380 cook's voyage to june, 



of paper was found, folded up carefully, upon which 

 something was written in the Russian language, as 

 was supposed. The date 177S was prefixed to it ; 

 and, in the body of the written note there was a re- 

 ference to the year 1776. Not learned enough to 

 decypher the alphabet of the writer, his numerals 

 marked sufficiently that others had preceded us in 

 visiting this dreary part of the globe, who were united 

 to us by other ties besides those of our common na- 

 ture ; and the hopes of soon meeting with some of 

 the Russian traders, could not but give a sensible 

 satisfaction to those who had, for such a length of 

 time, been conversant with the savages of the Pa- 

 cific Ocean, and of the continent of North America. 

 Captain Clerke was at first of opinion, that some 

 Russians had been shipwrecked here ; and that these 

 unfortunate persons, seeing our ships pass, had taken 

 this method to inform us of their situation. Im- 

 pressed with humane sentiments, on such an oc- 

 casion, he was desirous of our stopping till they 

 might have time to join us. But no such idea oc- 

 curred to me. It seemed obvious that if this had 

 been the case, it would have been the first step taken 

 by such shipwrecked persons, in order to secure to 

 themselves, and to their companions, the relief they 

 could not but be solicitous about, to send some of 

 their body off to the ships in the canoes. For this 

 reason, I rather thought that the paper contained a 

 note of information, left by some Russian trader, 

 who had lately been amongst these islands, to be de- 

 livered to the next of their countrymen who should 

 arrive ; and that the natives, seeing our ships pass, 

 and supposing us to be Russians, had resolved to 

 bring off the note, thinking it might induce us to 

 stop. Fully convinced of this, I did not stay to en- 

 quire any farther into the matter ; but made sail, and 

 stood away to the westward, along the coast ; per- 

 haps I should say along the islands ; for we could not 

 pronounce, with certainty, whether the nearest land 



