174 BAD BAY—SAN QUINTIN SOUND. May 1828. 
fourteen to eight fathoms, and the noise of the surf, came to 
an anchor. 
“ Next morning (20th) we found that we had anchored in 
a small bay, at about half a mile from a shingle beach, on 
which a furious surf was breaking so heavily as to prevent our 
landing any where. We were completely exposed to S.W. 
winds, with a heavy rolling sea ; and the surf on all points cuts 
off communication with the shore. A breeze from the $.W. 
would have rendered it difficult to get out, and would have 
exposed us to imminent hazard. It is called on the chart Bad 
Bay. We left it eagerly, and proceeded to trace the coast to the 
E.S.E., until we were nearly abreast of a moderately high and 
thickly-wooded island, called Purcell Island. We passed to the 
northward of Purcell Island, leaving on the left a rock only a 
few feet above the surface of the sea, which lies about midway 
between that island and the main laid. As we advanced to 
the eastward, a large and very remarkable field of ice was seen 
lying on the low part of the coast, which, at a distance, we 
took for a dense fog hanging over it, as nothing of the kind 
was observable in any other part. When nearly abreast of San 
. Xavier Island, a deep sound was observed to the left, or north, 
which we concluded was the San Quintin Sound of the Spanish 
chart :- it seemed to be about five miles in breadth, and follow- 
ing a westerly direction. We kept sight of the Sugar Loaf, and 
other points we had fixed, until more could be established, 
which enabled us to chart the coast as we went along. My next 
object was to trace the Sound of San Quintin to its termination, 
and at nightfall we succeeded in getting an anchorage at the 
entrance. 
“On the 21st we proceeded up the sound, passing to the 
northward of Dead Tree Island. Our soundings, until abreast 
of it, were from sixteen to ten fathoms, on a mud bottom; it 
then shoaled to four fathoms, and after running about three 
miles in that depth, we came to an anchor at the distance of a 
mile from the north shore of the sound, in four fathoms. 
“« Exceedingly bad weather detained us at this anchorage. 
From the time of our arrival, on the evening of the 21st, 
