174 BAD BAY SAN QUINTIN SOUND. May 1828. 



fourteen to eight fathoms, and the noise of the surf, came to 

 an anchor. 



" Next morning (20th) we found that we had anchored in 

 a small bay, at about half a mile from a shingle beach, on 

 which a furious surf was breaking so heavily as to prevent our 

 landing any where. We were completely exposed to S.W. 

 winds, with a heavy rolling sea ; and the surf on all points cuts 

 off communication with the shore. A breeze from the S.W. 

 would have rendered it difficult to get out, and would have 

 exposed us to imminent hazard. It is called on the chart Bad 

 Bay. We left it eagerly, and proceeded to trace the coast to the 

 E.S.E., until we were nearly abreast of a moderately high and 

 thickly-wooded island, called Purcell Island. We passed to the 

 northward of Purcell Island, leaving on the left a rock only a 

 few feet above the surface of the sea, which lies about midway 

 between that island and the main land. As we advanced to 

 the eastward, a large and very remarkable field of ice was seen 

 lying on the low part of the coast, which, at a distance, we 

 took for a dense fog hanging over it, as nothing of the kind 

 was observable in any other part. When nearly abreast of San 

 Xavier Island, a deep sound was observed to the left, or north, 

 which we concluded was the San Quintin Sound of the Spanish 

 chart : it seemed to be about five miles in breadth, and follow- 

 ing a westerly direction. We kept sight of the Sugar Loaf, and 

 other points we had fixed, until more could be established, 

 which enabled us to chart the coast as we went along. My next 

 object was to trace the Sound of San Quintin to its termination, 

 and at nightfall we succeeded in getting an anchorage at the 

 entrance. 



On the 21st we proceeded up the sound, passing to the 

 northward of Dead Tree Island. Our soundings, until abreast 

 of it, were from sixteen to ten fathoms, on a mud bottom ; it 

 then shoaled to four fathoms, and after running about three 

 miles in that depth, we came to an anchor at the distance of a 

 mile from the north shore of the sound, in four fathoms. 



" Exceedingly bad weather detained us at this anchorage. 

 From the time of our arrival, on the evening of the 21st, 



