fee the land till he was in the latitude. of 55 deg; 20
min. North. After this, Captain Cook had generally
an opportunity of keeping the coaft a-bcard ; he afcer-
tained the fituation of Cape Edgecumbe, difcovered
Kaye’s Illand, Prince William’s Sound, and Cook’s River,
in which two laft mentioned places he came to anchor.
To laV that thefe different harbours are laid down with
accuracy and preciilon, would be unne'ceftary ; it is fuffi-
cient to obferve, that they were furveyed by Captain Cook.
It
North Weft by North, with“ a frefh gale at South South' Eaft, and fair
weather ; but at nine in the evening it began again to blow hard and in
fqualls, with rain. With fuch weather, and the wind between South
South Eaft and South Weft, I continued the fame courfe till the 30th, at
four in the morning, when I fleered North by Weft, in order -to make
the land. I regretted very much, indeed, that I could not do it fööner;
for this obvious reafon, that we were now pa fling the place^where Geographers
have placed the pretended Straight of Admiral de Fonte. For
my own part, I give no credit to fuch vague and improbable ftories, which
carry their own confutation with them. Neverthelefs, I was very defirous
o f keeping the American Coaft a-board, in order to clear up this point
beyond difpute, But it would have been highly imprudent in me to
have engaged with the land in weather fo exceedingly tempeftuous, or to
have loft the advantage o f a fair wind, by waiting for better weather.
This fame day at noön we were in latitude 53 deg. 22 min. North; and
longitude 225 deg. 14 min. Eaft. See Cook’s Voyage to the Pacific
Ocean, Vol. ii. page 343.
It is needlefs to trace this excellent Navigator’s Difco-
veries any farther to the Northward, as they are unconnected
with the prefent Voyage, and their importance is
well known to the world ; but.it may be neceflary to
obferve, that Captain Cook met with furs only in Cook’s
River, Prince William’s, and King George’s Sounds, fo
that thefe places were moft likely to engage she attention
of any perfons who fhould engage in that branch o f commerce.
Who the Gentlemen were that firft embarked in the
fur-trade, is perhaps not generally known, though it is
certain they were not hardy enough to fend veftels in
that employ directly from England ; for we find, that
the firft veflel which engaged in this new trade was fitted
out from China: fhe was a brig o f fixty tons, commanded
by a Captain Hanna, who left the Typa in April,
1785. His deftination was for King George’s Sound,
where he arrived the following Auguft.
Soon after his arrival, the natives attempted to board
his veflel in open day, but were repulfed with confide-
rable daughter: this affair fecured the friendfhip of the
Indians, for they afterwards traded quietly and peaceably.
Captain Hanna is faid to have procured a valuable cargo
c of