S3
1778.
September.
^Vednef. 23.
Thurfday 24.
fnow fhowers immediately commenced ; whereas,' all the
time that we were in Norton Sound, w e had, with the
fame wind, clear weather. Might not this be occasioned by
the mountains to the North o f that place attracting the vapours,
and hindering them to proceed any farther ?
At day-break in rhe morning o f the 23d, the land above-
mentioned appeared in fight, bearing South Weft, fix or
feven leagues diftanr. From this point o f view, it refembted-
a group o f iflands; but it proved to be but one, o f thirty
miles in eitent, in the direction o f North Weft and South
Eaft; the South Eaft end being Cape Upright, already taken
notice of. T he ifland is but n ar row ; efpecially at the low
necks o f land that connecft the hills. I afterward found,
that it was w ho lly unknown to the Ruffians ; and therefore
confidering it as a difcovery o f our own, I named it Gore’s
jjland. It appeared to be barren, and without inhabitants ;
at leaft w e faw» none. Nor did we fee fo many birds abourit,
as when w e firft difcovered it. But we faw fome fea-otters ;
an animal which we had not met with to the North o f this
latitude. Four leagues from Cape Upright, in the direction
o f South, 72° Weft, lies a fmall ifland, whofe elevated fum-
mit terminates in feveral pinnacle rocks. On this account
it was named Finnacle I/land. At two in the afternoon, after
paffing Cape Upright, I fleered South Eaft by South, for
Samganoodha, with a gentle breeze at North North Weft,
be in g refolved to fpend no more time in fearching for a harbour
amongft iflands, w hich I now began to fufpedl had no
exiftence ; at leaft, not in the latitude and longitude where
modern map-makers have thought proper to place them.
In the evening o f the 2.4th, the wind veered to South Weft
and South, and increafed to a frc ili gale.
We
We continued to ftretch to the Eaftward, till'eight o’clock '778-
in the morning o f the 25th, when,, in th e latitude o f 58? 32', 'Sej>-‘-e" bc|j.
and in the long itu d e o f 191° 10’ , we tacked and-flood to the Fnda-y2S'
Weft ; and faon after, the .galte increafing, we were reduced
to two courfes, and clofe-reefed main top-fails.- Not long,
after, the Refolution fprung a teak, under the ftarboard
buttock, which, filled the fpirit-room w ith water, before it
was difcovered ; and it was' fo, confiderable as to keep one
pump conftantly employed. We durft not put the ihip
upon the other tack, for fear o f getting upon the fhoals
that lie to the North Weft o f Cape N ewenh am; but continued
ffanding to the Weft, till f i x in the evening o f the 26th, Saturday 2«-
when we wore and flood to .the Eaftward; and then the lea k
no longer troubled us. This proved, that it was above the
water line ; w hich was no fmall fatisfaftion. T he gale was
now ove r; but the wind remained at South and South Weft
fo r fome days, longer.
At length, on the 2d o f Otftober, at day-break, we faw oa0b«v
the ifland o f Oonalafhka, bearing South *Eaft. But as this F" da)[ 2‘
was to us a new point o f view, and the land was obfcured
b y a thick haze, we were not fure o f our fituation till noon,
when the obferved latitude determined it. As all harbours
were alike to me, provided they were equally fafe and convenient,
I hauled into a bay, that lies ten miles to the Weft-
ward o f Samganoodha, kn own by the name o f Egooohjhac
but we found very deep water ; fo that w e were glad to get:
out again. The natives, many o f whom lived here, vifitedi
us at different times, brin gin g with them dried falmon, and;
other fifh, w h ich they exchanged with the feamen for tobacco.
But a few days' before, every ounce o f tobacco that
was in the ihip had been diftributed among them-; and the
quantity was not h a lf fufficient to anfwer their demands-
Notwithftanding: