.362 cook's voyage to june, 



with the fruit already set, and some other fruit-trees 

 and bushes unknown to him. The soil appeared to 

 be clay, mixed with sand. About three leagues 

 beyond the extent of his search, or to the northward 

 of it, he observed there was another separation in 

 the eastern chain of mountains, through which he 

 supposed the river took a north-east direction ; but 

 it seemed rather more probable that this was only 

 another branch, and that the main channel kept itft 

 northern direction, between the two ridges or chains 

 of mountains before mentioned. He found that 

 these two ridges, as they extended to the north, in- 

 clined more and more to each other, but never ap- 

 peared to close ; nor was any elevated land seen 

 between them, only low land, part woody, and part 

 clear. 



All hopes of finding a passage were now given up. 

 But as the ebb was almost spent, and we could not 

 return against the flood, 1 thought I might as well 

 take the advantage of the latter, to get a nearer view 

 of the eastern branch ; and, by that means, finally 

 to determine whether the low land on the east side 

 of the river was an island, as we had supposed, or 

 not. With this purpose in view, we weighed with 

 the first of the flood, and, having a faint breeze at 

 north-east, stood over for the eastern shore, with 

 boats ahead, sounding. Our depth was from twelve 

 to five fathoms ; the bottom a hard gravel, though 

 the water was exceedingly muddy. At eight o'clock 

 a fresh breeze sprung up at east, blowing in an oppo- 

 site direction to our course ; so that I despaired of 

 reaching the entrance of the river to which we were 

 plying up, before high-water. But thinking that 

 what the ships could not do, might be done with 

 boats, I dispatched two, under the command of 

 Lieutenant King, to examine the tides, and to make 

 such observations as might give us some insight into 

 the nature of the river. 



