>793- longitude 228° 17'. The north-eafternmoft land before mentioned in Auguft. ° 1
— t ~ j the north-well branch, bore by compafs N. 64 w . , its remoteft part on
the oppofite Ihore, n . 80 w ., and its fouth point of entrance s. 74 w.
T o the fouth ward of this point another opening o f much apparent con-
fequence extended in a parallel direftion, and the Ihores in its neighbourhood
feemed to be greatly divided.
The weather being calm, a good opportunity was afforded to a party
of the natives from the wellern Ihore to pay us a vifit. They approached
us with little hefitation, and one amongft their number,, who bore the
character of an inferior chief, requelled our permillion to be admitted
on board. On this being granted, he gave us to underltand that he
was acquainted with moll of the traders on the coall, and faid that he
belonged to a powerful chief whofe name was O-non-nis-toy, the U-en-
Smoket, of U-en-Stikin, and pointed out his relidence to be up the north-
well branch. He delired we would fire a gun, on the report of which
this great chief would vifit us, with an abundance of falmon and fea
otter Ikins -to barter for our commodities. His requell being complied
with, he delired to know if I intended to go up the north-well branch,
and on being anfwered in the affirmative, he appeared to be much
pleafed; but on being told that we Ihould firll vifit that to the north-
eall, the intelligence feemed .not only to produce in him a great difap-
pointment, but to incur his difapprobation. He endeavoured to make-
us underhand, that in thofe regions we Ihould neither meet with chiefs,
Ikins, n o r : any thing worthy our refearch; and that the people who re-
fided in that quarter were great thieves, and very bad men.
Not being more than a dozen miles 1 at this time from Efcape point,
the greatell attention was paid to the countenances and deportment of
thefe llrangers, ufing our endeavours to recognize: in them any o f the
treacherous tribe by whom we had -fo recently been attacked; but as we
did not difeover a face that we had ever feen before,' we were led to believe
there might be fome truth in the charatler now given of thofe re-
fident up. the north-eall branch. I had,. however, long been convinced,
that, confiftently with prudence, little reliance. ought to be placed in
fitch reprefentations; for had o.ur reception by thofe people been the
very
very oppofite o f what we had experienced, this man's report would 1793-
molt probably have been the fame, as he was not of their fociety. All ■ .
the tribes of Indians we had lately met, had ufed every endeavour and
artifice to tempt us to their habitations, but their motives for fuch pref-
fing felicitations we were not able to .difeover.
About two o’clock a breeze fprang up from the fouth-well, with which
our courfe was fo directed as to pafs to the north-eall of cape Caamano,
along the wellern Ihore o f the north-eaftern branch; which when our vi-
fitors perceived, they declined attending us any.further,-, and as the chief
on his coming on board had given me the Ikin of a fea otter recently killed,
I made him an ample return, and added a piece o f blue cloth, which
I delired he would prefent in my name to his chief Ononnijtoy. This he
undertook to perform with much apparent pleafure, and on my promifing
to vifit their neighbourhood, he took leave of us, feemingly well fatis-
fied with his reception.
On this occafion I was much difpofed to proceed up the north-
well branch, until we Ihould meet a convenient Hopping place for the
velfels; but as thefe was yet a probability that the unexplored openings
on the wellern Ihore might communicate with that branch, or poffibly
with the ocean further to the north, I was induced to feek an anchorage
nearly midway between the points in quellion. For this purpofe the
Chatham was Tent a-head, and in the. evening Ihe made the fignal for
having difeovered an eligible port on the wellern Ihore, in which Ihe
lhortly anchored; but the wind failing us, we were compelled to anchor
at eight in the evening on the outfide in 54 fathoms water, and lleadied
as before with a hawfer to the trees; having in our way, about 2 leagues
to the north of cape Caamano, palled a tolerably deep bay, with fome
iflands in it, which I did- not confider fufficiently centricaf for our
purpofe.
The port was found to be formed by a fmall, though very convenient Thurfdayzz:
bay, with feveral illets lying before it, which fecured it from the wind in
all direftions; and being fituated and circumllanced much to my wilhes,
we ran in and moored in 16 fathoms water,.-fandy. bottom, about a cable’s1
length.from the wellern Ihore. . The fouth point of the port, bore
. by