A V O Y A G E O F D I S C O V E R Y
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1794- fafl alongfide, and came on board with-evident marks of being acquainti
i ed with European manners, by their bowing very refpeflfu-lly on coming;
upon deck. They made figns for fnuff and tobacco, which, with fome
other trivial articles they folicited, they feemed to be highly gratified by
receiving, and exprelfed a degree of rnodeft concern that they had not
any thing to offer in return. At dinner they .did not make the leaft
fcruple of partaking of our repaft, with fetch wine and liquors as were
offered to them ; though of thefe they drank very fparingly, feeming to
be well aware of their powerful effe£L ■ The weather was calm on their
arrival; but towards the evening a light breeze fprang up from the
fouthward, and as they had but Sightly fecured'their canoes, the probability
of their breaking adrift was pointed; out to them. Ori this; they
made figns to know if we were going up the river, and on their being-
anfwered by the fame means in the affirmative, they eafily gave us to
linderftand that they-wilhed to. accompany us, and that their canoes
Ihould be taken on board, with which I had no objection to comply;
■' ; !....Pg* v;" c 1 "
With a boat a-head, founding the depth of water from 13 to 17 fathoms,
we continued our courfe until fix in the evening, when the influence
of the returning tide being ftronger than that of tire- wind, we
anchored in 15 fathoms water, fandy bottom. In this fituation the
mountains feen over cape Douglas bore by compafs s . 5; e „ diftant 35,
leagues ; mount St. Auguftin s, 6 w . ; the north-eaft. point of the moft
northern opening or found, s. 20 w., diftant 19 miles ; the Volcano s.
28 w. ; a remarkably lofty mountain on the weft (here, s. 85. W .; the
north extreme of the low illand, in a line with another high diftant
mountain, N . 4 e . ; its neareft Ihore eaft, diftant two miles; its fouth
point s. 75 E., a league, diftant; beyond, which the eaftern Ihore was
feen ftretching to s. 41 E .; and the neareft part o f the weftern (hare
N. 87 w „ about four miles diftant: this-is a fteep cliff moderately high;
the (hare an either fide is a low flat beach, particularly to the northward,
where the margin of low land is of a greater extent than we
had noticed further to the fouthward, from the bafe of the mountains,
which, fo far as we were able to difeern, arc a connected and: undivided
ded barrier along the weftern fide of the river. Our latitude at; this >194-
anchorage was 60° 23^', longitude 208° 33'. The night tide not ferving » i”- ’ •
our purpofe, we waited .the return of the flood on the following day, Thurfdayi7.
but as that would not take place until about noon, I employed the morning
by making an excurlion to the illand.
We landed with tolerable eafe on the fouth point of what at high
water forms a (hallow hay, but at low tide is a flat of fand and mud, on
which were lying. innumerable large fragments of.rock not attached to
the fpot on which they relied, hut evidently .brought and depofited there
by the violence of the tide, or by fome other powerful agency. The
globular form which moft o f them had acquired, with the fmoothnefs of
their fur'face, indicated :their having been much fubjefted to a rolling
motion. The illand was in mod parts covered with-fmall pine and alder
trees, but the fnow that was lying very deep on the ground confined our
walk to the beach, on .which were lodged fome fmall driftwood, and
many large pieces of ice that feemed to have been there left by the tides
that had flowed much higher than thofe which at that: time prevailed; from
hence we were induced to fu-ppofe that-the froft had broken up, and that
the feverity of the then weather was a fecond .vifitation of winter. In
the fnow,-we Taw the tracks of fome fmall animals, and on the beach we
found fome pieces of coal refembling the cannel coal. The (hip proceeded
at (lack tide with a light breeze from the north-eaft, Hood to windward,
and having advanced about 4.miles from her laft ftation in a direction
NvN.,E„ .I repaired on board.
The, depth of water had now (about one o’clock) decreafed to 8 fathoms;
In the .expeftation o f finding a deeper channel we again flood
towards theflland; : the foundings .however Toon decreafed to 6 -fathoms,
.and, immediately.after, the {hip grounded in 15. feet water; here (he
reded for a (hort time, then fwung round, and again floated with a j erk,
■ conveying the idea o f her having relied on a round (lone, fimilar to thofe
found on the beach at the illand. The depth foon increafed, as we proceeded
towards the illand, to 15 fathoms, where we anchored to wait for
the ebb tide, in order that we might return by the way we had come, as
little advantage could be derived by perfifting in a route. fo . intricate
-Voi. III. o and