256 



HEWETT BAY CYPRESS TREES. June 1829. 



finding they had not an article worth bartering for, we soon 

 left them, and returned on board. It was suspected their com- 

 panions were not far off, and indeed, the day after, Lieutenant 

 Skyring saw several canoes ; but the moment he was discovered, 

 they were beached, and the men, taking to the woods, kept at a 

 distance. 



" On the 29th, we left Hewett Bay, and, after threading the 

 needle through a multitude of islands, islets, and small rocks, 

 for more than three miles, reached an anchorage in a small cove, 

 at the north entrance of Brown Bay, where we were detained, 

 and confined to the vessel, by heavy gales, and stormy weather, 

 until June 2d ; when, having a fine day, we reached a spot 

 (marked in the chart as North anchorage) sufficiently secure 

 for a small vessel ; but not to be recommended to any other. 



" Between Hewett Bay, and the above anchorage, there are 

 several rocks, among patches of kelp, which, as they only show 

 themselves at half ebb, or near low water, render the navigation 

 rather intricate. A good maxim in these channels is, ' Avoid 

 kelp, and you avoid danger.' Forty-three days had passed 

 since we left Port Famine ; and in this interval, I find we had 

 nine favourable days, twelve partially favourable, some hours 

 of which we could employ in the work about which we were 

 engaged, and the remaining twenty-three were days of rain and 

 wind, far too unfavourable to serve our purpose in the least. 



" June 4th. While turning to windward, we, for the first 

 time, felt the influence of the tide, which, from the channel's 

 narrowing, begins to be sensible : here it was sufficiently strong 

 to prevent our gaining ground in beating to windward, although 

 with a good working breeze ; we therefore ran into a bay on 

 the west side, and anchored. The country around had rather 

 a pleasing appearance, the shores being partially covered with 

 the evergreen, and deciduous-leaved beech, and a few stunted 

 cypress- trees. These last are serviceable for boat-hook spars, 

 or boats' masts ; and, when seasoned, work up very smoothly, 

 and wear well : the beech-trees do not equal those found fur- 

 ther northward in the Strait, except here and there in sheltered 

 corners. 



