478 COOK S VOYAGE TO OCT. 



found subsisting between the dialects of the Green- 

 landers and Esquimaux, and those of Norton's 

 Sound and Oonalashka. This will appear from a 

 table of corresponding words, which I put together, 

 and will be inserted in the course of this work.* It 

 must be observed, however, with regard to the words 

 which we collected on this side of America, that too 

 much stress is not to be laid upon their being accu- 

 rately represented ; for, after Mr. Anderson's death, 

 we had few who took much pains about such matters, 

 and I have frequently found, that the same words 

 written down by two or more persons, from the 

 mouth of the same native, on being compared to- 

 gether, differed not a little. But still, enough is cer- 

 tain, to warrant this judgment, that there is great 

 reason to believe that all these nations are of the 

 same extraction; and if so, there can be little doubt 

 of there being a northern communication of some 

 sort, by sea, between this west side of America and 

 the east side, through Baffin's Bay ; which commu- 

 nication, however, may be effectually shut up against 

 ships, by ice and other impediments. Such, at least, 

 was my opinion at this time. 



I shall now quit these northern regions, with a 

 few particulars relative to the tides and currents upon 

 the coast, and an account of the astronomical observ- 

 ations made by us in Samganoodha Harbour. 



The tide is no where considerable but in the great 

 river.t 



The flood comes from the south or south-east, 

 every where following the direction of the coast to 

 the north-westward. Between Norton Sound and 

 Cape Prince of Wales, we found a current setting 

 to the north-west, particularly off the cape, and with- 

 in Sledge Island. But this current extended only a 



* It will be found, amongst other vocabularies, at the end of 

 the seventh volume, 

 f Cook's River. 



