«794- hard and clear, and intirely free from clouds. About the horizon and a few
» °^ _ er‘, (]egrees above it, was feen a bright glaring haze; and as this at intervals
became more perceptible, the violence of the wind was conllantly ob-
ferved to be increafed.
In this fituation we remained until the ftorm moderated, though it flail
blew extremely hard: we now wore and flood for the land under the
forefail and ftorm ftayfails, in the hope, that by the time we Ihould arrive
near the Ihore, now at the diftance of 45 leagues, the violence o f the ftorm
would in a great meafure have abated. It was not however before ten
at night that it had fufficiently moderated to allow of Our fetting the clofe-
reefed topfails; at midnight we had the topgallant-fails fet for about an
hour, but the wind foon again increafed, and feeing the land at no great
Thurfday 6. diftance about two o’clock in the morning of the 6th, we hauled off
fhore, and plied under an eafy fail to wait the return of day, when finding
ourfelves about 3 or 4 leaguesfrom point Anno Nuevo, point Pinos
in fight bearing by compafs s. r.. J k., 'and having a moderate breeze
with fine pleafant weather, we fleered for Monterrey, where about two
in the afternoon we anchored, and moored nearly in our former fituation.
Here we found the Chatham, fhe having arrived in the evening of the
2d. By Mr. Puget. I was informed, that whilft. we were becalmed and
ftationary off Nootka, the Chatham on the evening o f the 17th of October
was favored with a light breeze from the eaflward, which gradually
increafed; with this Mr. Puget fleered to the fouth-eaft, concluding we
were doing thé fame, and he was. not undeceived until noon of the 18th,
when the fog with them had fufficiently difperfed, to ffiëw that the Dif-
eovery was not within their vifible horizon.. Mr. Puget was equally at a
lofs with ourfelves, to account for the feparation that had then taken
place; but as he eonfidered that we had preceded the Chatham, and ffie
having at that time a pleafant breeze from the eaflward, he thought it
molt advifeable to make the beft of his. way to the fouthward, and on
the 19th in the morning whilft we continued to be within fight of Nootka,
the Chatham had increafed her diftance near 40 leagues from the ffiore.
This circumftance, in confequence of the fucceeding winds, afforded the
Chatham a fuperior advantage in getting to: the fouthward, and which
1 in
in all probability was confiderably augmented, by the Chatham having No'v^ t'cr
flood further from the coaft to the fouth-weftward, than we had done
during the prevalence of the fouth-eafterly winds. On reference to the
journals ' it appeared Mr.. Puget had been enabled fo to do, by the wind
having been much further to the fouthward with the Chatham than with
the Bifcovery; by which means on the wind’s fhifting to the s. w. as is
moft frequently the cafe after the fouth-eafterly gales,, out confort made
much better Hants along the coaft to the fouthward, than we were able
to do, becaufe we were fo much nearer to it. The Chatham had to contend
with nearly the like boifterous weather we had experienced until ffie
had paired cape Mendocino on the. 30th. of the preceding month; when,
at the diftance of 40 leagues from the cape the weather was pleafant, with
wefterly and north-weft winds. The greateft diftance ffie had on this-
paffage been from die coaft, was ftated by Mr. Puget at 93 leagues from
Tape Difappointment; and from thence, fouthward to: cape Mendocino
from 60 to 70 leagues; the greateft diftance we had been from the coaft
did not exceed 78 leagues off Deftruftion ifland, but to the fouthward of
cape Lookout we were not more than from 16 to 40 leaguesfrom the land.
The north-weft ftorm we had fo lately, contended with, and to which
I had eonfidered this anchorage as dangeroufly expofed, Mr. Puget informed
me had been here felt, at the fame time; but that the gale had been
principally from the weftward; and although it certainly blew ftrong, yet
it neither prevented the uffial communication with the ffiore, nor would
have caufedany apprehenfion for the fecurity of veffels riding in the bay,
if tolerably well provided with anchors and cables. Indeed the .Chatham
rode it out, with cables that had been long in ufe, and were in the laft
ftage of being fervieeable.' This was by no means an unpleafant fa& to
afeertain, as it tended' to prove, that although the weather may be extremely
boifterous out at fea, and in the offing, yet this bay may be approached
with the greateft facility, and will afford, extremely good ffielter
again!! thofe winds, to which, apparently, it is moft expofed.
Our profeffional inquiries being mutually fatisfied, I had the pleafure
to underftand from Mr. Puget, that he had met the moft cordial reception
from our former friend Sen'- Arguello, the lieutenant of the Prefidio,