■ 77*- felves, it cahnot be fuppofed that they are at the trouble o f
c , drefling more o f them than are neceflary fo r this purpofe.
And, perhaps, this is the ch ie f ufe fo r which they k ill the
an im a ls ; fo r the fea and the rivers feem to fupply them
w ith their principal articles o f food. It would, probahly,
be much otherwife, were they once habituated to a conftant
trade with foreigners! T h is intercourfe would inereafe their
wants, by introducing them to an acquaintance w ith new
luxuries ; and, in order to be enabled to purchafe thefe, they
wou ld be more affiduous hi procuring fkins, which they
wou ld foon difcover to be the commodity moft fought f o r ;
and a plentiful fupply o f w h ich , I make no doubt, would
be had in the country.
It w ill appear, from what has been (aid occafionally o f the
tide, that it is confiderable in this river, and contributes very
much to facilitate the navigation o f it. It is high-water in
the ftream, on the days o f the new and fu ll moon, between
two and three o’c lo ck ; and the tide rifes, upon a perpendicular,
between three and four fathoms. T he reafon o f the
tide’s be in g greater here, than at other parts o f this coaft,
is eafily accounted for. T he mouth o f the river b e in g fitu-
ated in a corner o f the coaft, the flood that comes from the
ocean is forced into it by both iliores, and by that means
fwells the tide to a great height. A view o f the chart w ill
illuftrate this.
T h e variation o f the compafs was 25” 40' Eaft,
C H A P . VII.
Difcoveries after leaving Cook's River.— I f and o f St. Her-
mogenes.— Cape Whitfunday.— Cape Greville. — Cape
Barnabas.— Two-headed Point.— Trinity I f and.— Beer-
ings Foggy I f and.— A beautiful bird defcribed.— Kodiak
and the Schumagin Ifands.— A Ruffan Letter
brought on board by a Native.— Conje&ures about it.__
Rock Point.-— Halibut I f and.— A Volcano Mountain.—
Providential Efcape.— -Arrival o f the Ships at Oona-
lafchka.— Intercourfe with the Natives there.— Another
Ruffan Letter.— Satnganoodha Harbour defcribed.
A S foon as the ebb tide m ade in our favour, w e weighed, •
and, w ith a lig h t breeze, between Weft South Weft, and <-—
South South Weft, plied down the river, till the flood obliged us FntUy 5
to anchor again. At length, about one o’clock, next morning, a Saturday 6.
fre ih b reeze fprung up at Weft, with which we got under fail,
and, at eight, paflfed the Barren Iflands, and ftretched away
fo r Cape St. Hermogenes. At noon, this Cape bore South
South Eaft, e ight leagues diftant; and the paflage between
the ifland o f that name, and the main land, bore South.
For this paflage I fleered, intending to g o through it.
But foon after the wind failed u s ; and we had baffling
ligh t airs from the Eaftward'; fo that I gave up m y de-
fign o f carrying the Ihips between the Ifland and the
main.
3 F 3 At