flocks. Befides thefe, we daily faw moft o f the other fea-
birds, that are commonly found in other Northern oceans ;
fuch as gulls, fhags, puihns, iheerwaters ; and fometimes
ducks, geefe, and fwans. And feldom a day paffed without
feeing feals, whales, and other large filh.
In the afternoon, we got a ligh t breeze o f wind Southerly,
w hich enabled us to fleer Weft, for the channel that appeared
between theiflands and the continent; and, at day break
next morning, we were at no great diftance from it, and
found feveral other iflands, within thofe already, feen by us,
o f various extent both in height and circuit. But between
thefe laft iflands, and thofe before feen, there feemed to be
a clear channel, fo r which I fleered, be in g afraid to keep
the coaft o f the continent aboard, left; we fhould miftake
fome point o f it for an ifland, and, by that m eans, be drawn
into fome inlet, and lofe the advantage o f the fair wind,
which at this time blew.
I therefore kept along the Southernmoft chain o f iflands;
and at noon we were in the latitude o f 55° 18', and in the
narroweft part o f the channel, formed by them and thofe
w h ich lie along the continent, where it is about a leagu e
and a half, or two leagues over. The largeft ifland in this
group was now on our left, and is diftinguifhed by the name
o f Kodiak % according to the information we afterward re-
ceived. I left the reft o f them without names. I believe
them to be the fame that Beering calls Schumagin’s
Iflands -f- ; or thofe iflands w hich he called by that name, to
be a part o f them ; for this group is pretty extenfive. We
* See an Account o f Kodiak, in Stæhlin’ s N ew Northern Archipelago,
p. 3 0 -3 9 .
See Muller’ s Découvertes dss RuJJee, p. 262— 2 7 7 .
faw
faw iflands as far to the Southward as an ifland could be
Jun e .
feen. T h e y commence in the longitude o f 200° 15' Eaft, and t----
extend a degree and a half, or two degrees, to the Weft ward,
I cannot be p a r ticu la r; as we could not diftinguiih all the
iflands from the coaft o f the continent. Moft o f thefe iflands
are o f a good height, ve ry barren and rugged ; abounding
with rocks and fteep cliffs, "and exhibiting other romantic
appearances. There are feveral fn u g bays and coves about
them ; ftreams o f frefh water run from their elevated parts;
fome drift wood was floating a roun d ; but not a tree or bufh
was to be feen g row in g on the land. A good deal o f fnow ftill
la y on many o f them; and the parts o f the continent, w hich
fire wed themfel ves between the innermoft iflands, were quite
covered with it.
At four in the afternoon, w e had paffed all the iflands that
la y to the Southward o f us ; the Southernmoft, at this time;
bearing South 3° Eaft, and the Wefternmoft point o f land
now in fight, South 82* Weft. For this point we fleered, and
pafled between it and two or three elevated rocks that lie
about a league to the Eaft o f it.
Some time a fte r we had got through this channel, in
which we found forty fathoms water, the Difcovery, n ow
two miles aftern, fired three guns, and brought to, and
made the fignal to fpeak with us. T h is alarmed me not a
lit t le ; and as no apparent danger had been remarked in the
paffage through the channel, it was apprehended that fome
accident, fuch as fpr in g in g a leak, muff have happened. A-
boat was immediately fent to her; and in a ihort time returned
with Captain Clerke. I now learned from him, that
fome natives, in three or four canoes, w ho had been followin
g the ihip for fome time, at length got under his flern.
One.