NORTH WEST COAST OF AMERICA. 207 



one mile. - On looking round the bay, I thought I could ^ 

 perceive it to take a fhort turn round a point nearly at the 



HAP. 

 X. 



bottom, on which I went accompanied by Captain Dixon April*. 

 to examine it. We carried good and regular foundings to '^"^'^^y ^'^• 

 the faid point, and found that a fhip could lie in four 

 and a half and five fathoms water, with the South point of 

 the bay juft fhut in with this point at about a cable's length 

 from the fhore. The inner point may be taken clofe on 

 board, as it is quite bold; the bottom of the bay is 

 flat. 



Before I left the fhip we were vifited by five canoes,, 

 fome with one mian in, and others with two; but I was 

 rather furprifed to find that they had not the fkin of any 

 animal among them. They had many beads of various 

 forts, particularly fome fmall green and fome yellow ones, 

 which they feemed to value very much; and I obferved 

 they were of the fame kind with thofe we faw in Cook's 

 River the laft fummer. Our vifitors frequently repeated- 

 the word Nootka, pointing at the fame time up the 

 Soimd. Never having either at this place or in Cook's 

 River heard the natives make ufe of this word before, I 

 was induced to think that they had been taught the word 

 by fome vifitors who had recently been at Nootka, and I 

 was prefently convinced that there had lately been fome 

 people trading with them; for, on my afking after the 

 fea otter fkin, I was given to underfland that they had fold 

 all their fkins to a Thomas MoUoy, who I could under- 

 fland had left the Sound. This piece of information, 

 however incorredl it might be, gave me fmall hopes of 

 our being able to do any thing in Prince William's Sound; 

 however, I thought it was but right to try for it, and 



only 

 6 



