Page:Voyage of discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and round the world in the years 1791-95, volume 3.djvu/547

Rh I do not, however, mean pofitively to deny the difcoveries of De Fonta, I only wifh to inveftigate the faft, and to afcertain the truth ; and I am content with having ufed my endeavours to prove their improbabihty as pubHfhed to the world. The broken region which fo long occupied our attention, cannot poflibly be the archipelago of St. Lazarus, fince the principal feature by which the identity of that archipelago could be proved is that of a navigable river for fhipping flowing into it, and this certainly does not exifl in that archipelago which has taken us fo much time to explore; hence the fituation cannot be the fame, and for that reafon I have nOt affixed the name of De Fonta, De Fonte, or Fuentes to any part of thofe regions. It is however to be remembered, that our geography of the whole coaft of North Wefl; America is not yet complete, and that the French navigators, who have ftated the archipckigo of St. Lazarus to be in the 63d degree of north latitude, may yet not be in an error.

The flupendous barrier mountains certainly do not feem to extend in fo lofty and connefted a range to the northward of the head of Cook's inlet, as to the fouth-eaftward of that ftation ; and it Is pofTible that in this part, the chain of mountains may admit of a communication with the eaftern country, which feems to be aim oft imprafticable further to the fouthward. In this conjefture we are fomewhat warranted by the fimilarity obferved in the race of people inhabiting the fhores of Hudfon's bay and thofe to the northward of North Weft America.

In all the parts of the continent on which we landed, we nowhere found any roads or paths through the woods, im'lcating the Indians on the coaft having any intercourfe with the natives of the interior part of the country, nor were there any articles of the Canadian or Hudfon's bay traders found amongft the people with whom we met on any part of the continent or external fea ftiores of this extenfive country.