422
*793-
September.
A V O Y A G E O F D I S C O V E R Y
acrofs its navigable extent; beyond which it terminates in fmall (hallow'
coves. The foundings are rather irregular, from 30 to 50 fathoms; ’ and’
where we anchored near a projefting rocky point, which at high water
became an iflet, the bottom, although the lead generally brought up mud,;
was hard, and probably rocky, as our cables received fome damage ; and
juft in that neighbourhood the depth was more irregular than in any
other part o f the harbour. From thence point Baker lies' ü-.~z£ ?P,
the rock in the channel N. 33 w . , the fouth point o f the port N. 82 w; ,J
and the projefting rocky point, or iflet at high water, eaft, at the diftancé
o f a cable’s length. Our (ituation was fomewhat expofed to thé north
and north-weft winds, which might have been avoided by-taking a fta-
tion higher up in the harbour, or in a fnug cove to the fóuth-eaft of the
rocky point or iflet. The fhores are in moft places deep and rocky, and
are covered with an impenetrable foreft of pine and other trees. They afford
feveral ftreams o f fre(h water, and with our hooks and lines a few'
halibut were caught, but the feine was worked to no effect. We fomè-
times deprived the gulls and crows of a kind o f caplin, which were left
in fome number by the high tides, on the beaches, and amongft the
rocks*; thefe proved to be moft delicate eating, to which our fportfmen
added fome ducks, geefe, and other aquatic birds; of the latter we had
alfo procured fome in port Stewart; fo that with different forts of berries
which the fhores produced, the tables o f the officers were by no
means ill fupplied. The wild fowl were not obtained in fuch numbers
as to ferve the (hip’s company, but of the fiffi and fruit they always had'
a due proportion. The irregularity of the tides prevented me from af-
certaining any thing fatisfaftory concerning their motion, owing probably
to the infular (ituation of the port, and the boifterous weather that had
conftantly prevailed. Our obfervations, however, ferved to (hew that the
flood-tide came from the fouth, and that it is high water 40' after the
moon paffes the meridian. I procured only one day’s obfervation for
the latitude, for fixing the true pofition of this port, but it was one upon
which I could much depend. That was by no means the cafe with the
obfervations I made for afcertaining the longitude by. the chronometers,
which, finee our departure from port Stewart, feemed to have gone
very
R O U N D T H E W O R L D .
very irregularly ; the longitude therefore of this place, as like wife of the ^793^
feveral points and ftadons from hence fouthward to Nootka, is deduced 1__ __j
from fubfequent obfervations made at that port, by which the longitude
o f the entrance into port Proteftion appeared to be 226° 35', its latitude
56“ 20'; and the variation, by two compaffes, differing from 28° 37' to 22“
42',. (hewed the mean refult to be 26° 27' eaftwardly.
Although we had paffed thus far through Clarence’s ftraits without
interruption, it is neverthelefs a navigation that ought to be profecuted
with much circumfpeftion; particularly from the anchorage which we
quitted on the 7th, to port Proteftion, and from thence to fea, by the
route we were now purfuing through the main channel, to the eaftward
o f cape Decifion.
Little progrefs was made on faturday night, owing to the light variable
winds. Several fignals were made to denote our (ituation to the
Chatham, and though foundings were frequently fought, no bottom could Suni>y
be gained with 160 fathoms of line. With the approach o f day a gentle
breeze fprang up from the northward, but was unfortunately attended
with a very thick fog. We had however procured' a tolerably good view
o f our (ituation before its commencement; and Mr. Whidbey having
paid particular attention to the courfe we had to purfue, we made fail
accordingly.
About eight o’clock we were within hearing of a very heavy furf to
the weftward, and (hortly after, by a partial difperfion of the fog, our
(ituation was (hewn to be, as we expefted, a-breaft of point St. Alban’s,
and about two miles from the neareft o f thofe dangerous rocks that fur-
round it. The fog gradually cleared away, and towards noon the weather
became pleafant, with a favorable breeze from the north-weft; this
made me regret the obfcurity o f the morning, which had prevented our
delineating the eaftern (hore with more exaftnefs than had been effefted
by the very diftant view of it obtained in the boats.
Our courfe had been direfted between Warren’s ifland and the
iflands lying to the fouthward of cape Decifion. The fouthernmoft
o f thefe is the largeft, being about feven leagues in: circuit; this I
called C o r o n a t i o n I s l a n d , the day of our pafftng it having been
the anniverfary of that happy event. A t noon, it bore by compafs
from