fbn of the year ; as it feemed to be too inconfiderable, .and the adjacent
mountains appeared to be too compaft, to admit of its deriving its fource
from any other caufe.
Up this brook, the Indian party, which had now accumulated to upwards
of an hundred, gave our gentlemen to underftand, that eight chiefs of
great confequence relided, and they folicited the party, with /nuch earneft-
nefs, that they would remain in that neighbourhood fome days, to give
the chiefs an opportunity of paying them a vilit. Inquiries were made
for the chief of the tribe then prefent, but no one of the Indians affumed
that charafter. Their behaviour was peaceable, civil, and friendly; but
our party having a more important objeft to purfue than that of receiving
new vifitors, declined the propofed civility, and returned down the
arm, along the eaftern Ihore, which was low, indented: into fmall bays
and coves, and appeared to be a border that extended from the bafe of
the mountains that lie behind it, and which took a direction s. 40 e ., 4-1
leagues to a point that obtained the name of P o i n t S e d u c t i o n , in
confequence of the artful character of the Indians who are faid to relide
in its neighbourhood.
From this point lies a range of fmall iflands about four miles in a fouth
dire&ion. The fouthernmoft is a flat barren rock, but on the others,
trees were produced. From hence the oppofite fhore forming the eaftern
fide of the arm was about two miles diftant, and at this point a
branch of it extended n . 18 w ., about eleven miles; and lhewed that
what had been taken for a low border uniting with the mountains, was a
narrow ftrip of land from one to two miles acrofs. This branch after
winding in a wefterly dire&ion about 3 miles further, terminated this
extenfive arm in its north-wefterly dire&ion, by low land formed immediately
at the foot of. high ftupendous mountains, broken into deep gullies,
and loaded with perpetual ice and fnow.
Through the low land uniting with the narrow ftrip, flows another
brook, much fmaller than the former, but originating apparently from
a fimilar caufe, the diflolving ice and fnow. On this low fpit, as alfo
on the border, feveral very large pine trees were feen; with fome birch
and fmall alder trees. The examination to this extent occupied the party
until
R O U N D T .H E W O R L D .
until the afternoon of the 16th ; when they returned along the eaftern
fhore, which, as they advanced to the fouth, became high, fteep, and
craggy.
On this oceafion it may not be improper to remark, that the upper
part of this arm, which after the place of my nativity, the town of Lynn in
Norfolk, obtained the'name of L y n n C a n a l , approaches nearer to thofe
interior waters of the continent, which are faid to be known to the traders
and travellers from the oppofite fide of America, than we had found the
waters of the north pacific penètrate in any former inftance. This approximation
is towards the fouth-weft fide of the Arathapefcow lake, as
laid down in Captain Cook’s chart, from which its diftance is about
three hundred and twenty geographical mifes; but from the clofe eon-
neftion and continuation of the lofty fnowy barrier, fo frequently before
adverted to, trending fouth-eaftward, and nearly parallel to the direction
of thexontinental fhore, little probability can remain of there being
any navigable communication, even for canoes between fuch waters and
the north pacific ocean, without thé interruption of falls, cataraéls, and
various other impediments;.
The boats were fhortly joined in their way down the canal by a large
canoe, in which there were about twenty Indians, with a chief who affumed
the charafter of king or principal chief over all the people refiding
up the brook. He introduced himfelf in a friendly and courteous manner,
made Mr. Whidbey a prefent of a fea otter fkin, and cheerfully received
a fuitable return; but like the Indians who had vifited the veflels, he did
not care to venture himfelf in the power of our party, and nothing, could
induce him to get into the yawl, but Mr. Whidbey himfelf going as a
hoftage into his canoe, and there remaining fo long as he might think
proper to ftay in the boat; With this requeft Mr. Whidbey did not
think proper to comply, yet they accompanied our party down the canal,
who in the evening refted for the night on the eaftern fhore, about five
miles to thé fouthward of point Seduftion; on their landing, the chief
fhewed much civil attention, and as lie.had before done on all occafions,
ufed his utmoft endeavours to imprefs our gentlemen with a good opinion
of his fincerity.
Voi.. I ll, K k This
1794» July.
I