The fog clearing up, with the change of the wind to S.W., in the evening of the 12th, we had a sight of the land bearing W., twelve leagues distant. We stood in for it early next morning. At noon we were not above three miles from it; an elevated point, which obtained the name of Cape Barnabas, lying in the latitude of 57° 13', bore N.N. E. 1/2 E., ten miles distant, and the coast extended from N. 42° E., to W.S.W. The N.E. extreme was lost in a haze, but the point to the S.W., whose elevated summit terminated in two round hills, on that account was called Two-headed Point. This part of the coast, in which are several small bays, is composed of high hills and deep valleys, and in some places we could see the tops of other hills, beyond those that form the coast, which was but little encumbered with snow, but had a very barren appearance. Not a tree or bush was to be seen upon it; and, in general, it had a brownish hue, probably the effect of a mossy covering.
I continued to ply to the S.W. by W., as the coast trended, and, at six in the evening, being midway between Cape Barnabas and Two-headed Point, and two leagues from the shore, the depth of water was sixty-two fathoms. From this station, a low point of land made its appearance beyond Two-headed Point, bearing S. 69° W., and, without it, other land that had the appearance of an island, bore S. 59° W.
At noon, on the 13th, being in latitude 56° 49', Cape St Barnabas bore N. 52° E., Two-headed Point, N. 14° W., seven or eight miles distant, and the coast of the continent extended as far as S. 72 1/2 W., and the land seen the preceding evening, and supposed to be an island, now appeared like two islands. From whatever quarter Two-headed Point was viewed, it had the appearance of being an island, or else it is a peninsula, on each side of which the shore forms a bay. The wind still continued westerly, a gentle breeze, the weather rather dull and cloudy, and the air sharp and dry.
We were well up with the southernmost land next morning, and found it to be an island, which was named Trinity Island. Its greatest extent is six leagues in the direction of E. and W. Each end is elevated naked land, and in the middle it is low, so that, at a distance, from some points of view, it assumes the appearance of two islands. It lies in the latitude of 56° 36', and in the longitude of 205°, and between two and three leagues from the continent, which space is interspersed with small islands and rocks, but there seemed to be good passage enough, and also safe anchorage. At first we were inclined to think, that this was Beering's Foggy Island,[2] but its situation so near the main does not suit his chart.
At eight in the evening, we stood in for the land, till we were within a league of the above-mentioned small islands. The westernmost part of the continent now in sight, being a low point facing Trinity Island, and which we called Cape Trinity, now bore W.N.W. In this situation, having tacked in fifty-four fathoms water, over a bottom of black sand, we stood over for the island, intending to work up between it and the main. The land to the westward of Two-headed Point, is not so mountainous as it is to the N.E. of it, nor does so much snow lie upon it. There are, however, a good many hills considerably elevated, but they are disjoined by large tracts of flat land that appeared to be perfectly destitute of wood, and very barren.
As we were standing over toward the island, we met two men in a small canoe, paddling from it to the main. Far from approaching us, they seemed rather to avoid it. The wind now began to incline to the S., and we had reason to expect, that it would soon be at the S.E. Experience having taught us, that a south-easterly wind was here generally, if not always, accompanied by a thick fog, I was afraid to venture through between the island and the continent, lest the passage should not be accomplished before night, or before the thick weather came on, when we should be obliged to anchor, and by that means lose the advantage of a fair wind. These reasons induced me to stretch out to sea, and we passed two or three rocky islets that lie near the east end of Trinity Island. At four in the afternoon, having weathered the island, we tacked, and steered west-southerly, with a fresh gale at S.S.E., which, before midnight, veered to the S.E., and was, as usual, attended with misty, drizzling, rainy weather.
By the course we steered all night, I was in hopes of falling in with the continent in the morning. And, doubtless, we should have seen it, had the weather been in the least clear, but the fog prevented. Seeing no land at noon, and the gale increasing, with a thick fog and rain, I steered W.N.W., under such sail as we could easily haul the wind with, being fully sensible of the danger of running before a strong gale in a thick fog, in the vicinity of an unknown coast. It was, however, necessary to run some risk when the wind favoured us; for clear weather, we had found, was generally accompanied with winds from the west.
Between two and three in the afternoon, land was seen through the fog, bearing N.W., not more than three or four miles distant. Upon this, we immediately hauled up south, close to the wind. Soon after, the two courses were split, so that we had others to bring to the yards, and several others of our sails received considerable damage. At nine, the gale abated, the weather cleared up, and we lost sight of the coast again, extending from W. by S. to N.W., about four or five leagues distant. On sounding, we found a hundred fathoms water, over a muddy bottom. Soon after, the fog returned, and we saw no more of the land all night.
At four next morning, the fog being now dispersed, we found ourselves in a manner surrounded by land; the continent, or what was supposed to be the continent, extending from W.S.W. to N.E. by N., and some elevated land bearing S.E. 1/2 S., by estimation eight or nine leagues distant. The N.E. extreme of the main was the same point of land that we had fallen in with during the fog, and we named it Foggy Cape. It lies in latitude 56° 31'. At this time, having had but little wind all night, a breeze sprung up at N.W. With this we stood to the southward, to make the land, seen in that direction, plainer.
At nine o'clock, we found it to be an island of about nine leagues in compass, lying in the latitude of 56° 10', and in the longitude of 202° 46'; and it is distinguished in our chart by the name of Foggy Island, having reason to believe, from its situation, that it is the same which had that name given to it by Beering. At the same time, three or four islands, lying before a bay, formed by the coast of the main land; bore N. by W.; a point, with three or four pinnacle rocks upon it, which was called Pinnacle Point, bore N.W. by W.; and a cluster of small islets, or rocks, lying about nine leagues from the coast, S.S.E.