Footnote 6:[ (return) ]
May we not, in confirmation of Mr Anderson's remark, observe, that Opulszthl, the Nootka name of the Sun; and Vitziputzli, the name of the Mexican Divinity, have no very distant affinity in sound?—D.
Footnote 7:[ (return) ]
It will be found at the end of the voyage.
SECTION IV.
A Storm, after sailing from Nootka Sound.—Resolution springs a Leak.—Pretended Strait of Admiral de Fonte passed unexamined.—Progress along the Coast of America.—Behring's Bay.—Kaye's Island.—Account of it.—The Ships come to an Anchor.—Visited by the Natives.—Their Behaviour.—Fondness for Beads and Iron.—Attempt to plunder the Discovery.—Resolution's Leak stopped.—Progress up the Sound.—Messrs Gore and Roberts sent to examine its Extent.—Reasons against a Passage to the North through it.—The Ships proceed down it to the open Sea.
Having put to sea on the evening of the 26th, as before related, with strong signs of an approaching storm, these signs did not deceive us. We were hardly out of the Sound, before the wind, in an instant, shifted from north-east to south-east by east, and increased to a strong gale, with squalls and rain, and so dark a sky, that we could not see the length of the ship. Being apprehensive, from the experience I had since our arrival on this coast, of the wind veering more to the south, which would put us in danger of a lee-shore, we got the tacks on board, and stretched off to the south-west, under all the sail that the ships could bear. Fortunately, the wind veered no farther southerly than south-east; so that at day-light the next morning we were quite clear of the coast.
The Discovery being at some distance a-stern, I brought-to till she came up, and then bore away, steering north-west; in which direction I supposed the coast to lie. The wind was at south-east, blew very hard, and in squalls, with thick hazy weather. At half-past one in the afternoon, it blew a perfect hurricane; so that I judged it highly dangerous to run any longer before it, and therefore brought the ships to, with their heads to the southward, under the foresails and mizen-stay-sails. At this time the Resolution sprung a leak, which, at first, alarmed us not a little. It was found to be under the starboard buttock; where, from the bread-room, we could both hear and see the water rush in; and, as we then thought, two feet under water. But in this we were happily mistaken; for it was afterward found to be even with the water-line, if not above it, when the ship was upright. It was no sooner discovered, than the fish-room was found to be full of water, and the casks in it afloat; but this was, in a great measure, owing to the water not finding its way to the pumps through the coals that lay in the bottom of the room. For, after the water was baled out, which employed us till midnight, and had found its way directly from the leak to the pumps, it appeared that one pump kept it under, which gave us no small satisfaction. In the evening, the wind veered to the south, and its fury, in some degree, ceased. On this we set the main-sail, and two topsails close-reefed, and stretched to the westward. But at eleven o'clock the gale again increased, and obliged us to take in the topsails, till five o'clock the next morning, when the storm began to abate, so that we could bear to set them again.
The weather now began to clear up, and being able to see several leagues round us, I steered more to the northward. At noon, the latitude, by observation, was 50° 1'; longitude 229° 26'.[1] I now steered N.W. by N., with a fresh gale at S.S.E. and fair weather. But at nine in the evening, it began again to blow hard, and in squalls, with rain. With such weather, and the wind between S.S.E. and S.W. I continued the same course till the 30th, at four in the morning, when I steered N. by W. in order to make the land. I regretted very much indeed that I could not do it sooner; for this obvious reason, that we were now passing the place where geographers[2] have placed the pretended strait of Admiral de Fonte. For my own part, I give no credit to such vague and improbable stories, that carry their own confutation along with them. Nevertheless, I was very desirous of keeping the American coast aboard, in order to clear up this point beyond dispute. But it would have been highly imprudent in me to have engaged with the land in weather so exceedingly tempestuous, or to have lost the advantage of a fair wind by waiting for better weather. This same day, at noon, we were in the latitude of 53° 22', and in the longitude of 225° 14'.
The next morning, being the 1st of May, seeing nothing of the land, I steered north-easterly, with a fresh breeze at S.S.E. and S., with squalls, and showers of rain and hail. Our latitude at noon 54° 43', and our longitude 224° 44'. At seven in the evening, being in the latitude of 55° 20', we got sight of the land, extending from N.N.E. to E., or E. by S. about twelve or fourteen leagues distant. An hour after, I steered N. by W.; and at four the next morning, the coast was seen from N. by W. to S.E. the nearest part about six leagues distant.[3]
At this time the northern point of an inlet, or what appeared to be one, bore E. by S. It lies in the latitude of 56°; and from it to the northward, the coast seemed to be much broken, forming bays or harbours every two or three leagues, or else appearances much deceived us. At six o'clock, drawing nearer the land, I steered N.W. by N., this being the direction of the coast; having a fresh gale at S.E. with some showers of hail, snow, and sleet. Between eleven and twelve o'clock, we passed a group of small islands, lying under the main land, in the latitude of 56° 48'; and off, or rather to the northward of the south point of a large bay. An arm of this bay, in the northern part of it, seemed to extend in toward the north, behind a round elevated mountain that lies between it and the sea. This mountain I called Mount Edgcumbe; and the point of land that shoots out from it Cape Edgcumbe. The latter lies in the latitude of 57° 3', and in the longitude of 224° 7'; and at noon it bore north 20° W. six leagues distant.