Saturday 28.
pleafant weather, making a very material alteration for the better in our
climate. This agreeable change, however, from our laft year’s experience,
we had no great expeftation would long continue. The whales,
feals, and fea otters feemed to be aware of this, as great numbers of
thefe animals had been fporting about us for the two or three previous
days, enjoying the fun-lhine, and probably taking their leave of the fum-
mer feafon.
In the evening we gained fight of the weflernmoft of Scot’s iflands,
bearing by compafs e ; A n . The night was nearly calm, and the next
morning the favorable breeze was fucceeded by light airs from the eaft-
ward. At noon the wefternmoft of Scot’s iflands bore by compafs N. 44 E.,
and the eafternmoft N. 61 E. The obferved latitude 50* 45', the longitude
being at that time 230* 29'; this longitude was deduced from the
above latitude, the bearings of thefe iflands, and their pofition as fixed
by our obfervations made the preceding year; which I confidered to be
as accurately afcertained as any ftation on this coaft. This circumftance
now afforded me an excellent opportunity o f difcovering thefeveral errors
o f our chronometers, which were by thefe means proved beyond all
doubt to be going very incorreftly. The longitude fhewn at noon by
Kendall was 230° 56', by Arnold’s No. 14,: 230” 20* 38'', and by Arnold’s
No. 176, 231° 12' 37". Thefe being deduced from very excellent
obfervations made both before and after noon, fhewed Kendall’s to be
27' 15", and Arnold’s No. 176 to be 43' 37" to the eaft, and No. 14, to-
be 8' 22" to the weft o f the truth.
From hence our courfe was direfled in the beft manner we were able
towards Nootka, then lying s. 58 E.,. at the diftance of 45 leagues. Such
however was the tardinefs o f our progrefs from adverfe winds, calms,
fqually, or thick rainy, or foggy weather; that it was not until about
noon on the 5th o f oflober that we reached that port.
The ufual ceremonies of falutes, and other formalities having paffed;
accompanied by Mr. Puget I waited on Sen1- Saavadra, the commandant
of the port; who informed me, that he had not received any intelligence,
either from Europe or from New Spain, fince our departure from
hence in the fpring; and that neither the Daedalus, nor any other fhip
with
with ftores addrefled’ to me, had been there. The Daedalus I had fome ’798- . \ ; \ " # October.
expectation of meeting here, in the \vent o f her having made a good 1----,— .
paflkge to port Jaekfom and not having been there detained.
The only yefiel we; found at Nootka, ^cas the San Carlos laid u p fo r
the winter; but Senr-Saavadra gave me to underftand, that in the courfe
o f the fummer the port had been vifited by a French fhip called La
Flaivia, having on board a very valuable cargo o f European commodities,
which was carried to Kampfchatka, there to be difpofed of to the
Ruffians for furs, with which a cargo of tea was to have been purchafed
in China; but that their expedition hitherto had not anfwered their
expectations.
Senr- Saavadra further ftated, that whilft the veffel remained at Nootka
the crew had been very mutinous ; and fo unruly, that the commandant
had been on the point of employing force to compel them to due obedience
of their commanders orders, to which at length they feemed to be
tolerably well reconciled, and departed for China lefs diforderly inclined.
Some few American veffels had alfo arrived in our abfenee, but
in a moft deplorable condition, totally- in want o f provifions, naval
ftores, and even fuch articles of merchandize as were neceffary for trading
with the natives.
. A ftrong gale of wind from the s. E . the next morning obliged us to Sunday 6.
ftrike the top-gallant-mafts. The carpenters were employed on fhore
in cutting down a new main boom, a gaff fpritfail-yard, and other
fpars that were wanted; whilft the reft of the refpeCtive crews were engaged
in the feveral other duties that now required attention. Thefe
fully occupied our time until tuefday morning, when, having requefted Tuefday 8.
the favor of- Serf- Saavadra to take charge of a letter containing in-
ftruClions for the guidance o f the commander of the Daedalus, or of
any other veffel that might arrive at Nootka with difpatches for me, or
with ftores for our fervice; we failed from that port with a light northerly
wind, paying and receiving from the fort the ufual compliments.
On the preceding day I procured fome excellent obfervations, both
before and after noon, for afcertaining the error of our chronometers
at this place. The mean refult of which fhewed that Kendall’s was 34'
5° " ;