May.' war(i ° f the weft Foreland, n . 17 w , ; at low water the ftioal noticed by
— r— J Meffrs. Portlock and Dixon was diftinctly feen from the maft-head, from
s. 80 e. to s. 74 e .; and a detached rock lying off the north-daft point of
the ifland, s. 45 e-.
Mr. Puget reprefents the country from the above fuppofed found as
defcending' from the bafe of the mountains, and gradually forming an
inclined plane, terminating at the water fide in a compaft beach, or
low cliffs well wooded; the mountains rife very perpendicularly, and,
like the others that incompafs this region, are lofty, apparently barren,
and always covered with fnow;.from the fhoies.of this open bay a fhoal
extends fome diftance into the inlet. Whilft they -were waiting' for the
return o f flood, fome o f the natives' gave them to underftand, that a
three-mafted veflel had patted; up the inlet not many days, before, arid
to'confirm the truth of their report, produced the beads and other articles
they had procured from the fhip, which they defcribed to be at
anchor at> no great diftance.
Nbtwithftanding the behaviour of thefe people was as orderly and civil
as can poflibly be imagined, nothing could prevail with them to carry a
letter to the veflel they fpoke of; not'from the labour or danger that
might attend their expedition, but from an objeHion that they had to the
letter itfelf; which they could not be induced even to touch. A ftmilar
inftance of this nature occurred to Mr. Whidbey,- who wiffied to. intruft
to the care of our Indian pafferigers a letter to be delivered to the Chatham
on her arrival in their neighbourhood, but they alfo declined having any
thing to do with it. This cautious conduCt proceeds, in all probability,
from their being inftruCted to behave in this mariner towards ftrangers b y
their Ruffian matters, who Teemed on all occafions to poffefs great influence
and authority, over them.
On the firft of the flood tide the Chatham failed round the weft Foreland,
at the diftance of about a mile from the ffiore, with foundings from 7
to 12 fathoms. A rock was obferved that is vifible only at half tide, about
the fourth of a mile from the extremity of the .point, from whence they
were vifited by two Indians, who confirmed the intelligence refpefting
the Difcovery, and put the matter beyond all doubt, by diftinffly pronouncmg
nouncing my name, and pointing out the direction where the veflel
would be found. Mr, Puget immediately fo direfted his courfe, and we
had the pleafure of meeting as already related.
Every thing being in readinefs to depart from a fituation that had produced
us fuch a continual anxiety, and had in other, refpetts been extremely.
uncomfortable, we weighed with the firft of the ebb about one
o’clock on wednefday afternoon, and with a light breeze from the fouth-
ward turned down the channel to the Chatham, and anchored for the
night off the north-weft point of Turnagain ifland in 15 fathoms water,
having found the foundings, as on our paffage up the inlet, very irregular.
, Here we; were vifited by two Ruffians, who came in a large
canoe or boat paddled by ten Indians ; one of the Ruffians was. the principal
perfon o f ,the party with whom Mr. Whidbey had met near the
north Foreland, the other a clerk, or perfon of fome. fuch defcription
belonging to the eftabhffiment on the eaftern ffiore to the fouthward of the
eaft Foreland; their errand was intended as a yifit to us, and as we were
bound towards their places, of abode,, they readily accepted an invitation
to proceed with us, inftead of returning in their open. boat. On the
making ebb tide, about two o’clock, on thurfday morning, we again proceeded
with a light breeze from the northward. Our courfe was directed
a little nearer to the ifland than before, by which means we now patted over
in 3 ! fathoms water the north part of the fhoal that extends from the weft
end of Turnagain ifland. In conference of this fpit, and the fhoals
from the northern ffiore, . which alfo projeft in a point towards the ifland,
the navigable channel is reduced to fcarcely a mile in width; the deepeft
water, which does, not exceed 6 and 7 fathoms at half tide, „is neareft to
the northern fide. From this fhoal as we fleered to. the fouth-weft; the
depth of water foon increafed to 12 fathoms.. Our route to the. weft-
ward was now directed about half a league or 2 .miles to the fouth of our
former track, in which we confidered ourfelves clear of fhoals or other
interruptions; but we had not proceeded more than 6 miles in a weft
direction from the ifland, when the depth of water again decreafed to 7,
5, and 4 fathoms, and on the boat that was founding a-head corning into
3b fathoms, we fleered more to the northward; and on the depth in-
T 2 Tireafing
Wednef. 7;
Thurfday 8.