»794-
May.
Thurlday i .
Friday 2.
Saturday 3.
Sunday 4.
lightfully ferene and pleafant, and on thé i ft of may we had the fatis-
faftion of feeing a lefs quantity of ice brought up by the flood tide, and
at low water we had the good fortune to recover our anchor and cable.
The next day, however, we were again much inconvenienced by the
ice* and in the hope of a clearer bottom, we fhifted our ftation a little
to the fouth-eaftward, but by no means improved our condition; for at
low water the cable was found to have hooked to a rock, and whilft
we were endeavouring to clear it, the Ihip on fuddenly fwinging in Ihore
grounded, and fo remained until (he was floated off by the return of th©
flood tide. On founding, much more water than the veil'd drew was
found clofe around her ; and from hence it is reafonable to fuppofe, that
the (hip had relied on one of thofe apparently moveable febrics of rock
before defcribed, which lie in great numbers over all the (hallow flats, extending
from thefe Ihores as far down as the low water of the fpring
tides enabled us to difcern.
At the flack of the flood tide, with a light breeze from the fouth, we
weighed, flood more into mid-channel, and anchored in 12 fathoms,
fandy bottom. The weather altered, and a material change took place
the next day. The Iky was obfcured by thick mifty rain and fog, that,
continued until the forenoon of funday, when the weather became again
fair and pleafant, and we had the fatisfaftion of feeing the furface of the
water nearly free from ice, and of re-commencing our bufinefs with the
Ihoré.
In the evening we had the happinefs of receiving Mr. Whidbey and
his party oh board, after having accomplifhed the fervice he had been
fent to perform.
His courfe had been direfted from the Ihip’s ftation along the larboard
or eaftern (hore, to the fouth-weft point of entrance into this branch,
which, after His Excellency the Ruffian ambaffador at the Britilh court, I
call P o i n t W o r o n z o w , fituated in latitude 6o°8', longitude 210° 36';
and its north-eaft point of entrance lying from point Woronzow N. 37 e.
diftant two miles, I call P o i n t Ma c k en z ie , after the Right Honorable
James Stuart Mackenzie. From point Woronzow the eaftern Ihore
takes a direftion s. lg w., for four miles, to a point which I call P o i n t
C a m p b e l l ,
C a m p b e l l , and which, with point Poffeffion, may be confidered as the
outer north-call, and fouth-weft points of Turnagain river.
Mr. Whidbey proceeded clofe along that Ihore, but he was foon interrupted
by a Ihoal that extends from it to the north-eaft point of Turnagain
ifland, and obliged us to pafs along the north fide of the illand,
which in a direftion e .n.e. and w. s.w. is three miles and a half long
and half a league broad. Near its weft point a Ihoal ftretches about half
a league in a north-weft direftion, from the weft point of the illand,
where the latitude was obferved to be 6i° 8'. Endeavours were made
to get in with the larboard or north-eaft Ihore without fuccefs, being
again repulfed by the Ihoals that extend from three to four miles from
it. The examination was . continued up this arm in 5, 6, and 7 fathoms
water, favored by a ftrong flood tide, but To frelh a gale1 from the eaft-
ward, that a very heavy and irregular fwell was produced, which in two
inftances nearly filled the large cutter,' broke off the head of the rudder,
and required the utmoft efforts and exertions of the party to preferve
the boat from finking. The (hores in their vicinity were inacceflible,
and, under circumftances fo difcouraging, they had no other probabler
means of bettering their condition, than by inclining as near to the
fouthern Ihore as the Ihoals that extended from it would permit; this,
was effefted, and when the range of the arm was {hut in, the water became
fmoother. About five in the evening they; reached a fmall illet
lying clofe to the fouthern Ihore, in a direftion from the weft point of
Turnagain illand, s. 45 e., diftant fourteen miles. The flood at this time
being nearly expended, and this feeming likely to prove an eligible reft-
ing plaice for the night, no time was loft in endeavouring to obtain fome
relief from the uncomfortable fituation to which they had been reduced-
by the leas that had broken into the boat, and had wetted moft of
their arms and apparel. Their repole during the night was greatly
difturbed by large quantities office that were brought down by the ebb
tide, and occafioned them great labour and difficulty to prevent the
boats being broken adrift.
The ftrong eafterly gale continuing,, and the tide being adverfe to
their purfuit, the party was detained until noon the next day on the
illet,