Page:Voyage of discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and round the world in the years 1791-95, volume 2.djvu/488

448 November. About eleven o'clock we pafTcd point Argucllo, from whence the coad takes a direclion s.51 e., ten miles, to a point of but 1 'tie elevated, or rather low, land ; this, according to the Spanifh charts, is called point Conception, forming the north-wed point of entrance into the canal of S'VBarbara. Being now favored with a frefli n.w. gale, though at- tended with hazy weather, we were by noon abrcaft of this point; the obfcrved latitude was 3 j" 30', longitude 239" 52'; in this fituation the cafternmofl; part of the coafl in fight bore by cbnipafs k. n,e.; point Conception being the nearcfl fhorc, n. 32 e., *wo or three miles diftant; the northernmoll part of the coaft in fight, n. .^8 w,; the wedernmoft, ov fird illand, forming the canal of S" Barbara, called in one of the Spa- nifli charts St. Miguel, in the other St. Barnardo, (the former of which I have adopted) bore s. 25 e. to s. 32 e.; the next called in one of thofe charts S'' Rofa, in the other St. Miguel, (the former of which I have continued) bore s. 42 k., to s. 54 e. ; and a high hill on the third ifland, called in the Spanifti charts S"Cruz, bore S.70E. Point Conception is rendered very remarkable, by its differing very much in form from the points we had lately feen along the coad. It appeared to dretch out into the ocean from an extenfive tiaft of low land, and to terminate like a wedge, with its large end falling perpendi- cularly into the fea, which broke againft it with great violence. By our obfervations it appeared to be in latitude 34° 32', longitude 239" 54'; the former correfpondlng with both tlie Spanifh charts within two or three miles, being there placed fo much further to the fouthward. Immediately to the eadward of point Conception (the coad from thence taking an eadern direftion) we pafled a fmall Indian village, the fird we had obferved along the fliores of thefe fouthern parts of New Albion. The inhabitants made a fire the indant we came within their view, but no one ventured to pay us a vifit. The prevailing drong gale at the time of our pading probably prevented their embarking. It is not unlikely that this village was attached to the miffion of S'" Rofa, which I had been informed was edabliftaed in the vicinity of this point in the year 1788, and had the reputation of being fituatcd in a very fertile country. Another report had dated this milfion to be near the banks of