ju?y’ board the Chatham; this information induced me to coniider, that
— 1 making an example o f the thief in our polfeffion, might be attended
with the defirable effefil o f preventing further mifdemeanors ; and for this
reafon he was punifhed with four dozen lathes, after which his canoe was
returned to him, and he with his ladies was difmiffed.
On this correftion being infli&ed, the reft of the canoes quitted the
Tucfihy ts. cove, and no one came near us until tuefday, when one only came along-
fide. On the Indian meeting a friendly reception, his neighbours were induced
to follow his example, and our former intercourfe was perfeElly re-
eftablifhed. Amongft the number who now vifited us,, was one o f the women
who had been overfet in the canoe, and who in that fcuffle had hurt
the feparated part o f the lower lip ; but on receiving the neceffary fur-
gieal affiftance for healing the wound, for which purpofe Ihe came regularly
on board every morning, it was foon perfeftly healed.
Wednet. 23. The Arthur failed on the 23d, and on the faturday following the Jackal
Saturday 26. and anchored near us ; on this occafion the former reftriffions
as to the purchafe o f furs were again enforced.
Mr. Brown ftated, that he had quitted port Mulgrave the morning after
the Chatham had failed, and had left Portoff and his party at point Turner;
but on his meeting with a hard gale from the eaftward, he was obliged
to return thither, with the lofs of fome fpars, and with material damage
to his fails. The Ruffian party he found ftill at their encampment, but
underftood that fix of the Kodiak Indians had been captured by the native
inhabitants. Portoff requefted Mr. Brown would afford him fome
affiftance to regain his people; for which purpofe, with a numerous fleet
of canoes, and one of the Jackal’s boats, Portoff direfiled his eourfe up
the bay, and foon met with the hoftile Indians, who, after a long difcuffion
delivered up five of their prifoners, and in return received five of their
comrades, being part of a number which in retaliation, the Ruffians had
captured, but the remainder of the, party-amounting to twelve men and
women, were detained by Portoff, until the other Kodiak Indian fhould
be reftored. Mr. Brown’s fecond vifit to port Mulgrave was of Ihort
duration, and Portoff with his numerous fleet quitted it a few hours before
his departure.
We
We were now in hourly expectation of the party’s return under the ‘ 794-
command of Mr. Whidbey, for the comfort and even fafety of whom, i__,__»
it was not poffible, for us-to avoid having the mod anxious folicitude, as
the weather ;,that had generally prevailed finee our arrival in this place,
had been of an extremely unpleafant nature. In the afternoon, however,
we were very agreeably relieved of our anxiety for their welfare, by their
returning all in good health and fpirits; after having traverfed the continental
fhore fo far as to be within about 20 leagues of cape Decifion, from
whence a clear channel had been feen into the ocean. To this ftation a good
inland navigation had been found, excepting that in an eafterly direflion
from the anchorage of the veffels;at the diftanee of abqut to leagues, the
paffage though fufficiently fpacious, was at that time greatly incommoded,
and, in fome places, nearly clofed by large fragments of floating ice. This
inconvenience having already occafioned us much, annoyance, and moments
of the moft anxious concern, I did not choofe to combat again fuch
difficulties, efpecially as by purfuingour route by the ocean, it would afford
us an opportunity o f delineating the exterior coaft; and as Mr. John-
ftone had: accomplifhed the fervice, which want of health had prevented
my effecting, I directed every thing to be taken from the Ihore, and the
veffels prepared for failing the next morning; but it was not until mon- Monday 28.
day in the forenoon that the wind permitted us to move, when, with a
light air from the north, and with the affiftance of all our boats, we were
enabled to get out of the port which Ihave named P o r t A l t h o r p . We
had no fooner arrived in the found than the breeze died away, and the
flood tide obliged us to anchor until one o’clock. At this time a breeze
again fprang up, but being from the s. w., we were employed until midnight
in turning out o f the found. We flood to and fro off cape Crofs
to wait the return of day, in order to carry on the examination of the
external coaft fouthward towards cape Decifion, which was now difco-
.vered to be either the coaft of a long ifland, or an archipelago extending
to the latitude of 56° 15', and probably further fouth. Near its fouth-
eaftern extremity, I intended to take the firft convenient fituation that
might offer for the veffels, whilft the boats were employed in completing
. V ol, III. I i . : the