we had light variable airs.. Great numbers of whales were feen
in almoft every direction, but particularly towards the land. Our
meridian altitude gave 59 deg. 48 min. North latitude. Cape
Hinehinbrooke bore North 65 deg. Weft, about twelve leagues
aiftant, and the South Weft point of Montague Ifland South 63
deg. Weft.
At feven in the afternoon We faw Kaye’s Ifland, which bore
North 40 deg. Eaft; we ftill had light airs, with intervening
calms. Our latitude on the 16th, at noon, was 59 deg. 28 min.
North; and the longitude 145 deg. 20 min. Weft. Kaye’s Ifland
bore North 12 deg. Eaft. We had foundings from fifty to eighty
fathom water, over a muddy bottom. In the evening, the wind
lhifting to the Eaftward, we tacked at ten o’clock, and ftretched to
the Southward during the night. We founded at midnight, with
a line of 140 fathom, but found no bottom.
During the 17th and 18th, we had light variable winds, with
intervening calms , the weather tolerably 'fine. In the afternoon
of the '18th, we faw Mount St. Elias, which at eight o’clock bore
North 29 deg. Eaft; and the South point of Kaye’s Ifland Weft.
In the afternoon of the 19th a ftrorig breeze came on at Eaft
North Eaft,'and a heavy fwell fet in from the Southward. This
oc'cafioned us to double-reef the top-fails ; but towards evening,
the 'weather -grew moderate'.
The greateft part of the 20th, we had light baffling winds, with
frequent calms; our latitude at noon was 59 deg. 9 min. North;
and our longitude 143 deg. 34 min. Weft. Mount St. Elias bore
North by Eaft. At eight o’clock in the evening, a breeze luckily
fprung
fprung up from the Weftward, attended with clear weather, which
enabled us again to ftand in for the coaft, which in this fituation
trends nearly Eaft and Weft.
The weather in the forenoon of the 21 ft'was thick' and hazy ;
the wind ftill blowing a moderate Wefterly breeze. Our obferva-
tion atmoon gave 39 deg. 21 min. North latitude; and longitude
141 deg. 34 min. Weft. At eight in the evening we hauled o u r -
wind to the Northward, on feeing a low point of land, which bore
North 40 deg. Eaft; and the extremes of the land in fight bore,
from North 32- deg. Weft, to North 76 deg. Eaft, about four miles .
diftant. It not .being prudent to ftand for the fhore during the *
night, at nine o’clock we tacked, and ftretched to the Southward..
On founding, we had fixty fathom water, over a.muddy bottom.
Early in the morning of the 2ad, we tacked and flood to the •
Northward, but unfortunately had light -variable airs, and thick.
hazy, weather.; .however, at nine o’clock we faw land bearing from<
North Weft hy North to Eaft North Eaft; and there being every
app.earance.-of an inlet, Captain Dixon determined to examine it, ,
as there was a probability o f finding inhabitants,, and confequently ,
fome. trade-might b.e«xpe£ted..
Eight airs, and intervening calms, the whole day, prevented our •
getting in with the land ; ...the weather at the fame time -being thick :
and hazy. We had foundings.from feventy to eighty-five fathom ;
water, over a muddy bottom..
At halfipaft two o ’clock in the morning.of the 23d, a light :
breeze fpringing up from the Eaftward, we flood in for the Weft- -
ermoft -point of land, which was. then about five miles diftant. A t ;
four,-