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JJ94- the' noith-eaft point of the ifland; their vifit was not of a very intereft-
mg nature, as they brought with them nothing to difpofe of, nor could
they give any account whether any veflel had pafled\u'p the inlet in the
courfe of the feafon. On this fubjefi the gentlemen in the Chatham be-*
gan to be very anxious, but as they entertained not the,leaft doubt that
they had preceded the Difcovery in their furvey, a letter communicating
fuch intelligence was entrufted to their Ruffian vifitors. |
Early in the morning of the 3d of may they proceeded to the northward
with a light air from the s..s. w., attended with fair and pleafant
weather; and as they advanced along the weftern ffiore of the inlet, it
was obferved to be indented and broken into coves and fmall bays, that
appeared likely to afford convenient anchorage. The points of thefe
bays were in general fteep and rocky, behind which rofe a compaft mountainous
country to a confiderable height, being , a continuation, of. the
range extending from cape Douglas, clad in perpetual fn ow a n d feem-
ingly deftitute of any vegetable produftions except on a narrow flat
margin commencing at the foot of thofe mountains, and forming the fea
ffiore, which was tolerably well wooded. At noon their obferved latitude
was59°34\; the northernmoft land then in fight, , a low point covered
with trees, bore by compafs N. 25 E.;.cape Elizabeth, n. 81 e.; the
ifland o f St. Auguftin, from s. 40 e . to fouth, diftant 3 leagues.; the
neareft ffiore diftant three miles ; and to the north-weft there were three
iflets, behind , which was the appearance of anchorage and ffielter. The
fo.ulherly breeze increafing in the afternoon enabled them to make great
progrefs, obferving as they paffed a few fmall bays or. cov.es on the compaft
weftern ffiore. In the evening they were met by one hundred' and
fifty fkin canoes, which were eftimated-to contain about three hundred
of the natives.;- fome carried three perfons, others two, and a few only
one perfon. They fpoke the Ruffian language, pulled off their hats or
caps, and bowed as they paffed; feveral attempted to reach the veflel,
but were prevented.by the favorable breeze, which, was too, valuable, at
this time to be facrificed to the curiofity of the Indians. The Chatham
continued her route along the ffiores, fimilar to thofe already defcribed,
until
until ten o’clock, when {he hauled her wind, and plied under an eafy fail
during the night,-
At this time they had reached that part of the weftern ffiore which
had undergone our previous examination. By Mr. Puget’s journal it
appears, that a compaft, connefted body of very high mountainous land
binds the weftern ffiore of this inlet, at no great diftance from the water
fide, all the way from cape Douglas to the volcano; from whence the
fame lofty range continues until it branches off to the north-weft, towards
thofe mountains that, from the upper part of the inlet, bore the appearance
of being detached. The found, whofe waters appeared to us on
the 15th of april to wafc the bafe of the volcano mountain, was approached
by them much nearer than by us, and is defcribed by Mr.
Puget as having been feen quite round ; in its fouth-weft part is a fmall
opening formed by two low points covered with wood; the entrance is
very narrow, and at low water a'flat, interfperfed with large detached
ftones, appeared to extend from the commencement of that low land to
its termination, including the paffage into the opening or rivulet. Under
thefe circumftances it was confidered as unworthy of any further examination,
and with the affiftance of the flood tide their route was purfued to the
northward, between the low ifland and the main land, in foundings from
go to 13 fathoms ; keeping near the former, in the expeftation of feeing
fome of the Ruffians from the eftabliffiment that Malacha had ftated to be
■ on the ifland. This was paffed within about half a league of its weftern fide,
and a fignal gun was fired, but to no effeft. About eight o’clock they
anchored for the night in 12 fathoms water, coarfe gravelly bottom;
The north-weft point of the ifland bore by compafs N. 33 f.., diftant 4
miles, and the fouth point s. go w., diftant 3 leagues. Early in the
morning o f the 5th of may they proceeded towards the weft Foreland,
with foundings from 13 to 25 fathoms, until within about 4^ miles of
the ffiores of the main land, north o f the ifland, when the depth de-
creafed, and as the flood tide was then over, they anchored in 10 fathoms
water, rocky bottom. The weft Foreland bore by compafs N. 42 E., 4
or 5 miles diftant; the north-weft point o f the ifland, s. 34 e.; the bottom
of a very open bay, formed by the land retiring a little to the weft-
V ol. III. T ward