INTRODUCTION. 



them any jujl cauje of offence, but, on the contrary, to treat them with civility 

 and friendftoip . 



Upon your arrival on the coaft of New Albion, you are to put into the fir Jl 

 convenient port to recruit your wood and water, and procure refrejhments, and 

 then to proceed Northward along the coaft, as far as the latitude of 6^°, or 

 farther, if you are not obJiruSied by lands or ice-, taking care not to lofe any 

 time in exploring rivers or inlets, or upon any other account, until you get into 

 the before-mentioned latitude of 6^°, where we could wip you to arrive in the 

 month of June next. When you get that length, you are very carefully ta 

 fear ch for, and to explore, fuch rivers or inlets as may appear to be of a con~ 

 fiderable extent, and pointing towards Hudfon's or Baffin's Bays ; and if, 

 from your own obfervations, or from any information you may receive from the 

 natives C'^ho, there is reafon to believe, are the fame race of people, andfpeak 

 the fame language, of which you are furniffed with a Vocabulary , as the Ef- 

 quimaux), there fh all appear to be a certainty, or even a probability, of a 

 water paffage into the afore-mentioned bays, or either of them, you are, in fuch 

 cafe, to ufe your utmoft endeavours to pafs through with one or both of the 

 floops, unlefs you ffall be of opinion that the paffage may be effeEled with more 

 certainty, or with greater probability, by f mailer veffels -, in which cafe you 

 are tofet up the frames of one or both the fmall veffels with which you are 

 provided, and, when they are put together, and are properly fitted, ftored, 

 and vi£luaUed, you are to difpatch one or both of them, under the care of pro- 

 per officers, with afufficient number of petty officers, men, and boats, in order 

 to attempt the f aid paffage ; with fuch inftruSlions for their rejoining you, if 

 they floould fail, or for their farther proceedings, if they ffouldfucceed in the 

 attempt, as you fijall judge moft proper. But, neverthelefs, if you Jh all find it 

 more eligible to purfue any other meafures than thofe above pointed out, in or- 

 der to make a difcovery of the before-mentioned paffage ( if any fuch there be), 

 you are at liberty, and we leave it to your difcretion, to purfue fuch meafures 

 accordingly. 



In cafe you ffall be fatisfied that there is no paffage through to the above- 

 mentioned bays, fufficient for the furpofes of navigation, you are, at the proper 

 feafon of the year, to repair to the port of St. Peter and St. Paul in Kamtf- 

 thatka, or wherever elfe you fh all judge more proper, in order to ref rep your 

 people and pafs the Winter; and, in the Spring of the enfuing year 1778, to 

 proceed from thence to the Northward, as far as, in your prudence, you may 

 think proper, in further fearch of a North Eaft:, or North Weft paffage, from 

 the Pacific Ocean into the Atlantic Ocean, or the North Sea : and if, from 



Vol. I. e your 



xxxm 



