318 cook's voyage to may, 



which lies in the latitude of 5B 5 C 2\ and in the lon- 

 gitude of 2%%, and five leagues inland, is the highest 

 of a chain, or rather a ridge of mountains, that rise 

 at the north-west entrance of Cross Sound, and 

 extend to the north-west in a parallel direction 

 with the coast. These mountains were wholly 

 covered with snow, from the highest summit down 

 to the sea-coast, some few places excepted, where 

 we could perceive trees rising, as it were, out of the 

 sea ; and which, therefore, we supposed grew on low 

 land, or on islands bordering upon the shore of the 

 continent *. At five in the afternoon, our latitude 

 being then 58 53\ and our longitude 220 5% ; the 

 summit of an elevated mountain appeared above the 

 horizon, being N. 26 W. ; and, as was afterward 

 found, forty leagues distant. We supposed it to be 

 Beering's Mount St. Elias ; and it stands by that 

 name in our chart. 



This day we saw several whales, seals, and por- 

 poises ; many gulls, and several flocks of birds, which 

 had a black ring about the head ; the tip of the tail, 

 and upper part of the wings with a black band ; and 

 the rest blueish above, and white below. We also 

 saw a brownish duck, with a black or deep blue head 

 and neck, sitting upon the water. 



Having but light winds, with some calms, we ad- 

 vanced slowly ; so that, on the 6th at noon, we were 

 only in the latitude of 59 8', and in the longitude of 

 220 19'. Mount Fair Weather bore S., 63 ., and 

 Mount Elias N., 30 W.; the nearest land about eight 

 leagues distant. In the direction of north, 47 E. 

 from this station, there was the appearance of a bay, 



* According to Muller, Beering fell in with the coast of North 

 America in latitude 58 28' ; and he describes its aspect thus: 

 " L' aspect du pays etoit affray ant par ses hautes montagnes cou- 

 veries cie neige.'' The chain, or ridge of mountains, covered with 

 snow, mentioned here by Captain Cook, in the same latitude, ex- 

 actly agrees with what Beering met with. See Midler's Voyages 

 et Decowertes des Russes, p. 248-^254. 



