PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 447 



on an excursion : the other was upon Cape Deceit, chap. 

 a bold promontory, with a conspicuous rock off it, v^^y-L 

 so named by Captain Kotzebue. At two places fg26 

 where we landed there were some deserted yourts, 

 not worthy of description ; and at the mouth of two 

 rivers in the first and second bays to the eastward of 

 Cape Deceit, there were several spars and logs of 

 drift-wood placed erect, which showed that the na- 

 tives had occupied these stations in the summer for 

 the purpose of catching fish, but they were now all 

 deserted. Both these rivers had bars across the en- 

 trances, upon which the sea broke, so as to prevent 

 a boat from entering them. 



The land on the south side of the sound, as far as 

 the Bay of Good Hope, is higher, more rocky, and 

 of a bolder character than the opposite shore, though 

 it still resembles it in its swampy superficial cover- 

 ing, and in the occurrence of lakes wherever the 

 land is flat. Under water also, it has a bolder cha- 

 racter than the northern side, and has generally 

 soundings of four and five fathoms quite close to 

 the promontories. There are two or three places 

 under these headlands which in case of necessity 

 will afford shelter to boats, but each with a particu- 

 lar wind only ; and in resorting thither the direc- 

 tion of the wind and the side of the promontory 

 must be taken into consideration. 



In a geological point of view this part of the coast 

 is interesting, as being the only place in the sound 

 where volcanic rocks occurred. Near the second 

 promontory to the eastward of Cape Deceit we 

 found slaty limestone, having scales of talc between 

 the layers ; and in those parts of the cliff which 

 were most fallen down a talcaceous slate, with thin 



