Page:Voyage of discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and round the world in the years 1791-95, volume 3.djvu/100

80 lelligcnce. But we were difappointed in thefe liopcs, as ihole on board of her were as totally ignorant of tranfaclions there as ourrdves, hav- ing been abfent from New York twenty-two months ; duriilg whieli time they had been principally engaged at Falkland's iflands and Siateii land, in collcfting feal (kins and oil. Not being fatisfu'd with their en- deavours to the fouthward, they had repaired hither to procure provifion^ and refrefhments, with the intention of proceeding afterwards to tin- coafl of North Weft America, in order to collerl furs, which they in- derftood were to be had there ; but, according to their own account, they neither knew what were the proper commodities, nor were they polfeftid of any articles of traffic for obtaining fuch a cargo from the inhal)i- tants of the feveral countries.

On failing from Onehow, I appointed cape Douglas ni Cook's river our next place of rendezvous with the Chatham, in cale of leparation. There I purpofed to re-commence our furvey of the coaft of North Wc it America; and from thence to trace its boundary eaflward tocapeDeci- fion, the point which is ftated to have terminated the pretended ancient Spanifti difcoveries.

Having afcertaincd fatisfaftorily that there was not any extenfive navigation eaftwardly, between the 30th and 56ih degrees of north latitude, on this fide of the American continent, I was led to believe, that if any fuch did exijf,, it would moft probably be found communicating with Cook's ri'er, up which I entertained no doubt of penetrating to a very cotiliderable dillance ; and (liould we not be able to complete our refearches in the cotirfe of the prefent feafon, we fhould at any rate, by this mode, reduce the unexplored part of the coaft within very narrow limits. And as the examination of Cook's river appeared to me to be the moft important, and I did not doubt would prove the moft laborious, part ot our talk in the enfuing campaign, I was willing not to lofe any portion of the approaching feafon, but to avail ourfelves of the whole of it, for the fake oi" infuring, as far as was within our powers, a certainty in the accompliniment of thatobjcft. For this purpofe I wiftied to be in readinefs to commence the purfuit the inftant the fpring was fufficiently ad- vanced