fide in a canoe, and gave me to underftand, that there was a fhip at
no great diftance; at the fame time they offered to conduct me to
her for a firing of beads. Glad to accept this propofal, I willingly
embraced their offer, and fet off with the whale-boats, leaving the
long boat at anchor, as I was afraid file would only retard my pro-
grefs, and I was exceedingly anxious to know, whether there really
was a veffel in this part, or that the Indians had been amufing me
with a falfe report.
“ I had not got far before the weather grew very bad, and my
guides gave me-the flip: however, I continued the fearch along
fhore till twelve o’clock, by which time I had got into the entrance
o f a large bay, and the weather growing very fqually, with heavy
ftorms of fnow and fleet, I thought it moft advifeable to return to
the long boat, where I arrived about three o’clock.
“ A t half paft fix o’clock, fix canoes came into the cove where
we lay, and told me there was a fhip not far off, to which they
were going, and offered to fhew me the way: the weather was then
very bad, but as they were going up the inlet, and not out to fea„
as my guides had done in the morning, I fet out with them in my
own whale-boat, leaving the other whale-boat, and the long boat,
in the cove.
“ At ten o’clock in the evening, we arrived in the creek where
the veffel I fo much wifhed to fee lay. I found her to be a fnow,
called the Nootka, from Bengal, commanded by a Captain Meares,
under Englifh colours.
“ I learnt from Captain Meares, that he had failed from Bengal
in March, 1786, and that he touched at Oonalafka in Auguft.
1 From
From thence he proceeded to Cook’s River, which he intended to
make by way of the Barren- Elands ; but the weather at that time
being thick and hazy, he got into Whitfuntide Bay, through which
he found a paffage into Cook’s River. In this ftraight he met with
a party of Ruffian fettlcrs, who informed him, that the land to the
Eaftward of the firaight is called by them Codiac, and that they had
a fettlement there • likewife that two European veffels were then at
anchor at Codiac, and that they had lately feen two other fhips in
Cook’s River. This intelligence induced him to fleer for Prince
William’s Sound, where he arrived the latter end of September.
178
May
- “ He had wintered in the creek where I now found him, and
his veffel was ftill faff in the ice. The fcurvy had made fad havock
amongft his people, he having loft his Second and Third Mates,
the Surgeon, Boatfwain, Carpenter, Cooper,.Sail-maker, and a great
number of the foremaft men, by that dreadful diforder; and the
remaining part of his crew were fo enfeebled at one time, that
Captain Meares himfelf was the only perfon on board able to walk
the deck.
“ If gave him very great pleafure to find two veffels fo near, who
could affift him in fome meafure in his diftrefs ; and I had no lefs
fatisfafilion in affuringhim, that hefhould be furnifhed with every
neceffary we could poffibly fpare. As Captain Meares’s people were
now getting better, he defired me not to take the trouble of fending
any refrefhments to him, as he would come on board us very
fhortly in his own boat.
“ I left the Nootka at three o’clock in the morning of the 9th,
and got to my boats about eight : at ten o’clock I weighed, and
flood down for our fhips, being now convinced, that there was no
profpedt