.218 AVOYAGETOTHE 



Early in the morning of the loth captain Dixon re- 

 turned with the boats from Snug Corner Cove. Durino; 

 May." this excurfion they had purchafed about thirty-fix fea 

 Thurfdayio. ^j-^^j. fi^^^s of different qualities, and a few other furs ; 

 the chief part were procured near Cape Hinchinbrooke, to 

 which place they firft went, and afterwards proceeded to- 

 wards Snug Corner Cove ; as the Indians gave them to 

 underftand there was a veffel in that neighbourhood. The 

 natives fpoke feveral Englifh words very plainly, and pointed 

 out to captain Dixon the place where this veffel lay. In 

 confequence of this information he fet off, attended by 

 fome of the Indians in their canoes, to the place they 

 diredled him to, and in the evening of the 8 th arrived on 

 board. He found her to be the fnov/ Nootka, captain 

 John Meares, from Bengal. Captain Meares had left that 

 place in March 1786, and arrived in Prince William's 

 Sound fome time in October, where he wintered, and had 

 buried great part of his fhip's company, who died of the 

 fcurvy, and the furvivors were in a very weak fickly flate. 

 Captain Dixon brought me a letter from captain Meares, in 

 which he pointed out his wants and his diftrefling lituation ; 

 moft earneftly begging my affiftance; as without it he de- 

 fpaired of getting his veffel from her prefent ftation. I 

 read this letter with great concern, and determined to give 

 them every affiftance in my power whenever an opportu- 

 nity offered of conveying it to them. 



It has already been obferved that the Nootka wintered 

 in Prince William's Sound. Another veffel belonging to 

 the fame owners left it juft before the Nootka' s arrival.. 

 Both thefe ihips, I learned from captain Dixon, had given 

 fuch great prices in barter for ikins, that the value of our 

 cargo was greatly reduced. The only articles the natives 



would 



