Page:Voyage of discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and round the world in the years 1791-95, volume 3.djvu/113

Rh v., the ernmofl ^j.55W. jngitude
 * r noon,

latitude land St. iation in igned by in other J on this fall ap- hcn bore le nonh- , N.6w., ms water, was 59", noon, as fterwards pad one, for cape cr about which he, and the ble chnn-
 * hrettion;

injT rocks ed with a e s. 50 F,., he middle furi'ace of

Sunday 1 J,

The thermometer now varied between 40 and 45; and the fhow, ex- cepting in the deep chafms of the rocks, was melted to a confiderable height on the fides of the hills, which being wcl' wooded, afTumed a far more cheerful afpetl than the country to the fouthward. Spring (eem- ed to be making fo rapid a progrefs here, that we had every reafon to indulge the hope of being able to carr)' our refearches into execution, without any interruption from the feverity of the feafon. As I had determined to commence our furvey on the weflern fide ol the river, as far up that fide as the wind now at n. n. e. would permit us to fetch, we proceeded in quell of fome convenient Ration for the fliip, from whence two boat parties might be difpatched, the one to examine the fliorcs fouthward to cape Douglas, the other to precede the fliip in our route uj) the river.

For the firfl time this feafon we noticed fome flocks of wild gecfe, and could not avoid remarking, that they all flew to the fouthward, contrary to what might have been expefted from the advanced fl.ate and mildncfs of the feafon; which however on funday morning fuffered a very material alteration, as the wind came to the n. e. and was attended by a fliarp fVofl and a very heavy fall of fnow. On leaving the eaftcrn fliore the drpih of water gradually increafed from 25 to 35 fathoms, fine fandv bottom in mid-channel, and then decreafed again as we approached the weflern fliore, which about fix was indiflintU)' perceixcd through the falling fnow; and being then in 20 fathoms water, we anchored until the weather fliould prove more favorable to our purfuit. In this fituation we remained, without being able to difcern the adjacent fliores, until the fol- lowing forenoon, when the weflern k:>ri7.on became clear, and fliewed us m cape Douglas be,-ring by compnfs s. q e.; mount St. Auguflin, s. g v.; the nonhernmoft land in fight, N.qw.; and a low point, 5.31 w.; from whence the fliores to the fouthward fell fo far back to die wellward, that we could only diftinguidi the funimits of a range of lofty disjoined mountains intirely covered with fnow, that fecmcd j)rincipaliv to occupy the fpace between that low point and cape Douglas, but at the fame time gave the country an appearance in this ])oint of iew of being greativ divided by water. From thence to the nordiward, excepting- a linaH open ba- abreall of us with two rocks l)ing before its (-ntiancc, the