° 18', where, gaining foundings at
the depth of 47 fathoms, we anchored for the night about a quarter of a
mile from the fliore.
The winds were light and. variable the next morning, but having a- ■
flood - tide in our favor we again proceeded, and foon afterwards we
pafled the entrance of another found, which in. extending to the fouth-
ward divided into feveral branches;- this I called C h o l MONd e l e y ’s-
S o u n d . A fmall ifland lies to the north-weft of its entrance, the eaft
point of which lies N. 75 w., two miles and a half from the point, under
which we had laft anchored. Noon brought us by our obfervations to
the latitude of .55° 22', longitude 228° 21'. In this fituation we had a
more diftinft view of the two great branches of this arm of the fea, than
we had as yet obtained. That leading to the north-eaft, being the fame
we had pafled through in the boats, we were in fome meafure acquainted,
with, but the other ftretching to the north.weft, appeared o f greater extent,
and feemed to be the main branch o f the inlet.
On reference to Sen1'- Caamano’s chart, a very diftant land on its
north-eaftern fhore appeared to be that to which he had given his own
name. We were now much higher up the inlet than that gentleman had
been, and as' the land in that neighbourhood did not appear to form any
confpicuous point, and as I wifhed to commemorate his refearches, I
gave, his- name to the point that divided the two branches, calling it.
C a p e C a a m a -n o , which, in our then fituation, bore by eompafs.
n . 50 w. four or five miles diftant, and is fituated in latitude 550 29',.
longitude
3S l
>793- Auguft.