THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 475- 



his edition of Harris's Colle(5lion *, and a map thereto an- '778. 



. . _ September. 



nexed, which is both more circumltantial and accurate than < — « — j 

 that of Mr. Muller. 



The more I was convinced of my being now upon the 

 coaft of Afia, the more I was at a lofs to reconcile Mr. Stseh- 

 lin's map of the New Northern Archipelago with my ob- 

 fervations ; and I had no way to account for the great dif- 

 ference, but by fuppofing, that I had miftaken fome part of 

 what he calls the Illand of Alafchka for the American con- 

 tinent, and had mifTed the channel that feparates them. Ad- 

 mitting even this, there would Hill have been a confiderable 

 difference. It was with me a matter of fome confequence, 

 to clear up this point the prefent feafon, that I might have 

 but one obje6t in view the next. And, as thefe Northern 

 illes are reprefented by him as abounding with wood, I 

 was in hopes, if I fhould find them, of getting a fupply of 

 that article, which we now began to be in great want of 

 on board. 



With thefe views, I (leered over for the American coafl ; 

 and, at five in the afternoon, the next day, faw land bear- Saturday j, 

 ing South three quarters Eaft, which we took to be Ander- 

 fon's Ifland, or fome other land near it, and therefore did . 

 not wait to examine it. On the 6th, at four in the morn- Sunday 6. 

 ing, we got fight of the American coafl near Sledge Ifland ; 

 and at fix, the fame evening, this ifland bore North, 6° Eaft, 

 ten leagues diftant -, and the Eafternmofl: land in fight 

 North, 49° Eaft. If any part of what I had fuppofed to be 

 American coaft, could poffibly be the ifland of Alafchka, 

 it was that now before us ; and in that cafe, I muft have 

 miffed the channel between it and the main, by (leering to 



• Vol. ii. p. 10165 ^'c. 



3 P 2 the ' 



