During this afternoon, and the whole of the 5th, we had light
variable winds, with calms by turns.
In the morning of the 6th, the land in fight bore front North-
78 deg. Weft, to North 50 deg. Eaft j and the Weft point of the
bay we had left North 10 deg. Weft, about five leagues diftant.
Our obfervation at noon gave 59 deg. 13 min. North latitude; and
the longitude was 14.0 deg. 40 min. Weft. A frefh Eafterly breeze
now fprung up, and the day being tolerably clear, at four o’clock
in the afternoon, we few Mount St. Elias, which bore North Weft-
three quarters North,, more than 20 leagues diftant..
From the 7th to the 9th, the wind kept to the Eaftward,. with-
wet, hazy weather, during which time we plied to the Southward,
and confequently ftretched farther from the land than we could
have wifhed; the coaft in this part trending nearly from Eaft
South Eaft to Weft North Weft. Our obfervation at noon, on
the 8th, gave 57 deg. 59 min. North latitude' and 141 deg. 25
min. Weft longitude.
At one o’clock in the morning of the 10th, the wind fhifted to
South Weft, which enabled us to ftand in for the coaft, to our
great fetisfaclion. Our meridian altitude at noon gave 56 deg,
49 min. North latitude; and the longitude 140 deg. 11 miii.
Weft.
During the.remainder of the day, and the whole of the n th ,
we had a frefh breeze from the Weftward, and kept Handing fertile
coaft, which, however, we could not fee at any confiderable distance,
the forenoon being thick and hazy. Our latitude at noon,
5 7 deg. 13 min. North; longitude 136 deg. 26 min. Weft. A t
* ' half
half paft two in the afternoon, we few land, bearing from Weft 1787.
North Weft to Eaft South Eaft, about four miles diftant. The
Southermoft point of land appeared to be Cape Edgecombe, which
we flood in for, and prefently found we were not miftaken. At
fix o’clock the cape bore North North Weft, and our diftance from
fhore about a mile. We now opened a very large and extenfive
■ bay, which had every appearance of an excellent harbour. About
a mile to the Southward of the cape is a fmall ifland, and we fleered
right for the paflage betwixt that and the cape; but at feven
o’clock, feeing a quantity of rock-weed right a-head, Captain
Dixon judged it prudent to haul off fhore to the Southward, during
the night.
At one o’clock in the morning of the 12th, we tacked, and flood
in for the bay, leaving the fmall ifland juft mentioned to the Weft-
ward, with a light breeze from North Weft by Weft. At four
o’clock our whale-boat was hoifted out, and fent a-head to found.
About fix o’clock we few a large boat full of people, at a very con- ,
fiderable diftance out at fea, making towards us as faft as poffible;
fhe hoifted fomething which had the appearance of a white flag,
but we could not diftinguifh, with the help of our glaffes, what
nation fhe belonged to; and various were our conjectures on this
head. Some of us judged them to be Ruffians; and others thought
they poflibly might be Spaniards, who had been left here ever fince
the year 1775, at which time two Spanifh veflels were at anchor
near this place ; or that they belonged to feme fhip, which probably
lay here at prefent: however, as they came nearer, we perceived
it to be an Indian canoe, and on their corning up with us,
we had the pleafure to find, that they belonged to the found we
were fleering for. They had feen our veffel the preceding evening,
and