'793' ' We were however extremely fortunate in finding before night an excel-
September. -i . J _ . .. i " i
i__ ,__i lent port, round the point confidered at our preceding anchorage as the
extreme of the fouthern Ihore; which, after the firft lieutenant of the
Difcovery, received the name of P o in t B a k e r . This the Chatham
entered, making theneceffary fignals for us to follow; but juft as we reached
its entrance the wind fell calm, and the tide, to our great mortification,
fat us out. In this very anxious fituation, (for appearances too
ftrongly indicated the approach of much boifterous weather) we did not
remain long; for a light breeze from the N.w. fpringingup, and blowing
direftly into the port, conduced us to a fafe and fecure fituation, where,
about feven in the evening, we anchored in 16 fathoms water.
We had fcarcely furled the fails, when the wind fluffing to the s.E.,
the threatened ftorm from that quarter began to blow, and continued
with increafing violence during the whole night; wé had, however, very
providentially reached an anchorage that completely lheltered us from its
fury, and moft probably from imminent danger, if not from total deftrac-
tion. Grateful for fuch an afylum, I named it P o r t P r o t e c t io n ,
Had we not been fo happy as to have gained this place of fafety, we muft
have palled a moft perilous night, the preceding day having fhewn us
that the neighbouring fhores, on the outfide of this harbour, afforded no
bank of foundings, on which our anchors would have lodged,' nor would
the low fail to which we muft have' been reduced, have kept us to windward
of the dangers we muft neceffarily have encountered ; thefe, toge-.
ther with the darknefs of the night, and the irregularity of the tides,:
would have'rendered it almoft impoffible for us to have avoided the land not
quite two leagues to leeward of us, or the innumerable rocks lying before
it, on which the fea, brought by the wind up a channel leading from thé ,
fouth, that we had now opened, broke with great violence. Thankful,,
in the higheft degree, for fo providential and fecure a retreat from the
ftormy feafon which now appeared to have commenced, I' determined to
remain here, whilft the boats fhould profecute the examination o f the
broken region before us.
Monday9. After breakfaft on monday morning, though the s. e . gale continued
to blow very ftrong, yet as the weather was clear, accompanied by, Mr.
1 Whidbey
Whidbey and Mr. Johnftone I rowed out to point Baker, for the pur- ^ ‘ 793^
pofe o f acquiring fome information refpefting the fhores in its vicinity, <— -v— >
with which the thicknefs of the weather, on the preceding day, had prevented
our becoming acquainted.
From this ftation the inlet evidently appeared to be divided into three
branches; the firft, was that by which we had arrived; the feeond, took
a northerly direftion, through a very broken country; and the third, evidently
communicated with the Ocean; in a s. s.w. direftion.
As the continental boundary had already been confidered as traced to
point Mitchell by Mr. Johnftone,' I direftedhim to recommence his examination
at that place, which lay from this ftation e .n .e . 7 or 8 leagues
diftant; and to follow that fhore up the above mentioned • northern
branch.; Should it not be found to communicate with the ocean, he was
in that café to continue his refearches, to a certain a point on the oppo-
■ fite, fhore, lying n. 30 w. from hence, at the diftance o f eight or nine
miles; where I intended that Mr. Whidbey fhould commence his furvey of
the weftern fhore fouth ward from that point, until he fhould arrive in the
ocean, - either by the channel that appeared to communicate with it, or by .
any other, in a more northerly or wefterly direftion.
Matters having been thus arranged we returned on board; and the
next morning Mr. Whidbey in the cutter, accompanied by Lieutenant
Swaine in the launch, with a fortnight’s provifions ; and Mr. Johnftone,
attended by Mr. Barrie in our fmall cutter, fat out to execute their re-
fpeftive commifiions.
Mr. Johnftone’s excurfion was of fhort duration, for on the 11 th in the Wcdnct u ,
afternoon he returned, having continued his examination o f the fuppofed
continental fhore from the place where, hé had quitted it on his laft expedition,
and found it to take an irregular direftion from thence to a point
which, after Mr. Barrie who had accompanied him, .1 named Point
B arri e; being thé eaft point of the opening before mentioned leading to
the northward. In that fpace innumerable.rocks were found; and nearly
in the middle between the two points a large bay was feen, about 4 miles
wide at die entrance, and of about the fame extent to its bottom; in
which were two or three rocky iflets, with many rocks. The opening
3 G 2 leading