Page:Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and Round the World in the Years 1791–95, volume 1.djvu/453

This page needs to be proofread.
378
A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY


Auguft.

i6 miles, and terminated in latitude 51°. 42', longitude 232° 22'. About a league and a half louth of this ftation, a fmall branch extends about four miles to the w.n.w. ; and, half a league further fouth another flretchcs about the fame didance, to the n.e.

In this inlet, which I have diftinguilhed by the nah.^ of Rivers's Canal, the land continued of a more moderate height, further up, than had generally been found to be the cafe : but where it branched off in the above direftions towards its head, 'he fhores were compofcd of high fleep rocky mountains, and, like Smith's inlet, and many other canals of this kind that we had examined, afforded no foundings in the middle with 80 fathoms of line ; though in the bays, found in moll of thefe canals, anchorage may, in all probability, be procured. Having finally examined thefe branches, they returned, by a very narrow intricate channel, on the northern fhore, leading through an immen- fity of rocky iflets and rocks, until they reached Point Ad den- brook, and again arrived on the eaflern fhore of Fitzhugh's found ; making the land they had paffed, in going up this laft inlet, on their larboard fide, an ifland about fix or feven miles long The continental fhore, abreafl of this ftation, having been fo far afcc ained, their fup- ply of provifions being exbaufted, and being greatly fatigued by the inclement weather, they returned on board without proceeding agreeably to my original defign to the northern extremity allotted to their examination. The further labour, however, of this party, I deemed unneceffary, having become perfeftly fatisfied as to the intermediate fpace. Every thing was therefore dire6led to be taken from the fhore, that we might fail in the morning towards the rendezvous I had appoint- ed with Mr. Johnftone.

Since my return from the laft boat expedition, I had fortunately ob- tained, during the few fhort intervals of fair weather that had occurred, fome tolerably good obfervations for the latitude and longitude of this ftation. The former, by three meridional altitudes of the fun, appear- ed to be 51° 32', the latter, 232° 3' 15": the variation of the compafs, 17° 7' eaftwardly. This cove is at its entrance, the points of which lie from each other n. 30 w. and s. 30 e., about a quarter of a mile wide; and from thence, to its head, in a direction s. 68 w., about a mile. A fmall rock