, 794- time for which the party had been fnpplied, and being diftant upwards of
1— an hundred miles' from the veffels, towards which they had to proceed
along a coaft, the principal part of which might require a very minute
examination ; he made the beft of his way back, along the fouthern
ftiore of the branch.
We became afterwards informed by Mr. Brown of the Jackal, that
the above narrow ftream was found, on his fubfequent vifit to this place,
to afford a paffage for canoes and boats, and that it communicated with
the apparently Ihoal inlet that Mr. Johnftone had made lèverai unfuceefs-
ful attempts to enter on thé 28th of auguft, 1793- Mr. Brown alfo
ftated, that the intervening land which had the appearance of forming
the. head of the arm between its fouth-eaft and fouth-weft extremities; is
an illand, fituated on a very lhallow bank, which, at the depth of a
few feet, connects the two fhores, and at low water fpring tides becomes
dry. This may ferve to account for the report of the Indians to
Mr, Brown the preceding year, and which he obligingly, communicated
to me on the 21ft of July, 1793, refpeffing Ewcri Nafsi by which means
an inland navigation for canoes and boats is found from the fouthern
extremity of Admiralty inlet, in latitude 470 3', longitude 237° 18', to the
northern extremity of Lynn, canal, in latitude jgb ia ', longitude 224^34'.
By this, information it likewife appeared, that our conclulions at the end
of the laft feafon,- refpefting cape Decifion being a continental promontory
were not precifely correct, as, .by the lhallow boat paffage difcovered
• by Mr. Brown, that cape is found to . be feparâted above the level of
high-water mark from the continent. •
Mr. Whidbey obferves, that in no one inftance during his refearches,
either in the feveral branches of Prince William’s found, in: thofe extending
from Croîs found, or, in the courfe of his prèfent excurfion, did he
find any immenfe bodies of ice on the illands ; all thofe which he hadifeen
on fhore, were in the gullies or vallies of the connefled chain of lofty mountains
fo frequently mentioned, and which chiefly conftituted the continental
fhore from Cook’s inlet to this ftation ; though, in different places
thefe mountains are at different diftances from the fea fide. He Ukawife
obferves that all the illands, or groups :of illands, were land of a moderate
rate height, when compared with the ftupendous- mountains that com- Auguft.
■ pole the continental boundary, and were ftill feen to continue in a fouth- 1--- v — ’
eaftern direffion from this lhallow paffage, whilft the land to the weft-
ward of the paffage affmned a more moderate height,', was free from
fnow, and. produced a forcll of lofty pine 'trees. Thefe obfervations
more particularly applying to the former, than to the fubfequent, part
of this furvey, I have, .for that reafon, thought proper to introduce them
in this placer and Ihall now refumethe fubjeSt of Mr. Whidbey’s excur-
fion.
The day being fair and pleafant, Mr. Whidbey wilhed to embrace
this opportunity of drying their wet clothes, putting their arms in order,
and giving a thorough cleaning to the. boats, which, from the continual
bad weather, had now become an object of real', necelfity. For this
purpofe the party landed on a commodious beach ; but- before they had
finilhed their bufinefs a large canoe arrived, containing, feme women and
children, and fixteen Rout Indian men, well appointed with the arms of
the.country, but without any fire-arms. They behaved in a very friendly
manner on the beach for a little time, but their conduft afterwards
put on a very fufpicious. appearance; the children withdrew into the
woods, and the reft fixed their daggers round their wrifts, and exhibited
bother indications, not of the moft friendly nature. To avoid the
chanceAof any thing unpleafant taking place, Mr.. Whidbey confidered
it moft humane and prudent to depart, and he continued his route down
the.branch along its fouth-weft fhore, palling fome diets that lie near it.
The Indians-did the fame, but kept on the oppofite fhore, and in the
courfe of a little time the canoe difappeared. In the hope of being quit
of: thefe people the party Hopped to dine near the high bluff obferved
from point Vandeput, but before they had finilhed their repaft the fame
Indians, who muft have, turned back unperceived, for the purpofe of
crofting over to follow the boats, were feen coming round the point of
the cove in which was the party, -and not more than a quarter of a mile
from their dinner jlation; as the canoe, approached a mulket was fired
over it, in order to deter the Indians from advancing ; but this, as on former
occafions, feemed to encourage them, and they appeared to come fo r)
O o 2 ward