Page:Voyage of discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and round the world in the years 1791-95, volume 2.djvu/490

450 Novi-iiiui'i'. From this anchorage, fiiuatcd in latitiulc 34" 24', longitnrlc 210° 32', the coad as before mentioned takes a fouthcrly twin, s. /j8 f.., about 2 leagues to a point bearing by compafs N.81 1:., luilf a lc;igue difhnU iVom (Hir Ilation; the eenter of llie ifland of St. Mi'rue! bore s. 27 w., diHaiU 1 1 li>agues; S"Rofafro!n s. n w., to s. .3 k.; the ibrmcr tv/enty- live, the latter twenty-fix miles dHlant: the illand of S'Cruz, s. 8l f.., to s. 5.3 K. ; and the main land in fight from s. 82 w . 10 s. S7 1..

The want of wind detaining us in this fituation, afforded an opportu- nity to feveral of die natives from the difl'erent villages, which were nu- merous in this neighbourhood, to pay us a vifit. They all came in ca- noes made of v.-ood, and decorated widi (hells like that fcen on the 8th. They brought with them fome fifli, and a few of their ornaments-, thcfe they dilpofod of in the moft clieerful manner, princi|)ally K)r fpoon.s, beads, and fcilfars. They fcemed to pofiels great fenfiijility, anc. much vivacity, yet they conduced themfelves with the mod perfetl decorum and good order; very unlike that inanimate flupidity that marked the charatler of mod of the Indians we had [ccn under the Spanifli jurifdic- tion at St. Francifco and Monterrey. Thcfe people cither did not un- derlland the Spanidi language, or fpoke it in fuch a manner as to be im- intelligible to us: for as wc were totally unacquainted with dieir native dialc6l, we endeavoured, but to no cffett, b- means of Spanifli, to gain from them fome information.

On a light breeze fpringing uj) from the wcflward at about eight o'clock we dircfled our courfe along fhore to the callward; our progrefs was very flow, owing to light winds, though the weather was very pleafant. About two in the afternoon we paffcd a finall bay, which appeared likely 10 have afforded good anchorage, had it not bec^ii for a bed of fea- weed that extended acrofs its entrance, and indicated a (hallow rocky bottom. Within this bay a very large Indian village was pleafantly fituated, from whence we were vifiicd by foinc of its inhabitants ; amongfl; whom was a very (hrewd intelligent fellow, who informed us, in the Spanidi language, that there was a lu flion and a Prefidio not much further to the eafiv/urd. About five in tlie ( ■.eiiing this eflablinmient. was difco- vcrcd in a finall ba', which bore tin* appearance of a far more civi- lized