1778* THE PACIFIC 0CEAN T . .351 



CHAP. VI. 



PROGRESS ALONG THE COAST. CAPE ELIZABETH. CAPE 



ST. HERMOGENES. ACCOUNTS OF BEERlNG's VOYAGE VERY 



DEFECTIVE. POINT BANKS. CAPE DOUGLAS. CAPE 



BEDE. MOUNT ST. AUGUSTIN. HOPES OF FINDING A 



PASSAGE UP AN INLET. THE SHIPS PROCEED UP IT. 



INDUBITABLE MARKS OF ITS BEING A RIVER. NAMED 



COOK'S RIVER. THE SHIPS RETURN DOWN IT. -VARI- 

 OUS VISITS FROM THE NATIVES. LIEUTENANT KING 



LANDS, AND TAKES POSSESSION OF THE COUNTRY. HIS 



REPORT. THE RESOLUTION RUNS AGROUND ON A SHOAL. 



REFLECTIONS ON THE DISCOVERY OF COOK'S RIVER. 



THE CONSIDERABLE TIDES IN IT ACCOUNTED FOR. 



After leaving Prince William's Sound, I steered to 

 the south-west, with a gentle breeze at north north- 

 east ; which, at four o'clock the next morning, was 

 succeeded by a calm ; and soon after, the calm was 

 succeeded by a breeze from south-west. This fresh- 

 ening, and veering to north-west, we still continued 

 to stretch to the south-west, and passed a lofty pro- 

 montory, situated in the latitude of 59 10', and the 

 longitude of 207 4*5'. As the discovery of it was 

 connected with the Princess Elizabeth's birth-day, I 

 named it Cape Elizabeth. Beyond it we could see no 

 land ; so that, at first, we were in hopes that it was 

 the western extremity of the continent ; but not 

 long after, we saw our mistake; for fresh land appeared 

 in sight, bearing west south-west. 



The wind, by this time, had increased to a very 

 strong gale, and forced us to a good distance from 

 the coast. In the afternoon of the c 2 c 2d, the gale 

 abated ; and we stood to the northward for Cape 

 Elizabeth ; which at noon, the next day, bore west, 

 ten leagues distant. At the same time, a new land 



