450 cook's voyage to sept. 



but just in time. As I now found that the land be- 

 fore us lay too far to the westward to be Anderson's 

 Island, I named it Gierke's Island. It lies in the lati- 

 tude of 63 15', and in the longitude of 190 30'. It 

 seemed to be a pretty large island, in which are four 

 or more hills, all connected by low ground ; so that 

 at a distance it looks like a group of islands. Near 

 its east part lies a small island, remarkable by having 

 upon it three elevated rocks. Not only the greater 

 island, but this small spot was inhabited. 



We got up to the northern point of Clerke's Island 

 about six o'clock, and having ranged along its coast 

 till dark, brought to during the night. At day- 

 break, next morning, we stood in again for the coast, 

 and continued to range along it, in search of a har- 

 bour, till noon ; when, seeing no likelihood of suc- 

 ceeding, I left it, and steered S. S. W., for the land 

 which we had discovered on the 29th of July, having 

 a fresh gale at N., with showers of sleet and snow. 

 I remarked that as soon as we opened the channel 

 which separates the two continents, cloudy weather, 

 with snow showers, immediately commenced, whereas 

 all the time that we were in Norton Sound, we had, 

 with the same wind, clear weather. Might not this 

 be occasioned by the mountains to the north of that 

 place attracting the vapours, and hindering them to 

 proceed any further ? 



At day -break in the morning of the 23d, the land 

 above mentioned appeared in sight, bearing S. W., 

 six or seven leagues distant. From this point of view, 

 it resembled a group of islands, but it proved to be 

 but one, of thirty miles in extent, in the direction 

 of N. W. and S.E. ; the S. E. end being Cape Up- 

 right, already taken notice of. The island is but 

 narrow, especially at the low necks of land that con- 

 nect the hills. 1 afterward found that it was wholly 

 unknown to the Russians ; and therefore considering 

 it as a discoverv of our own, I named it Gore's Island. 



