Ma^ch telligence. But we were difappointed in thefe hopes, as thofe; on board
— *■---- 1 of her were as totally ignorant of tranfaftions there as ourfelves, having
been abfent from New York twenty-two months; during which
time they had been principally engaged at Falkland’s illands and Staten
land, in colle&ing feal Ikins and oil. Not being fatisfied with their endeavours
to the fouthward, they had repaired hither to procure provifions
and refrelhments, with the intention of proceeding afterwards to the
coaft of North Weft America, in order to colled furs, which they un-
derftood were to be had there; but, according to their own account, they
neither knew what were the proper commodities, nor were they poffeffed
of any articles; o f traffic for obtaining fuch a cargo from the inhabitants
of thefeveral countries.
On failing from Onehow, I appointed cape Douglas in Cook’s river
bur next place o f rendezvous with the Chatham, in cafe of feparation.
There I purpofed to re-commence our furvey of the coaft of North Weft
America; and from thence to trace its boundary eaftward to cape Deci-
fion, the point which is ftated to have terminated the pretended ancient
Spanilh difcoveries.
Having afcertained fatisfaflorily that there was not any extenfive navigation
eaftwardly, between the 30th and 56th degrees of north latitude,
on this fide o f the American continent, I was led to believe, that if any
fuch did exijl, it would moft probably be found communicating with
Cook’s river, up which I entertained no doubt of penetrating to a very
confiderable diftance; and fhould we not be able to complete our refearches
in the courfe of the prefent feafon, we fhould at any rate, by this mode,
reduce the unexplored part of the coaft within very narrow limits. And
as the examination of Cook’s river appeared to me to be the moft important,
and I did not doubt would prove the moft laborious, part of our
talk in the enfuing campaign, I was willing not to lofe any portion of
the approaching feafon, but to avail ourfelves of the whole of it, for the
fake of infuring, as far as was within our powers, a certainty in the ac-
complilhment of that objeft. For this purpofe I wilhed to be in readi-
nefs to commence the purfuit the inftant the fpring was fufEciently advanced
vanced to render our endeavours pra&icable, and which was now likely '794-
to be the cafe by the time we Ihould reach that diftance. , h'ch'_.
. It was not much out of our way to afcertain the fituation of a fmall
jfl'and, difco.vered in 1788 by the commander of the Prince of Wales,
and by him called Bird ifland, in confequence of its being the refort of
vaft flocks o f the feathered tribe ; and alfo to examine the neighbouring
parts of the ocean, where Captain Cook in his paflage from Oonalalhka
to the Sandwich illands in the year 1778 faw a lhag, and other indications
of the: vicinity o f land. For thefe purpofes, our courfe was firft
dire&ed n.w . by N..in queft of Bird ifland, under an eafy fail,, -in order
to allow the Chatham to come up with us, which fhe did about midnight.
A t day-light on the-i5th we made all fail, and Hood more to the weft- Saturday
ward, furrounded by an immenfe number and confiderable variety of
pceanic birds, conlifting o f the, fmall black and white albatrolfes, tropic,
and men of : war birds ; with boobies, noddies, and pétrel* of different
kinds., I In' the forenoon the wind at E, n. e.. blew a frelh gale, and in
confequence of fome o f the back-ftays giving way, we were obliged to
reduce our fail ; and as we had but little cordage to replace fuch rigging,
thefe defeéis became a conlideration of a very unpleafant nature in this
early part of our fummer’s expedition.
A t noon thé latitude obferved was '23° 14', longitude 198° 42'; the
former was 14' further north than was Ihewn by our reckoning, and was
nearly the fame diftance to the north of the latitude affigned to Bird-ifland;
but as wé expefted to find it further to the weftward, though by fome
accounts we had now pafled its meridian, our courfe was direéled to the
fouth-weft, and by two in the afternoon it was feen bearing by compafs
w. s. w. about 7 leagues diftant. About fix in the evening we reached,
and pafled along the fouthern fide of, this very remarkable, folitary ifland,
or more properly fpeaking, fingle rock, rifing out of this immenfe ocean.
Its greateft extent, which was in a direftion s. 74 w,, and n. 74 e., did
not exceed one mile; the uncouth form of its northern, eaftern, and
weftern extremities, againft which the fea broke with great violence,
prefented a moft awful appearance, rifing perpendicularly from the
ocean in-lofty rugged cliffs, inacceflible but to its winged inhabitants;
VO L, III. M
on