«778- at laft to the North, clear o f the ihoals, ftill the attempt
c.. — would have been attended w ith vaft r i lk ; and i f we fhould
not have fucceeded, there would have been a confiderable
lofs o f time that could ill he fpared. Thefe reafons induced
me to return b y the way in w hich w e came ; and fo get
withou t the ihoals.
A number o f lunar obfervations made b y Mr. K in g and my-
felf, on this,- and the four preceding days, and all reduced to
the fhip’s prefent ftation, gave the longitude, 1970 4s ' 48"
B y the time-keeper it was - 1970 26' 48"
Our latitude was - 59° 37' 30"
Variation b y th e 7 . M
mean o f t h r e e » V n f mean 22 S^' 5l/;Ea^.
I P.M. 22 19 40"}
compailes, J
T h e Northernmoft part o f the coaft that w e could fee*
from this ftation, I judged to lie in the latitude o f 60°. It
feemed to form a low point, w h ich obtained the name o f
Shoal NeJ).
T h e tide o f flood fets to the North, and the ebb to the
South. It rifes and falls, upon a perpendicular, five or fix
feet; and I reckon it to be high-water, on the fu ll and change
days, at e ight o'clock.
Tuefday 21. Having weighed at three in the morning on the 21ft, with
a ligh t breeze at North North Weft, we fleered back to the
Southward, ha vin g three boats ahead to dire f t us. Bur,
notwithftanding this precaution, w e found more difficulty
in returning - than we had in advancing; and at laft
were obliged to anchor, to avoid running upon a fhoal,
w hich had only a depth o f five feet. While we la y here,
twenty-feven men o f the country, each in a canoe, came
o ff to the ffiips, which they approached with great caution ;
hollowing
h o llowin g and opening their arms as they advanced. T his, '778.
w e underftood, was to exprefs their pacific intentions. A t » j
length fome approached near enough to receive a few trifles
that were thown to them. This encouraged the reft to venture
along-fide ; and a traffic presently commenced between
them and our people ; who got drefies o f fkins, bows, arrows,
darts, wooden veflels, Gfo; our vifiters tak in g in
exchange fo r thefe whatever was offered them. T h e y
feemed to be the fame; fort o f people that w e had o f late
met w ith all a long this coaft ; wore the fame kin d o f ornaments
in their lips and nofes ; ;but were.far more dirty; a n d :
not fo -well clothed. T h e y appeared to be1 w h o lly unacquainted
with people lik e u s ; they, kn ew n ot the ufe o f
tobacco; nor was any foreign article feen in their poflef-
fron, unlefs a kn ife may be. looked upon as fuch.. This,
indeed, was only a piece o f common iron fitted in a wooden >
handle, fa-as to anfwer the purpofe o f a knife. T h e y , ho w ever,
kn ew the value and ufe o f this inftrument fo w e l l , .
that it feemed to be the only article they wiffied for. M od .
o f them had their hair fhaved, or cut ihort off, lea vin g only
a few locks behind, or on one fide. For a covering fo r the
head they wore a hood o f fkins, and a bonnet which appeared
to be o f wood. One part o f their drefs, which we
got from them, was a kind o f girdle, very neatly made o f
fkin, with trappings depending, from it, and palling, between
the legs, fo a s - to conceal the adjoining parts. By
the ufe of-fu ch a girdle,, it fhould feem that they fome-
times go naked,, even in this high la titude ; fo r they hardly
wear it under their other clothing.
T h e canoes were made o f fkins, like all the others* we
had lately fe e n ; only with this difference, that thefe were
broader, and the hole in which the man fits, was wider
6 than