The canoes were made of skins, like all the others we had lately seen; only with this difference, that these were broader, and the hole in which the man sits was wider than in any I had before met with. Our boats returning from sounding seemed to alarm them; so that they all left us sooner than probably they would otherwise have done.
It was the 22d, in the evening, before we got clear of these shoals, and then I durst not venture to steer to the westward in the night, but spent it off Cape Newenham, and at day-break next morning steered to the north-west, ordering the Discovery to lead. Before we had run two leagues, our depth of water decreased to six fathoms. Fearing, if we continued this course, that we should find less and less water, I hauled to the southward, the wind being at east, a fresh breeze. This course brought us gradually into eighteen fathoms; and having that depth I ventured to steer a little westerly, and afterward west, when we at last found twenty-six fathoms water.
On the 24th at noon we were, by observation, in the latitude of 58° 7ʹ, and in the longitude of 194° 22ʹ. Three leagues to the westward of this station we had twenty-eight fathoms water, and then steered west north-west, the water gradually deepening to thirty-four fathoms. I would have steered more northerly, but the wind having veered in that direction, I could not.
The 25th in the evening, having a very thick fog, and but little wind, we dropped anchor in thirty fathoms water. Our latitude was now 58° 29ʹ, and our longitude 1911⁄2° 37ʹ. At six the next morning the weather clearing up a little, we weighed, and, with a small breeze at east, steered north; our soundings being from twenty-eight to twenty-five fathoms. After running nine leagues upon this course, the wind returned back to the north, which obliged us to steer more westerly.
The weather continued, for the most part, foggy, till toward noon on the 28th, when we had a few hours clear sun-shine; during which we made several lunar observations. The mean result of them, reduced to noon, when the latitude was 59° 55ʹ, gave 190° 6ʹ longitude; and the time-keeper gave 189° 59ʹ. The variation of the compass was 18° 40ʹ east. Continuing our westerly course, the water having now deepened to thirty-six fathoms, at four o’clock next morning we discovered land, bearing north-west by west, six leagues distant. We stood toward it till half past ten, when we tacked in twenty-four fathoms water; being at this time a league from the land, which bore north north-west. It was the south-east extremity, and formed a perpendicular cliff of considerable height; on which account it was called Point Upright, and lies in the latitude of 60° 17ʹ, and in the longitude of 187° 30ʹ. More land was seen to the westward of the point; and, at a clear interval, we saw another elevated portion of land in the direction of west by south; and this seemed to be entirely separated from the other. Here we met with an incredible number of birds, all as the hawk kind before described.
We had baffling light winds all the afternoon, so that we made but little progress; and the weather was not clear enough to enable us to determine the extent of the land before us. We supposed it to be one of the many islands laid down by Mr. Stæhlin in his map of the New Northern Archipelago; and we expected every moment to see more of them.
At four in the afternoon of the 30th, Point Upright bore north-west by north, six leagues distant. About this time a light breeze springing up at north north-west, we stood to the north-east till four o’clock next morning, when the wind veering to the eastward, we tacked and steered to the north-west. Soon after the wind came to the south-east, and we steered north-east by north; which course we continued, with soundings from thirty-five to twenty fathoms, till next day at noon. At this time we were in the latitude of 60° 58ʹ, and in the longitude of 191°. The wind now veering to north-east, I first made a stretch of ten leagues to the north-west; and then, seeing no land in that direction, I stood back to the eastward about fifteen leagues, and met with nothing but pieces of drift-wood. The soundings were from twenty-two to nineteen fathoms.
Variable light winds, with showers of rain, prevailed all the 2d; but fixing in the south-east quarter, in the morning of the 3d, we resumed our course to the northward. At noon we were, by observation, in the latitude of 62° 34ʹ, our longitude was 192°; and our depth of water sixteen fathoms.
Mr. Anderson, my surgeon, who had been lingering under a consumption for more than twelve months, expired between three and four this afternoon. He was a sensible young man, an agreeable companion, well skilled in his own profession; and had acquired considerable knowledge of other branches of science. The reader of this Journal will have observed how useful an assistant I had found him in the course of the voyage; and had it pleased God to have spared his life, the public, I make no doubt, might have received from him such communications, on various parts of the natural history of the several places we visited, as would have abundantly shown that he was not unworthy of this commendation.[[79]] Soon after he had breathed his last, land was seen to the westward, twelve leagues distant. It was supposed to be an island; and, to perpetuate the memory of the deceased, for whom I had a very great regard, I named it Anderson’s Island. The next day, I removed Mr. Law, the surgeon of the Discovery, into the Resolution, and appointed Mr. Samuel, the surgeon’s first mate of the Resolution, to be surgeon of the Discovery.
On the 4th, at three in the afternoon, land was seen, extending from north north-east to north-west. We stood on toward it till four o’clock, when, being four or five miles from it, we tacked; and soon after, the wind falling, we anchored in thirteen fathoms water, over a sandy bottom; being about two leagues from the land, and, by our reckoning, in the latitude of 64° 27ʹ, and in the longitude of 194° 18ʹ. At intervals, we could see the coast extending from east to north-west, and a pretty high island, bearing west by north, three leagues distant.