•779- ha vin g turned, we were again obliged to drop anchor in?
. J“,ne~ . feven fathoms ; the Three Needle Rocks bearing South h a lf
Eaft; and the oftrog North h a lf Eaft, at the diftance o f one
mile from the neareft land. After dinner, I went, with-
Captain Gore, on lhore on the Eaft fide o f the pallage, where
we faw, in two different places, the remains o f extenfive
villages ; and, on the fide o f the hill, an old ruined parapet,,
w ith four or five embrafures. It commanded the paffage up-
the mouth o f the b a y ; and, in Beering’s time, as he him-
fe lf mentions, had guns mounted on it. Near this place,,
were the ruins o f fome caverns under ground, which we
fuppofed to have beeq, magazines.
A t fix in the afternoon w e weighed with the ebb tide, and'
turned to w in dw a rd ; but, at eight, a thick fo g arifing, we
were obliged to bring to, as our foundings couldn ot afford us-
a fufficient diredlion for fleering between feveral funk rocks,
w h ich lie on each fide o f the paffage w e had to make. In
Monday 14. the morning o f the 14th, the fo g clearing away, we weighed-
as foon as the tide began to e b b ; and, having little wind,,
fent the boats ahead to to w ; but, at ten o’clock, both the
wind and tide fet in fo ftrong from the fea, that we were,
again obliged to drop anchor in thirteen fathoms, the high!
rock bearing Weft one quarter South, diftant three quarters
o f a mile. We remained fa il for the.: reft o f the day, the
wind blowin g frefh into the mouth o f the b a y ; and, toward
evening, the weather had a very unufual appearance,
b e in g exceedingly d a rk and cloudy, with an unfettled ihift--
in g wind.
Taefday 15. Before day-light, on the 15th, we were furprifed with a
rumbling noife, refembling diftant hollow thunder; and,
when the day broke, we found the decks and fides o f the
7 i f t iig s i
©
£hips covered with a fine dull like emery, near an inch ' 779-
thick. The air, at the fame time, continued loaded and ?■■■ JT- —■>
darkened with this fubftance ; and, toward the volcano
mountain, fituated to the North o f the harbour, it was fo
thick and black, that w e could not diftinguifh the body o f
the hill. About twelve o ’clock, and, during the afternoon,
the explofions became louder, and were followed by fliowers
o f cinders, w h ich were, in general, about the fize o f p ea s ;
though many were picked up from the deck larger than
a hazel nut. Alon g with the cinders fe ll feveral fmall ftones,
which had undergone no change from the aftion o f fire. In
the evening we had dreadful thunder and lightning, which,
w ith the darknefs o f the atmofphere, and the fulphureous
fm e ll o f the air, produced altogether a moft aw fu l and terrify
in g e ffed. We were, at this time, about e ight leagues
from the foot o f the mountain.
On the 16th, at day-light, we again weighed anchor, and Wednef. 16,
flood out o f the b a y ; but the ebb-tide fetting acrofs the paffage
upon the Eaftern ihore, and the wind fallin g, we were
driven ve ry near the Three Needle Rocks, w hich lie on that
fide o f the entrance, and obliged to hoift out the boats, in
order to tow the ihips clear o f them. At noon we were two
leagues from the land, and had foundings with forty-
three fathoms o f line, over a bottom o f fmall ftones, o f the
fame kind with thofe w hich fe ll on our decks, after the
eruption o f the volcano; but whether they had been left
there by the laft, or by fome former eruptions, we were not
able to determine!
T h e afpedl o f the country was now ve ry different from
what it had been on our firft arrival. The fnow, excepting
what remained on the tops o f fome very high mountains, had
H h 2 difappeared;