1779- As it was now neceffary to come to ibme determination
' w ith refpedt to the courfe w e were next to fteer, Captain
Clerke fent a boat; with the carpenters, on board the Difco-
very, to inquire into the particulars o f the damage £he had
fuftained. T h e y returned, in the evening, with the report
o f Captain Gore, and o f the carpenters o f both ihips, that
the damages they had received were o f a kin d that w ou ld
require three weeks to repair; and that it wou ld be neceffary,
for that purpofe, to g o into fome port.
T hu s , finding a farther advance to the Northward, as w e ll’
as a nearer approach to either continent, obftrudted by a fea
blocked u p w ith ice, w e judg ed it both injurious to the fer-
vice, b y endangering the fa fe ty o f the ihips, as Well as
fru itle fs, with refpedl to the defign o f our voyage, to make
any farther attempts toward a pafTage. T h is , therefore^,
added to the reprefentations o f Captain Gore, determined
Captain Clerke not to lofe more time in what he concluded
to be an unattainable objedt, but to fail for Awatfka Bay, to-
repair our damages there and, before the winter fhould fet
in, and render all other efforts toward difcovery impradtica-
ble, to explore the coaft o f Japan.
I w ill not endeavour to conceal' the jo y that brightened
the countenance o f every individual, as foon as Captain
C lerke's refolutions were made known. We w e r e a ll heartily
fick o f a navigation fu ll o f danger, and in w hich the
utmoft perfeverance had not been repaid with the fmallefl
probability o f fuccefs. We therefore turned our face s
toward home, after an abfence o f three years, with a deligh
t and fatisfadlion, w h ich , notwithftanding the tedious
vo ya ge we had ftill to make , and the immenfe. diftance we
had to run, were as fre ely entertained, and perhaps as
2 fu lly
fu lly enjoyed, as i f we had been already in fight o f the J779-
Land’s-end.
On the 28th, w e kept w o rk in g to windward with a frefh Wedncf-z3t
breeze from the South Eaft, ha vin g the coaft o f Afia ftill in
fight. At fo u r in the morning, the Cape, which on the
authority, o f Muller, w e have called Serdze Kamen, bore
South South Weft, diftant fix or feven leagues. We faw, in
different places, upon the tops o f the hills, w hich rifé inland
on both fides o f the Cape, protuberances o f a confider-
able height, w h ich had the appearance o f h u g e rocks, o r
pillars o f ftone.
On the 29th, the wind ftill continuing contrary, w e made Thurfdayzjr.
bu t flow progrefs to the Southward. At midnight w e had
thick, fo g g y weather, accompanied with a breeze from the
North North W eft, w ith which we diredted our courfe to the
South South Eaft, through the ftraits, and had no land in
fight till feven in the evening o f the 30th; when the fo g Friday 30V
clearing away, w e faw Cape Prince o f Wales bearing South
b y Eaft, diftant about fix leagues; and the ifland St. Diomede
South Weft by Weft- W e now altered our courfe to the Weft,
and at eight made the Eaft Cape, which, at midnight, bore
Weft by North, diftant fo u r leagues- In the night we fleered
to the South South Weft, w ith a freih Weft North- Wefterly
b re e z e ; and, at fou r in the morning o f the 3.1ft, the Eaft Saturday 31-
Cape bore North North Eaft, and the North Eaft part o f the
b a y o f St. Laurence (where w e anchored the la-ft year) Weft
b y South, its diftance b eing four leagues. As we could not
have worked up to windward without a greater wafte o f
time, than the objedt appeared to deferve, we ran acrofs the.
bay, regretting much, as we paffed along, the lofs o f thrs-
opportunity o f p ay in g a fecond vifit to the T fchu tiki. At
noon