Footnote 6:[ (return) ]
There is a circumstance mentioned by Muller, in his account of Beering's voyage to the coast of America in 1741, which seems to decide this question. His people found iron at the Schumagin Islands, as may be fairly presumed from the following quotation: "Un seul homme avoit un couteau pendu à sa ceinture, qui parut fort singulier à nos gens par sa figure. Il étoit long de huit pouces, et fort épais, et large à l'endroit où devoit être la pointe. On ne pent 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 north-east coast of this continent?—D.
SECTION VI.
Progress along the Coast.—Cape Elizabeth.—Cape St Hermogenes.—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 River.—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.—Reflections on the Discovery of Cook's River.—The considerable Tides in it accounted 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 23d. 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 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,[1] 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.[2]
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 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. 1/2 E. eight leagues distant; and the land to the N.W. of it extended from S. 1/2 W. to near W. In this last direction it ended in a low point, now five leagues distant, which was called Point Banks. 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. 1/2 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.