154 A V O Y A G E O F D I S C O V E R Y
J794- of vegetation. The badnefs of the weather precluded our afcertaining
■ ' their diftance from the liiores of the peninfula, and prevented my carrying
into execution the delign I had meditated of vifiting the Ruffian
eftablilhment, dated to be in the vicinity of this part of the e-oaft; which
continuing to be obfcured by a very denfe haze or fog, would have required
far more authentic and accurate documents than were in our pof-
feflion, to direfl us with fafety to that ftation, and would have occupied
more time than I was now willing to, devote to this purpbfe.
As the ffiip had been fubjeft to very great motion, in confequence
of the heavy fea that had attended the laft gale, without complaining
in any refpect, I concluded that (he had not fuftained any material damage
in her bottom, and therefore I determined to make the bell of
our way to Prince William’s found. The wind continuing to blow from
nearly the direftion we wilhed to fleer, we plied to windward,, but only
increafed our diftance from the point we wilhed to gain, until the even-
Tuefday 20. ing of the 20th; when, with a light foutherly breeze,' our GOurfe was
Wedncf. 21. directed for the fouth part of Montagu illand, which was feen on wednef-
day morning ; but the rain and thick weather prevented any dillinc.t view
of it until the forenoon, when the atmofphereffiecoming clear we were
enabled to procure the neccllary obfervations for fhewing the latitude at
noon tq be g8', longitude 212°;52.§'. The fouthernmofl land in fight
at that time bore by eompaft s. 88,w., the fouth point of Montagu
illand N. 64. w., dillant ten miles ; hence that point appears to be fitua?
ted in latitude 59* 4#, longitude s tiff 41' 5 the northernmofl part' of
Montagu illand in fight, apparently a, low projefting point, coveted with
wood, N. 1 w.,, dillant feventeeiy. miles; and the outermoft of a* bluffer!
pf fix rocky ifiets ftretching from it, N. 7 E. Thefe iflets were not feen
by Captain Cook, nor do they appear to have been, noticed by thofe
who have followed that able and indefatigable navigator in this hemi-
fphere. Thefe iflets feemed to be chiefly compofed of fteep cliffs nearly
level, on their tops, and may ferve as a direftion in thick or gloomy
weather to the fouth point of Montagu illand, lying from it, according
tp our eftimation, about ». 62 e,, dillant feventeen miles,. They are
3 tgler-ably
155 R O U N D T H E W O R L D .
tolerably well wooded, and are not liable to be miftaken, particularly >794.
for the Chifwell ifles, becaufe thofe appear to be intirely barren. , May‘
My intention was to have paffed along the fouth-eaft fide of Montagu
illand, but the wind veering again to the eaftward, and the weather being
again overcafl, we bore up, and in the evening we anchored within
the fouth point of this illand, in 21 fathoms water. Its fhores bore by
compafs from s. 30 E. to N. h e .; the former at the diftance pf three
miles, and its neareftfhore S.53E., one mile dillant; the iflands forming
the weft fide of this channel into Prince William’s found from N. la w.
to s. 89 w., and the fouthernmofl; part of the main land in fight s.6gw.
During the night we had a light breezé fröm the land, with fome rain,
and a very heavy fwell that rolled round the fouth point of MontagJ
illand, up the channel, giving us reafon to fuppofé that in all probability
we had efcaped a boifterous and very unpleafant gale from the eaftward,
having been fcreened, by the lofty mountains that compofe the
illand, from the violence of its, fury. The fame weather continued, with
a breeze from the N . E . , and a ftream that wè confidered to be the ebb
tide fetting to the eaftward, until ten on thurfday forenoon, when on Thurflaj'22,
the current taking an oppofite line of direftion we weighed, but were '
fo little affifted by the tide that we proceeded very flowly.
Whilft we were at anchor we were vilited by four of the natives, in
two fmall fkin canoes, one of whom was an elderly man, who feemed
to know we were from England, as he frequently made ufe of the words
te Englilh, Portlock, and No o t k a b y the two former there could be
no doubt of his meaning, and by the latter we fuppofed he meant the
veffel in which Mr. Meares paffed a winter in this found. Thefe people
brought nothing to difpofe of, nor could any intreaty prevail on
them to venture on board, though they readily accepted fuch trivial
prefents as were made to them, expreffmg their thankfulnefs in the
Ruffian language, and giving us to underftand, that there were fome
people of that nation refiding up the found.
In the afternoon the. wind blew frefh from the n. e., and towards
evening increafed to a hard gale, attended with heavy fqualls and ffiowers
of rain. In one of thefe fqualls the head of the bowfprit broke fhort off;
X 2 but