'jlme happened, which in a great meafure had occafioned Mr. Whidbey’s
<-—-v——1 former return.
Conceiving, from the direction of this opening, that it feparated the
broken land before mentioned from the main land, and that it communicated
with the found to the north-eaftward, Mr. Whidbey continued his
courfe in that direflion, accompanied by the Indian who had been their
gueft during the ftormy weather; and having proceeded about 6 miles
further, nearly in the line before defcribed, they arrived in the found. The
channel through which they had thus paffed, was in moll parts fome-
thing lefs than a mile wide; it is about 11 miles in length, there are feveraL
funken rocks in it; and its Ihoresare compofed of fteep rocky mountains.
In the evening of the gd, the party again reached the north-weft point
of this palfage, which after Captain Countefs of the navy, obtained the
name of P o i n t C o u n t e s s ; it is fituated in latitude 6o° 13', longitude
■ 2120 305-'; this forms alfo the fouth-eaft point of an arm leading to the
north-weftward, up which their courfe was direfted along the larboard
or continental Ihore, palling many large pieces of floating ice,” which
were in great abundance in this part of the found. Two miles to the
north-weft of this point they reached the entrance of a fmall opening
about a mile in width, that took a foutherly direction, where they
relied for the night. Early the next morning they again proceeded with
thick rainy weather, and found this opening to be compofed of two bays,
that terminated about a league within its entrance. From hence they
fteered to the N. N. w ., palling a bay on the weftern Ihore about a league
wide, and about 4— miles deep, terminated by a compaft body of ice
that defcended from high perpendicular cliffs to the water fide, .and- fur-
rounded by a country compofed of ftupendous lofty mountains covered
with fnow. By this time Mr. Whidbey had advanced as far on the weftern
fide of the found as to be oppofite to the anchorage of the veffels,
about g leagues diftant in nearly an eaft and weft direflion. This fpace
is occupied by land much broken, through which, befides an opening
then before them leading to the north-eaft, there were two others
that they had paffed by leading to the northward. From the north of
this icy bay the continental Ihore ftretched n. 30 w ., about fix miles up
a. fmall
a.fmall branch, which there turned Ihort to the fouthward, and tcrmi- *794.
nated about a league further in a circular bafon, full o f rocks, fome
above and others beneath the furface of the water. From this bafon
the party returned along the northern Ihore, which led them to a point,
in the opening laft mentioned extending to the north-eaft, in latitude 60°
20', longitude 212 “ 26'. This palfage, which may be confidered as commencing
at the north point of Icy bay, is there about two miles wide, and
was found to extend in a direction n . 42 E. for g~ miles, where it communicated
with the moll weftern of the other two openings before alluded
to, making the land on the eaftern fide o f this palfage (which from the great
number of rocks in it is navigable only for boats and canoes) an illand
about g f leagues long. On the weftern fide o f this are two fmall branches,
each about a mile wide, and 4 miles long, lying in a north-weft direction,
in which were alfo an immenfe number of rocks. The Ihores of
the main land continued in the direflion of the palfage, about a league
and a half beyond the moll northern of thefe branches, to a point from
whence the continental Ihore took a direction N. 27 w .; this point obtained
the name of P o i n t N o w e l l , and is fituated in latitude 60° 27',
longitude 212° 42^-'. They quitted this about noon on the 5th; and after
having advanced about 11 miles along a very, rocky coaft, with fome
illets lying off from it, the party arrived at the fouth point of entrance
into an opening on the main land; its oppofite point lying in the above
direction about two miles further: the Ihores that were thus traverfed
broke into fmall bays, lined by innumerable rocks, and expofed to the
whole range of the north-eaft fwell in the found, from which quarter a
very heavy fea broke with great violence, and rendered its navigation,
even for boats, highly dangerous.
This opening confifted of three fmall branches, two of them taking a
foutherly, and the third a north-wefterly courfe. Having afcertained the
extent of this opening, the coaft was found to ftretch from it nearly north,
rounding a little to the eallward, to a point that has received the name of. •
P oint C u l k o s s , fituated in latitude 60° 45', and longitude 212° 32', and
pafting an illand about a league from the Ihore, about four miles long, in a
north-weft direflion. This point formed the fouth-weft point o f an opening
• A a'2 about