A>u7g9u4*ft.
Friday 22.
and unwearied attention, and had required our utmoft abilities and. exertions
to bring thus to a conclufion, could not, after the indefatigable labour
of the three preceding years, fail of exfciting m the bofpros of our
little community, fenfatkms-of a nature fo pleafing and fatisfaftory, that
few are likely to experience in the fame degree, who were not participators
in its execution ; and to the imagination of thofe alone, mult I refer
thehappinefs we experienced on this interefting event. '
In order that the valuable crews of both velfels, on whom great hard-
Ihips and manual labour had fallen, and who had uniformly encountered
their difficulties with unremitting exertion, cheerfulnSfs and obedience,
might celebrate theday, that had thus terminated their labours m theie
•regions ; they were ferved fuch an additional allowance of grog as was
fully fufficient to anfwer every purpofe of feftivity-on the occafion.
This foon prompted a defire for mutual congratulations between the two
velfels, exprefled by three exulting cheers from each ; and it may beeafily
conceived that more: heart-felt fatisfa&ion was fcarcely ever more;reciprocally
experienced, or more cordially exchanged,, • . . ■ ' -
_We, had now no reafon for remaining in this, port, which, in confe-
.quence of this vifit, obtained.the name o f P o r t C on c lu s io n , excepting
that which a continuation of the inclement weather produced,: which
detained us until the evening of the 22d. But before I proceed to the
recital of fubfequent occurrences,-it is neceffary that I Ihould advert
■ to the manner in which the late furvey in the boats had been, executed. - ^
, Agreeably-to the direftions Mr. Whidbey, had received, he proceeded
to,the ftation where his. former refearches had ended; here-he arrived
about noon on the 3d, after paflingclofe along the weftern fhore of the
{trait, until he was oppofite to the branch leading to the eaftward. In
his way he palled feveral openings on the weftern. Ihore, fome, of which
he had reafon to fuppofe communicated with the ocean , in a wefterly
direction, and others feemed to afford tolerably well Iheltered anchorage.
The weather at this time was fo thick and rainy, that the party had
but' a very imperfefi view o f the inlet before them. They, however,
continued along its Iarbo*rd Ihore, in. a direction N..65 e„ for about fix
miles' and an half, palling feveral fmall rocky bays, and at this inlet arrived
R O U N D T H E W O R L D .
rived at a high fteep bluff rocky point, named by me P o i n t N a p e a n , a>794^
fituated in latitude 57*10', longitude 226* 6'; off which lies a ledge of '— -v-— ’
rocks about half a mile, and from this point the coaft takes a more northerly
direCtion; but the weather became fo thick that the party was
obliged to flop about two miles beyond it, where the operation of the fame
caufe detained them until eight o’clock the next morning; when, with
very hazy unpleafanf weather, they refumed their inquiries, and paffed
between a coaft: much indented with fmall bays, and vaft numbers of
fmall iflets and rocks, both above and beneath the furface of the water.
The weather cleared up towards noon, and enabled Mr. Whidbey to
obferve the latitude to be 57" 18', on a fmall Met, clofe to a point named
by me P o i n t P y b u s , lying from point Napean N. 38 e., ten miles and
an half diftant. From this ftation a tolerably diftina view was obtained
of the inlet, in which the party had advanced thus far nearly in the
dark. It was nowfeen to-be a fpacious arm of the fea, containing, m
moft direftions, many iflands, iflets, and rocks ; the country on the left
hand fide, being that More the party had coafted, excepting about point
Napean, feemed in general to be but moderately elevated, and although
it is compofed of a rocky fubftance, produced a very fine foreft, chiefly
of pine timbers ; but the oppofite fide of the inlet was too far off to
notice any thing'refpeaing it. From this ftation the party proceeded ftill
along a very rocky fhore, about fix miles further, in adireftion N. 41 E „
to a point called.by me P o i n t G a m b i e r , which forms the fouth point
of a branch leading to the northweftward : its oppofite point of entrance,
named by me P o i n t Hush, lying from it N.-29 e„ at the diftance of
five miles. Beyond this, another extenfive branch appeared to ftretch to
the northward, but the . former being the objea of their firft inquiry,
they proceeded along its weftern fhore; this is low, and in many places
is terminated by fandy beaches. On one of thefe, about ten miles from
point Gambier, they relied for the night, which was very ftormy from
the fouthward, with continual rain, and dark gloomy weather; this lafted
until ten in the forenoon of the 5th, when the wind moderating, and the
weather permitting them to fee fome little diftance before them, they ,
proceeded, with a favorable breeze, up this branch of the ocean, called
V o l . Ill* N n by