NORTH WEST COAST OF AMERICA. 227 



over a muddy bottom, and moored the {Lip head and ftern. ^ ^^^^ ^'■ 



When moored, we had the Sound open to the South Weft ' ' 



between tv/o points of land, about half a point of the May. 

 compafs: through which fpace we could fee any thing that ^ "^ " *^' 

 paffed in or out of the Sound by Cape Hinchinbrooke paf- 

 fage. The land all around us had a dreary appearance, 

 being covered with fnow five or fix feet deep, quite down 

 to high water mark; fo that the only fpace where we 

 could walk was on the beach after the tide had fallen. At 

 the head of the harbour were two fine frefh- water rivulets, 

 likely to produce plenty of falmon at a proper feafon. A 

 few of the natives came along-fide with fome good fea-otter 

 fkins, and^a fmall quantity of fifh, for which we were 

 obliged to pay extravagantly. 



In the morning of the 1 8th I went in the whale-boat Friday 18, 

 to examine an arm trending to the Eaftward above our 

 prefent harbour. After pafQng the upper point, I found the 

 arm foon terminated in a flat fhore, with fhoal water at 

 fome diftance from the head of it. I then rowed along 

 the North fliore, and difcovered an arm leading in between 

 two points, not more than a quarter of a mile diftant from 

 each other. I flood in for the entrance, and had five and 

 fix fathoms water over a muddy bottom between the twa 

 points. The paflage now widened confiderably, and 

 branched out in oppofite directions ; one arm leading nearly 

 South Wefl, and the other North Eaft. I went up the 

 South Wefl arm, and carried five and fix fathoms water 

 over a muddy bottom for more than two miles; it then 

 grew flat at a confiderable diflance from the head. After 

 founding this arm, I returned with an intention of found- 

 ing the other; but on getting a fight of the fhip, I ob- 

 ferved the enfign flying, which was a fignal for canoes 



G g 2 being 



