Page:Voyage of discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and round the world in the years 1791-95, volume 3.djvu/398

Rh tea fowl attending us, though tlirfc were not (jnit" fo nujnorons:is on the preceding evening. The night was calm, or accompanied with lij;l't ariable winds, which continued with rain and dark gloonn' weather initi! noon tlic nexldav, fothat no ohlrrvation; could l)c obtained lor afcertainin"- the Ihip's fituation: we had howecr niade li:)ine ])rogr(.Ts. as the ifhnid now horeby conipafs k. ^3 1:. to x. J-ii v.. not more than d or 7 leaguis iroin US. In this we had been much alIi(K-d by thetuneiu (citing us direrth, 10 wards the land, tlu- Ibuih-wcll extreniity of which apj)eared in this point of view, to rife abrnptK- from the lea in Ihcp rugged dills to a i-onii derable height: and then in a moderate al'eein to its moil elevated part; this was a hill of no cry great fi/e; IVom whence it delcended with a more uniform declivity to its northern exirenuty, which appeared like a (.Ictaehed illct.

The wind, which iiad been variable in tkee'ening, became ver^• lin-ht, and I was not wiihoul mv apprehenfions thai the current might force us pad the illand. before we might have an opportuniI^• of making choice of a fituation for anclioring. That no time miglit be loH. aboin two in the following morning, being th.en fulTicientK' near the land f(^r c>ne of our boats to be in with th.e fluM-es by dav-liglit. Mr. V'hidhev was difpatched in th.e cutter to make tiie necellluy examination. During ihis and the three or four preceding nights the fea iiad j)refcnted a vei v luminous ap))earance, but I was not able to afcertain with fatisfacliou the caufe of it. After the boat had left the fliip, we ufcd our uimoU endeavours to prelerve our Uaiion to the {'< h-wel} of the idand, but to no cft'e6l: the current foon after davdight dnv us b(n'on<l its welhaii end, and although our head was to the foulh-wen, we were drien at a gieat rate pall its northern fide, within a few nules of its Ihores. 'I'hefe appeared to be indented into fmall bays, with rocks and illcts l-ing ne.u tiicm; but they by no means exhibited that inviting appearance which has been reported of them by Lionel Wafer ■••' and others. 'I'luTe iliorcs were cldeflv compol(-d of broken jM-rpendicnlar clilK- precipices, beyond which th'- lurface roli:? unevenly to the fummir of the ifkmd: th<' -vhole compofmg one rude connetled thicket of fmall trees near »he fiiore. but un the more elevated and interior parts manv larg(^ fprcadmg trees v.ere