Page:Voyage of discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and round the world in the years 1791-95, volume 2.djvu/333

Rh About three in the morning of the ift of juIy, the party proceeded down the weflern fhore, and foon arrived at the wcftern divilion of the main inlet, mentioned on the 29th of june to have been feen from point Hopkins. This, which took a direction s. 35 w., was about a mile wide; its weflern fliorc being ftill a continuation of the continent, its eaflcrn having the appearance of being an ifland, or a group of iflands; fo that little doubt was entertained of finding a paffage by that route, inflead of returning by the way they had come. For this'rcafon Mr. Whidbcy did not hefitate to proceed down the arm, and having advanced about five miles along the continental fliore, he came to a point in latitude 53° 50', longitude 231° S-j'j which he named Point Ashton. Here another branch extended from that they were purfuing to the north- ward, and, at a little diflance, appeared again to divide into two arms, to the north and the north-weft. By this time their provifions were nearly cxhaufted ; and ns there v;as no certainty of gaining a paffage to the fhip by this route, Mr. Whidbey deemed it moft prudent to quit the further examination of the continental fhore, and to make the beft of his way towards the veffels. At point Afhton they breakfafled, and by the fhore found it high water there 13' after the moon paffed the meridian. From this point in. a foutherly direftion were feveral rocky itlets, and two fmall iflands. After breakfaft they made confiderable progrefs, and found the arm take a dire6lion s. 30 w., 14 miles to a point on the eaft fhore. About half way from point Afhton, they paffed on that fhore by an opening, flretching to the north-eaft, and communicating mofl probably with one of thofe they had paffed on the oppofite fide of the land, extending to the weftward. From this lafl flation the channel ran nearly fouth ; and by ten in the forenoon of the 2d of July, their former opinion was con- firmed, by their arriving at the fouth-weft extremity of the land which, in their way up to point Hopkins, had formed their weftern, and on their return from point Afhton. their eaflern fhore. This, which I called Point Gumming, is fituatcd in latitude /j3" i8-§^', longitude 230° 58', from hence the iflet, on which Mr. Whidbc}- had left a note the 23d of Vol. II. R r June,