As to the copper, these people seem to procure it themselves, or at most it passes through few hands to them; for they used to express its being in a sufficient quantity amongst them, when they offered any to barter, by pointing to their weapons; as if to say, that having so much of this metal of their own, they wanted no more.

It is, however, remarkable, if the inhabitants of this Sound be supplied with European articles, by way of the intermediate traffic to the east coast, that they should, in return, never have given to the more inland Indians any of their sea-otter skins, which would certainly have been seen, some time or other, about Hudson's Bay. But, as far as 1. know, that is not the case; and the only method of accounting for this, must be by taking into consideration the very great distance, which, though it might not prevent European goods coming so far, as being so uncommon, might prevent the skins, which are a common article, from passing through more than two or three different tribes, who might use them for their own cloathing, and send others, which they esteemed less valuable, as being of their own animals, eastward, till they reach the traders from Europe.

SECTION

devoit être la pointe. On ne peut savoir quel étoit l'usage de cet outil." Découvertes des Russes, p. 274.

If there was iron amongst the natives on this part of the American coast, prior to the discovery of it by the Russians, and before there was any traffic with them carried on from Kamtschatka, what reason can there be to make the least doubt of the people of Prince William's Sound, as well as those of Schumagin's Islands, having got this metal from the only probable source, the European settlements on the northcast coast of this continent?-D.

SECTION VI.

Progress along the Coast.-Cape Elizabeth-Cape St Her mogenes-Accounts of Beering's Voyage very defective.--Point Banks-Cape Douglas.-Cape Bede.--Mount St Augustin-Hopes of finding a Passage up an Inlet.- The Ships proceed up it.-Indubitable Marks of its being a Rie ver-Named Cook's River. The Ships return down it. Various Visits from the Natives.-Lieutenant King lands, and takes Possession of the Country.-His Report.-The Resolution runs aground on a Shoal-R flections on the Discovery of Cook's River.-The considerable Tides in it ac, counted for.

AFTER leaving Prince William's Sound, I steered to the S.W., with a gentle breeze at N.N.E.; which, at four o'clock, the next morning, was succeeded by a calm, and soon after, the calm was succeeded by a breeze from S. W. This freshening, and veering to N.W., we still continued to stretch to the S.W., and passed a lofty promontory, situated in the latitude of 59° 10′, and the longitude of 207 45. As the discovery of it was connected with the Princess Elizabeth's birth-day, I named it Cape Elizabeth. Beyond it we could see no land; so that, at first, we were in hopes that it was the western extremity of the continent; but not long after, we saw our mistake, for fresh land appeared in sight, bearing W.S.W.

The wind, by this time, had increased to a very strong gale, and forced us to a good distance from the coast. In the afternoon of the 22d, the gale abated, and we stood to the northward for Cape Elizabeth, which at noon, the next day, bore W., ten leagues distant. At the same time, a new land was seen, bearing S. 77° W., which was supposed to connect Cape Elizabeth with the land we had seen to the westward.

The wind continued at W., and I stood to the southward till noon the next day, when we were within three leagues of the coast which we had discovered on the 22d. It here formed a point that bore W.N W. At the same time more land was seen extending to the southward, as far as S.S. W the whole being twelve or fifteen leagues distant. On it

was

was seen a ridge of mountains covered with snow, extending to the N.W., behind the first land, which we judged to be an island, from the very inconsiderable quantity of snow that lay upon it. This point of land is situated in the latitude of 58° 15', and in the longitude of 207° 42'; and by what I can gather from the account of Beering's voyage, and the chart that accompanies it in the English edition,' I conclude, that it must be what he called Cape St Hermogenes. But the account of that voyage is so very much abridged, and the chart so extremely inaccurate, that it is hardly possible, either by the one or by the other, or by comparing both together, to find out any one place which that navigator either saw or touched at. Were I to form

a judgment of Beering's proceedings on this coast, I should suppose that he fell in with the continent near Mount Fairweather. But I am by no means certain, that the bay to which I have given his name, is the place where he anchored. Nor do I know, that what I called Mount St Elias, is the same conspicuous mountain to which he gave that name. And as to his Cape St Elias, I am entirely at a loss to pronounce where it lies."

On the N.E. side of Cape St Hermogenes, the coast turned toward the N.W., and appeared to be wholly unconnected with the land seen by us the preceding day. In the chart above mentioned, there is here a space, where Beering is supposed to have seen no land. This also favoured the later account published by Mr Stæhlin, who makes Cape St Hermogenes, and all the land that Beering discovered to the S.W. of it, to be a cluster of islands; placing St Hermogenes amongst those which are destitute of wood. What we now saw seemed to confirm this, and every

'Captain Cook means Muller's, of which a translation had been published in London some time before he sailed.-D.

2 Mr Coxe, who has been at considerable pains in endeavouring to reconcile the accounts of Muller and Steller, and in comparing them with the journals of Cook and Vancouver, is induced to conjecture that Beering first discovered the continent of America in the neighbourhood of Kaye's Island, and not where Captain Cook assigns. This is a very probable opinion, as might easily be shewn, but not without anticipating mat ter that belongs to another voyage. It is enough just now to hint at the circumstance, lest the remarks of Cook, always well entitled to respect, should be too much confided in by the reader. No man's judgment is to be disparaged, because of an error committed, where so little information has been given for its guidance.-E.

every circumstance inspired us with hopes of finding here a passage northward, without being obliged to proceed any farther to the S.W.

We were detained off the Cape, by variable light airs and calms, till two o'clock the next morning, when a breeze springing up at N.E. we steered N N.W. along the coast; and soon found the land of Cape St Hermogenes to be an island, about six leagues in circuit, separated from the adjacent coast by a channel only one league broad. A league and a half to the north of this island, lie some rocks above water; on the N.E. side of which we had from thirty to twenty fathoms.

At noon, the island of St Hermogenes bore S. E. eight leagues distant; and the land to the N. W. of it extended from S. W. to near W. In this last direction it ended in a low point, now five leagues distant, which was called Point Bunks. The latitude of the ship, at this time, was 58° 41', and its longitude 207° 44'. In this situation, the land, which was supposed to connect Cape Elizabeth with this S.W. land, was in sight, bearing N.W. N. I steered directly for it; and, on a nearer approach, found it to be a group of high islands and rocks, entirely unconnected with any other land. They obtained the name of Barren Isles, from their very naked appearance. Their situation is in the latitude of 59°, and in a line with Cape Elizabeth and Point Banks; three leagues distant from the former, and five from the latter.

I intended going through one of the channels that divide these islands; but meeting with a strong current setting against us, I bore up, and went to the leeward of them all. Toward the evening, the weather, which had been hazy all day, cleared up, and we got sight of a very lofty promontory, whose elevated summit, forming two exceedingly high mountains, was seen above the clouds. This promontory I named Cape Douglas, in honour of my very good friend, Dr Douglas, canon of Windsor. It is situa ted in the latitude of 58° 56′, and in the longitude of 206° 10'; ten leagues to the westward of Barren Isles, and twelve

3 The reader of course is aware, that this gentleman, afterwards successively Bishop of Carlisle and Salisbury, is the person to whom we are indebted for the original edition of this voyage, as we have elsewhere mentioned.-E.

twelve from Point Banks, in the direction of N.W. by W. } W.

Between this point and Cape Douglas, the coast seemed to form a large and deep bay; which, from some smoke that had been seen on Point Banks, obtained the name of Smokey Bay.

At day-break, the next morning, being the 26th, having got to the northward of the Barren Isles, we discovered more land, extending from Cape Douglas to the north. It formed a chain of mountains of vast height; one of which, far more conspicuous than the rest, was named Mount St Augustin. The discovery of this land did not discourage us, as it was supposed to be wholly unconnected with the land of Cape Elizabeth. For, in a N.N.E. direction, the sight was unlimited by every thing but the horizon. We also thought that there was a passage to the N. W., between Cape Douglas and Mount St Augustin. In short, it was imagined, that the land on our larboard, to the N. of Cape Douglas, was composed of a group of islands, disjoined by so many channels, any one of which we might make use of accordi as the wind should serve.

With the flattering ideas, having a fresh gale at N.N. E., we stood to the N.W. till eight o'clock, when we clear ly saw, that what we had taken for islands were summits of mountains, every where connected by lower land, which the haziness of the horizon had prevented us from seeing at a greater distance. This land was every where covered with snow, from the tops of the hills down to the very seabeach; and had every other appearance of being part of a great continent. I was now fully persuaded that I should find no passage by this inlet; and my persevering in the search of it here, was more to satisfy other people than to confirm my own opinion.

At this time Mount St Augustin bore N., 40 W., three or four leagues distant. This mountain is of a conical fi gure, and of very considerable height; but it remains un. determined whether it be an island or part of the conti nent. Finding that nothing could be done to the W., we tacked, and stood over to Cape Elizabeth, under which we fetched at half-past five in the afternoon. On the N. side of Cape Elizabeth, between it and a lofty promontory,

named