Journal of a Voyage through the 



journey, as a few cloudy days would have prevented me 

 from ascertaining the final longitude of it.* 



At twelve it was high water, but the tide did not come 

 within a foot and an half of the high-water mark of last 

 night. As soon as I had completed my observations, we 

 left this place: it was then ten o'clock in the evening. 



We returned the same way that we came, and though 

 the tide was running out very strong, by keeping close in 

 with the rocks, we proceeded at a considerable rate, as my 

 people were very anxious to get out of the reach of the in- 

 inhabitants of this coast. 



Tuesday 23. During our course we saw several fires 

 on the land to the southward, and after the day dawned, 

 their smokes were visible. At half past four this morning 

 we arrived at our encampment of the night of the 21st, 

 which had been named Porcupine Cove. The tide was 

 out, and considerably lower than we found it when we 

 were here before ; the high-water mark being above the 

 place where we had made our fire. This fluctuation must 

 be occasioned by the action of the wind upon the water, in 

 those narrow channels. 



As we continued onwards, towards the river, we saw a 

 canoe, well manned, which at first made from us with 

 great expedition, but afterwards waited, as if to recon- 

 noitre us ; however, it kept out of our way, and allowed 

 us to pass. The tide being much lower than when we 

 were here before, we were under the necessity of landing 

 a mile below the village. We observed that stakes were 

 fixed in the ground along the bay, and in some places ma- 

 chines were fastened to them, as I afterwards learned, to. 

 intercept the seals and otters. These works are very ex- 

 tensive, and must have been erected with no common la- 



* Mr. Meares was undoubtedly wrong; in the idea, so earnestly insist- 

 ed on by him, in his voyage, that there was a North-West practicable 

 passage to the Southward of sixty -nine degrees and an half of latitude, 

 as I flatter myself has been proved by my former voyage. Nor can I 

 refrain from expressing my surprise at his assertion, that there was an 

 inland sea, or archipelago, of great extent, between the islands of Noot- 

 ka and the main, about the latitude where I was at this time. Indeed, 

 I have been informed that Captain Grey, who commanded an American 

 vessel, and on whose authority he ventured this opinion, denies that he 

 had given Mr. Meares any such information. Besides, the contrary is 

 indubitably proved by Captain Vancouver's survey, from which no ap- 

 peal can be made. 



