I786.
September.
cefs we may meet with, will be the fubject of my next. Adieu.
Thine ever,
È I i IgS . W . B. O ff King G eorge s Sound, ?
24th September. |
L E T T E R X IX .
\ T the conclufion of my laft, we were flattered with hopes of
JTX . fpeedily making our long wiflied for port: thefe hopes, l am
fincerely forry to tell thee, are now all over, for this year at leaft:
however, anticipation apart— let me proceed to give thee a regular
account of our ill fortune.
I obferved before, that we were within fix miles of the land in
the evening of the 22d, and that we hauled to the Southward
during the night. At fix in the morning of the 23d, we made
fail, and flood nearly North Eaft, with a frelh breeze from the
North Weft. At eight o’clock Split-Rock bore North 40 deg.
Weft, at fix leagues diftance. Our obfervation at noon gave 49
deS- 5° min. North latitude, and our longitude was 127 deg. 32
min. Weft; fo that we were near twenty miles to the Northward,
and fifty miles to the Weftward of our harbour. The Bluff
Head to the Weftward bore North 69 deg. Weft, and the Eafter-
moft land South 60 deg. Eaft, at fix miles diftance. During
the afternoon, the breeze grew lighter, and towards five o’clock it
was nearly calm, fo that it was impoffible to make the found, on
which
which we hauled our wind to the Southward. Our obfervation I78^-
at noon had, however, enabled us to determine the entrance into ,cpte~rlbclJ
the harbour to a certainty. At fix o’clock, the point of the found
bore North 60 deg. Eaft ; diftance fixteen or feventeen miles. At
eight we founded with a line of fifty-feven fathom, over a muddy
bottom. During the night, we had light, variable winds, and
fometimes fqually, with rain.
In the morning of the 24th, we again flood for the land, fleering
North Eaft by Eaft, with a moderate breeze from South Eaft
by Eaft, but we foon had light, baffling, variable winds, and frequently
calm; fo that we could not poflibly make the harbour.
Our obfervation at noon gave 49 deg. 28 min. North latitude.
The point of land at the entrance of the found bore North Eaft,
at four leagues diftance, and Point Breakers Eaft.6 deg. South;
diftance fix miles. At two o’clock we founded, with a line of 65
fathom, over a rocky bottom. At four o’clock the harbour bore
North 55 deg. Eaft; diftance four leagues; and at fix, the extremes
of the land bore from Eaft 9 deg. South to North, 25 deg. Weft.
Nootka Point, North Eaft by North; diftance ten miles. We had
foundings with a line of fifty-five fathoms, over a muddy bottom.
During the forenoon of the 25th, we had light variable airs,
with frequent fhowers of rain. At noon, though we were not
more than ten miles diftant from the entrance into the found, yet
frequent calms, with light baffling winds in every direction, together
with a heavy rolling fwell fetting in right on the land, rendered
it impracticable for us to ftand in for the fhore; fo that at
five o’clock we wore, and flood to the Southward. At fix o’clock
the extremes of the land bore from Eaft by South to Weft North
Weft, diftant about eight miles. In the evening, the wind blew
2 ' frelh