large bay, on the South fide o f w hich w e were now at anchor
; and where we had from twelve to five fathoms, from
half-flood to high-water.
Afte r We had entered the bay, the flood fet ftrong into th e
river Turna ga in ; and ebb came out w ith ftill greater fo r c e ;
the water fallin g, while we la y at anchor, twenty feet upon
a perpendicular. T h e fe circumftances convinced me, that
no paffage was to be expeited b y this fide river, any more
than by the main branch. However, as the water d uring
the ebb, though ve ry confiderably frefher, had ftill a ftrong
degree o f faltnefs, it is but reafonable to fuppofe, that both
thefe branches are navigable by Ihips, much farther than
w e examined them ; and that b y m eans o f this river, and its
feveral branches, a ve ry extenfive inland communication lies
open. W e had traced it as h ig h as the latitude o f 61° 30V
and the longitude o f 210“ ; w hich is ieventy leagues, or more,
from its entrance, without feeing the leaft appearance o f its
fource.
I f the difcovery o f this great river *, which promifes to-
vie with the moft confiderable ones already known to be*
capable o f extenfive inland navigation, fhould prove o f ufe
either to the prefent, or to any future age, the time we fpent
in it ought to-be the lefs regretted. But to us, w ho had a,
much greater object in view, the delay thus occafioned was
an efiential lofs. T h e feafon was advancing apace. We-
knew not how far we might have to proceed to the S o u th ;
and we were now convinced, that the continent o f North-
America extended farther to the Weft, than, from the mo—
* O b ta in Cook having here left a blank which he had not filled up with any partic
u l a r name^ Lord Sandwich direaed, with the greateft propriety,,that.it ihould be:
called C u t ’s Rivtr..
dern-.
dern moft reputable charts, we had reafon to expetft. This jw k
. -■ i * J u n e .
made the exiftence o f a paflage into Baffin’s or Hudfon’s s__
Bays lefs probable ; or, at leaft, fhewed it to be o f greater
extent. It was a fatisfaflion to me, however, to refledl,
that, i f I had not examined this very confiderable inlet,
it would have been affumed, b y fpeculative fabricators o f
g eography, as a fa ft, that it communicated with the fea to:
the North, or with Baffin’s or Hudfon’s Bay to the Eaft, and
been marked, perhaps, on future maps o f the world, w itlt
greater precifion,. and more certain figns o f reality, than
the invifible, beeaufe imaginary, Straits o f de Fuca, and d e
Fonte.
In the afternoon, I fent Mr. K in g again, w ith two- armed
boats, with orders to land, on the Northern point o f the-
low land, on the South Eaft fide o f the r iv e r ; there to dif-
play the flag ; to take poflefiion o f the country and river, in
his Majefty’s name ; and to bury in the ground a bottle,
containing fome pieces o f Engliih coin, o f the year 1772,.
and'a paper, on which was infcribed the names o f our Ihips,.
and the date o f our difcovery. In the mean time, the ihips
were got under fail, in order to proceed down the river. The-
wind ftill blue freih, E a fte rly ; but a calm enfued, not long
after we were under way ; and the flood-tide meeting us o ff
the point where Mr. K in g landed (and which thence got the-
name o f Point Pojfeffioti), we were obliged to drop anchor in
fix fathoms water, with the point bearing South, two miles-
diftant.
When Mr. K in g returned, he informed me, that as he approached
the ihore, about twenty o f the natives made their
appearance, with their arms extended; probably, to exprefs-
chus their peaceable difpofition,, and to ihew that they were.-
4. without; •