92 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY 
tween it and the land, which we entered, as might 
be expected, with great pleasure; but the wind 
having become very light after we got close in with 
the land, we made very little progress. We have 
the satisfaction, however, of finding, that there is an 
open channel along the coast as far as we can see to 
the westward. We got in the afternoon abreast of 
a deep bay in the north land, where we sounded in 
one hundred and thirty-two fathoms water, (soft 
mud). . 
Sunday, 22d. — The mri was sel nearly the 
whole of yesterday, so that nothing was done worthy 
of being mentioned. A light breeze sprung up, 
however, this forenoon, which enabled us to push 
ona little way. The part of the coast that we passed 
to-day was very much intersected with bays and 
inlets, some of which were of considerable extent. 
The appearance of the land itself was somewhat 
similar to the same line of coast to the eastward, only 
it was more broken, and consequently presented a 
greater variety of shapes. In some parts of it there 
were perpendicular cliffs of very great height, but 
still retaining, like the other parts of this coast al. 
ready deseabsed, a stratified appearance. 
As the ships were making but little progress, on 
account of the lightness af the wind, a couple of 
boats were sent ashore in the afternoon to a sort of 
headland off which the ships happened to be at the 
time ; but a breeze of wind having sprung up shortly 
after we landed, our stay on shore was very short. 
A few observations were made, however, by which 
it was determined that the variation of the compass 
was 129° W.; the longitude of the place. by sights 
