On the 22d, the wind fluffed to the North Eaft, attended
w ith mifty weather. T he cold was exceedingly fevere, and
the ropes were fo frozen, that it was with difficulty we
could force them throu gh the blocks. A t noon, the latitude,
b y account, was 51° 38', longitude 160° 7' j and on
comparing our prefent pofition with that g iv en to the
Southern parts o f Kamtfchatka, in the Ruffian charts,
Captain Clerke did not think it prudent to run on toward
the land all night. We therefore tacked at ten ; and, havin
g founded, had ground a greeably to pur conjectures, with
feventy fathoms o f line.
On the 23d, at fix in the morning, being in latitude
52 09, and longitude 1 60° 07', on the fo g clearing away,
the land appealed in mountains covered with fn o w ; and
extending from North three quarters Eaft, to South Weft, a
h ig h conical rock, bearing South Weft, three quarters Weft,
at three or four leagues.diftance. We had no fooner taken
this imperfeCt view, than we were again covered with a
thick fog. Being now, according to our maps, only e ight
leagues from the entrance o f Awatika Bay, as foon as the
weather cleared up, we flood in to take a nearer view o f
the land ; and a more difmal and dreary proipeCt I never
beheld. T he coaft appears ftrajght and uniform, ha vin g
no inlets or bays ; the ground, from the fhore, rifes in hills
o f a moderate elevation, behind which are ranges o f mountains,
whofe fummits were loft in the clouds. T h e whole
fcene was entirely covered with fnow, except the fides o f
fome o f the cliffs, w hich rofe too abruptly from the fea for
the fnow to lie upon them.
T h e wind continued b lowin g very ftrong from the North
Eaft, with thick h a zy weather and fleet, from the 24th till
the 28th. Du ring the whole time, the thermometer was
never higher than 3o|.°. T h e fhip appeared to be a com-
3 plete
plete mafs o f i c e ; the fhrowds were fo incrufted w ith it, as »rr%‘
. April.
to meafure in circumference more than double their, u fu a l <— — 1
f i z e ; and, in fhort, the experience o f the oldeft feaman
among us, had never met w ith any thing lik e the continued
ihowers o f fleet, and the extreme cold, w hich we now
encountered. Indeed the feverity o f the weather, added to
the great difficulty o f w o rk in g the fhips, and the labour o f
ke ep in g the pumps conftantly go ing, rendered the fervice
too hard for many o f the crew, fome o f whom were froft-
bitten, and others laid up with bad colds. We continued
a ll this time Handing four hours on each tack, ha vin g g e n
erally foundings o f fixty fathoms, w hen about three leagues
from the la n d ; but none at twice that diftance. On the
25th, we had a tranfient view o f the entrance o f Awatika Sunday zj.
B a y ; but, in the prefent ftate o f the weather, we were
afraid o f ven tu rin g into it. Upon our ftanding o ff again,
w e loft fight o f the D ifco v e ry ; but, as we were now fo
near the place o f rendezvous, this gave us no great un-
eaiinefs.
On the 28th, in the morning, the weather at laft cleared, uVi-tr a .
and the wind fe ll to a ligh t breeze from the fame quarter as
before. We had a fine warm day ; and, as we now began
to expeift a thaw, the men were employed in breaking
the ice from o ff the rig g in g , mails, and fails, in order
to prevent its fa llin g on our heads. At noon, being in the
latitude o f 52° 44', and the longitude o f 139", the entrance
o f Awa tika Bay bore North Weft, diftant three or
four le a g u e s ; and, about three in the afternoon, a fair
wind fprun g up from the Southward, with which we flood
in, h a v in g regu lar foundings, from twenty-two to feven
fathoms.
T he