432 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. [E. 



Ie puse por nombre de Falcon, situado en la latitud de cuarenta y cinco 

 grados cuarenta y tres minutos; y corria al angulo de veinte y dos grados 

 del tercer cuadrante ; y desde este cabo sigue la costa, al angulo de cinco 

 grados, del segundo cuadrante. 



Esta es de tierra montuosa, no muy elevada, ni tan poblada de arboleda, 

 corao la que induce los grados desde la latitud de cuarenta y ocho, treinta, 

 hasta los cuarenta y seis. 



En la sonda, encontre notable diferencia; pues a distancia de siete 

 leguas, sonde en ochenta y cuatro brazas, y acercandome a la costa, no 

 halle algunas veces sonda ; lo que me ha hecho creer, hay algunos placeres 

 6 bancos de arena, sobre estas costas, pues tambien el color de las aguas 

 lo denota asi. En algunas partes, acaba la costa en playa, y en otros 

 acantilada. 



Una montana plana, que la llame de Blesa, hara que qualquier navegante 

 se haga capaz de la situacion del Cabo Falcon, aunque no haya tenido 

 observacion; por que esta en la latitud de cuarenta y cinco veinte y ocho 

 minutos, v se deja ver de lejos por ser medianamente alta. 



TRANSLATION. 



On the 17th [ol August, 1775] I sailed along the coast to the 46th 

 degree, and observed that, from the latitude of 47 degrees 4 minutes 

 to that of 46 degrees 40 minutes, it runs in the angle of 18 degrees of the 

 second quadrant,* and from that latitude to 46 degrees 4 minutes, in the 

 angle of 12 degrees of the same quadrant ; the soundings, the shore, the 

 wooded character of the country, and the little islands, being the same as 

 on the preceding days. 



In the evening of this day, I discovered a large bay, to which I gave 

 the name of Assumption Bay, and of which a plan will be found in this 

 journal. Its latitude and longitude are determined according to the most 

 exact means afforded by theory and practice. 



The latitudes of the two most prominent capes of this bay, especially 

 of the northern one, are calculated from the observations of this day.f 



Having arrived opposite this bay at six in the evening, and placed the 

 ship nearly midway between the two capes, I sounded, and found bottom 

 in twenty-four brazas ; £ the currents and eddies were so strong that, 

 notwithstanding a press of sail, it was difficult to get out clear of the north- 

 ern cape, towards which the current ran, though its direction was east- 

 ward, in consequence of the tide being at flood. 



These currents and eddies of the water caused me to believe that the 

 place is the mouth of some great river, or of some passage to another sea. 



* The card of the Spanish compass was formerly divided into four quadrants, on 

 which the points were counted by degrees. 



t In the table accompanying the report, the position of the vessel is given on the 

 17th of August, as in latitude of 46 degrees 17 minutes, which is within one minute of 

 the latitude of Cape Disappointment, (the Cape San Roque of Heceta,) the northern 

 point, at the entrance of the Columbia ; the longitude is made 15 degrees 38 minutes 

 west of Cape San Lucas, the southern extremity of California, which is about a 

 degree and a half too far west, yet remarkably near the truth, considering that 

 the Spanish navigator was obliged to depend entirely on the dead reckoning for 

 his longitudes. 



t The Spanish braza, or fathom, contains six Spanish feet, nearly equal to five feet 

 nine inches English. 



