1778. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 369 



concluded to be the former ; but in the end we found 

 ourselves mistaken. I now kept the western shore 

 aboard, it appearing to be the safest. Near the 

 shore we had a depth of thirteen fathoms ; and two 

 or three miles off, forty and upward. At eight in 

 the evening, we anchored under a point of land 

 which bore N.E., three leagues distant, in fifteen 

 fathoms water. Here we lay during the ebb, which 

 ran near five knots in the hour. 



Until we got thus far, the water had retained the 

 same degree of saltness at low as at high water, and 

 at both periods was as salt as that in the ocean. But 

 now the marks of a river displayed themselves. The 

 water taken up this ebb, when at the lowest, was 

 found to be very considerably fresher than any we had 

 hitherto tasted, insomuch that I was convinced that 

 we were in a lar^e river, and not in a strait, com- 

 municating with the northern seas. But as we had 

 proceeded thus far, I was desirous of having 

 stronger proofs, and therefore w r eighed with the next 

 flood in the morning of the 31st, and plied higher up, 

 or rather drove up with the tide, for we had but 

 little wind. 



About eight o'clock we were visited by several of 

 the natives, in one large and several small canoes. 

 The latter carried only one person each, and some 

 had a paddle with a blade at each end, after the man- 

 ner of the Esquimaux. In the large canoes were 

 men, women, and children. Before they reached 

 the ship, they displayed a leathern frock upon a 

 long pole as a sign, as we understood it, of their 

 peaceable intentions. This frock they conveyed 

 into the ship, in return for some trifles which 

 I gave them. I could observe no difference 

 between the persons, dress, ornaments, and boats 

 of these people, and those of Prince William's 

 Sound, except that the small canoes were rather of a 

 less size, and carried only one man. We pro- 

 cured from them some of their fur dresses, made of 



A a h 



