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177 9-’
. Auguft.
Sunday 1.
•Monday 2.
Tuefday^.
^Vednef. 4 .
We had ligh t airs from the South Weft, till noon o f the
1 ft o f Auguft, at w hich time our latitude, b y obfervation,
was 64° 3 3 longitude ¿89° 13', the cbaft o f Alia extended
from North Weft by Weft to Weft h a lf South, diftant about
twe lve leagues ; and the land to the Eaftward o f Saint Laurence
bore South h a lf Weft. On the ad, the weather becoming
clear, we faw the fame land at noon, bearing front
Weft South Weft h a lf Weft to South Eaft, m akin g in a number
o f h igh hummocks, w h ich had the appearance o f fe-
.parate iflands; the latitude, by obfervation, was 64° 3',
longitude 1.89* 28', and depth o f water feventeen fathoms.
We did not approach this land fufficiently near to determine,
whether it was one ifland, or compofed o f a clufter
together. Its Wefternmoft part w e palled July 3d, in the
evening, and then fuppofed to be the ifland o f Saint Laurence
; the Eafternmoft we ran clofe b y in September laft
year, and this we named Clerke’s Ifland, and found it to
confift o f a number o f h ig h cliffs, joined together by ve ry
low land. T h o u gh we miftook, the laft year, thofe cliffs
fo r feparate iflands, till we approached very near the fhore,
I ihould ftill conjecture, that the ifland Saint Laurence was
diftindt from Clerke’s Ifland, fince there appeared a confider-
able fpace between them, where we could not perceive the
fmalleft riling o f ground. In the afternoon, we alfo faw
w h a t bore the appearance o f a fmall ifland, to the North
Eaft o f the land, which was i’een at noon, and which, from
the hazinefs o f the weather, we had only fight o f once.
W e eftimated its diftance to be nineteen leagues from the
ifland o f Saint .Laurence, in a North Eaft by Eaft h a lf Eaft
diredtion. On the 3d, we had light variable winds, and di-
re fled our courfe round the North Weft point o f the ifland
q f Saint Laurence. On the 4 th, at noon; our latitude, by
account,
account, was 64° 8', longitude 188°; the Ifland St. Lau- ^ugaL
rence bearing South one quarter Eaft, diftant feven leagues. ' « *
In the afternoon, a fre ih breeze fpring ing up from the
Eaft, we fleered to the South South Weft, and foon loft
fight o f St. Laurence. On the 7th, at noon, the latitude, Saturday 7.
b y obfervation, was 59°'38', longitude 183’ . In the afternoon,
it fe ll calm, and we got a great number o f cod in
feventy-eight fathoms-of water. I T h e variation was found
to be 19” Eaft. From this time, to the 17th, we were making:
the beft o f our w a y to the South, without any occurrence
worth remarking, except that the wind coming from the
Weftem quarter, forced us farther to the Eaftward than
w e wifhed, as it was our intention to make Beering’s ■
ifland.
On the 17th, at h a lf paft four in the morning, we faw Tuefday inland
to the North Weft, w hich we could not approach, the
wind blowing from that quarter. At noon, the latitude, b y
obfervation, was 53° 49', longitude r68° 3', and variation
10° Eaft. T he land in fight bore North b y Weft, twelve or
fourteen leagues diftant. T h is land we take to be the ifland
Mednoi, laid down, in the Ruffian charts, to the South Eaft
o f Beering’s Ifland. It is high land, and appeared clear o f
fnow. We place it in the latitude 54° 28', longitude 167° 52'.
We got no foundings with one hundred and fifty fathoms of,
line.
Captain Clerke was now no longer able to get out o f his
bed ; he therefore defired, that the officers would receive
their orders from me, and directed that we ihould proceed,
with all fpeed, to Awatfka Bay. T he wind continuing Weft-
e rly, we flood on to the South, till early on the morning o f
2 the