TAN AG A AND KANAGA ISLANDS. 
37 
hind a cape. We instantly made up to it,* and learnt that the 
tide changing the night before had driven them to the north-east, 
where they had been laveering the whole night, and had not till 
then been able to regain their old station. 
When Captain Billings was informed that the bay afforded 
a good anchorage, he immediately ordered us to bend-our course 
thither. With a gentle wind, and the aid of towing, we gained 
the bay in the evening, which penetrates, on the western side, 
into the island, being about eight miles long, and five miles broad. 
Its shore is occasionally sandy, and most consists of a 
rocky, but not very tall declivity. We cast anchor opposite to 
two rivulets running from the mountains, in a black sandy bot¬ 
tom, and eight fathoms water, about half-a-mile distant from a 
sandy shore, under shelter of a steep promontory and lofty 
rocks, elevating themselves above the stream. Not far to the 
north of this promontory, a current of pure water eddies forth 
from a rock in the mountains. We could approach this stream, 
so near as to fill our butts by the help of pails. At a distance 
from our anchoring-place the land elevated itself, and termi¬ 
nated towards the north in tall snowy mountains, from whence 
fire sometimes issues, but which now only emitted smoke. It 
appeared to be not very distant, and some of our people made 
the trial of going up to it, but were compelled, from the te¬ 
diousness of the road, to return, bringing back only some 
sulphur and lava with them. The island is totally without wood, 
but the declivity of the mountains, and the more level parts, are 
covered with a tolerably long grass. 
On the second day after our arrival, two Aleutians came 
with fresh fish to us from their habitations, on the south side 
of the bay ; and on the I Qth, we had a visit from six Aleutians 
m like manner, bringing fresh fish from the south-west side of 
the island. 
On the 15th we weighed anchor, and went* to the north-side 
of the island Tanaga. On the l6th, we found our latitude 
5‘2° 18', and longitude 180° 56'. In the evening, at the setting 
of the sun, we observed the declination of the needle, to be at 
16° 25' easterly.\ 
On the l?th, we found ourselves at noon, in the strait which 
separates the islands Tanaga and Kanaga. This latter island 
has on its north side a crater of an extraordinary height, but is 
otherwise altogether level. Before the strait an inconsi¬ 
derable island elevates itself in one lofty eminence, called the 
Beaver Island, at a distance of 12 miles from us, in latitude 
52° 8', and longitude 181° 37'. Being prevented by the 
ruling north-east wind, from sailing round the islands Kanaga 
and Adach, we returned to the strait, and stood along the island 
