THE ST. LAWRENCE ISLANDS. 139 



but that we intended to pass some days near their 

 island. At this last news the savages expressed 

 much pleasure, show^ed us, towards the north, a pas- 

 sage, which, according to their opinion, would be 

 wide enough, and we immediately spread more 

 sail to reach it before the evening. We soon found 

 three channels, of which two were deep enough, 

 but only four fathoms wide ; the third was from 

 fifty to sixty fathoms broad, but as it was late, and 

 the attempt hazardous, the monsoon also blowing 

 from the pretty narrow opening, I deferred the 

 examination till the next day. We had now over- 

 looked the whole group, the length of which was 

 fifteen, and its breadth five miles j its eastern side 

 was formed by a chain of islands, hut the western 

 side consisted of a coral reef. 



The 2d of March. — The current had carried 

 us seven miles to the west during the night ; we, 

 however, reached the passage. At eight o'clock it 

 appeared almost impossible to penetrate, as it was 

 narrow, and the wind against us; but 1 hoped that 

 the current, which was setting in, would favour 

 our undertaking, and therefore dispatched Lieu- 

 tenant Schischmareff* to examine the channel. 

 He soon returned with the welcome tidings, that 

 it was indeed only fifty fathoms broad, but deep 

 enough, and free from danger, because the reefs at 

 the entrance, resembling a wall, rose perpendicu- 

 larly from the bottom. I immediately ordered all 

 the sails to be set to give the Rurick the greatest 



