At noon, when our latitude was 56° 9', and our longitude 201° 45', these rocks bore S. 58' E., ten miles distant; Pinnacle Point, N.N.W., distant seven leagues; the nearest part of the main land N.W. by W., six leagues distant; and the most advanced land to the S.W., which had the appearance of being an island, bore W., a little southerly. In the afternoon, we had little or no wind, so that our progress was inconsiderable. At eight in the evening, the coast extended from S.W. to N.N.E., the nearest part about eight leagues distant.
On the 17th, the wind was between W. and N.W., a gentle breeze, and sometimes almost calm. The weather was clear, and the air sharp and dry. At noon, the continent extended from S.W. to N. by E., the nearest part seven leagues distant. A large group of islands lying about the same distance from the continent, extended from S. 26° W. to S. 52° W.
It was calm great part of the 18th, and the weather was clear and pleasant. We availed ourselves of this, by making observations for the longitude and variation. The latter was found to be 21° 27' E. There can be no doubt that there is a continuation of the continent between Trinity Island and Foggy Cape, which the thick weather prevented us from seeing. For some distance to the S.W., of that cape, this country is more broken or rugged than any part we had yet seen, both with respect to the hills themselves, and to the coast, which seemed full of creeks, or small inlets, none of which appeared to be of any great depth. Perhaps, upon a closer examination, some of the projecting points between these inlets will be found to be islands. Every part had a very barren aspect, and was covered with snow, from the summits of the highest hills, down to a very small distance from the sea coast.
Having occasion to send a boat on board the Discovery, one of the people in her shot a very beautiful bird of the hawk kind. It is somewhat less than a duck, and of a black colour, except the fore-part of the head, which is white, and from above and behind each eye arises an elegant yellowish-white crest, revolved backward as a ram's horn. The bill and feet are red. It is, perhaps, the alca monochroa of Steller, mentioned in the history of Kamtschatka.[3] I think the first of these birds was seen by us a little to the southward of Cape St Hermogenes. From that time, we generally saw some of them every day, and sometimes in large flocks. Besides these, we daily saw most of the other sea-birds, that are commonly found in other northern oceans, such as gulls, shags, puffins, sheerwaters, and sometimes ducks, geese, and swans. And seldom a day passed without seeing seals, whales, and ether large fish.
In the afternoon, we got a light breeze of wind southerly, which enabled us to steer W., for the channel that appeared between the islands and the continent; and, at day-break next morning, we were at no great distance from it, and found several other islands, within those already seen by us, of various extent both in height and circuit. But between these last islands, and those before seen, there seemed to be a clear channel, for which I steered, being afraid to keep the coast of the continent aboard, lest we should mistake some point of it for an island, and, by that means, be drawn into some inlet, and lose the advantage of the fair wind, which at this time blew.
I therefore kept along the southernmost chain of islands, and at noon we were in the latitude of 55° 18', and in the narrowest part of the channel, formed by them and those which lie along the continent, where it is about a league and a half, or two leagues over. The largest island in this group was now on our left, and is distinguished by the name of Kodiak,[4] according to the information we afterwards received. I left the rest of them without names. I believe them to be the same that Beering calls Schumagin's Islands,[5] or those which he called by that name, to be a part of them, for this group is pretty extensive. We saw islands as far to the southward as an island could be seen. They commence in the longitude of 200° 15' E., and extend a degree and a half, or two degrees, to the westward. I cannot be particular, as we could not distinguish all the islands from the coast of the continent. Most of these islands are of a good height, very barren and rugged, abounding with rocks and steep cliffs, and exhibiting other romantic appearances. There are several snug bays and coves about them, streams of fresh water run from their elevated parts, some drift-wood was floating around, but not a tree or bush was to be seen growing on the land. A good deal of snow still lay on many of them, and the parts of the continent, which shewed themselves between the innermost islands, were quite covered with it.[6]
At four in the afternoon, we had passed all the islands that lay to the southward of us; the southernmost, at this time, bearing S. 5° E., and the westernmost point of land now in sight, S. 82° W. For this point we steered, and passed between it and two or three elevated rocks that lie about a league to the east of it.
Some time after we had got through this channel, in which we found forty fathoms water, the Discovery, now about two miles astern, fired three guns, and brought-to, and made a signal to speak with us. This alarmed me not a little; and, as no apparent danger had been remarked in the passage through the channel, it was apprehended that some accident, such as springing a leak, must have happened. A boat was immediately sent to her, and in a short time returned with Captain Clerke. I now learned from him, that some natives, in three or four canoes, who had been following the ship for some time, at length got under his stern. One of them then made many signs, taking off his cap, and bowing, after the manner of Europeans. A rope being handed down from the ship, to this he fastened a small thin wooden case or box, and having delivered this safe, and spoken something, and made some more signs, the canoes dropped astern, and left the Discovery. No one on board her had any suspicion that the box contained any thing, till after the departure of the canoes, when it was accidentally opened, and a piece of paper was found, folded up carefully, upon which something was written in the Russian language, as was supposed. The date 1778 was prefixed to it, and, in the body of the written note, there was a reference to the year 1776. Not learned enough to decypher the alphabet of the writer, his numerals marked sufficiently that others had preceded us in visiting this dreary part of the globe, who were united to us by other ties besides those of our common nature; and the hopes of soon meeting with some of the Russian traders could not but give a sensible satisfaction to those who had, for such a length of time, been conversant with the savages of the Pacific Ocean, and of the continent of North America.
Captain Clerke was, at first, of opinion, that some Russians had been shipwrecked here, and that these unfortunate persons, seeing our ships pass, had taken this method to inform us of their situation. Impressed with humane sentiments, on such an occasion, he was desirous of our stopping till they might have time to join us. But no such idea occurred to me. It seemed obvious, that if this had been the case, it would have been the first step taken by such shipwrecked persons, in order to secure to themselves, and to their companions, the relief they could not but be solicitous about, to send some of their body off to the ships in the canoes. For this reason, I rather thought that the paper contained a note of information, left by some Russian trader, who had lately been amongst these islands, to be delivered to the next of their countrymen who should arrive; and that the natives, seeing our ships pass, and supposing us to be Russians, had resolved to bring off the note, thinking it might induce us to stop. Fully convinced of this, I did not stay to enquire any farther into the matter, but made sail, and stood away to the westward, along the coast; perhaps I should say along the islands, for we could not pronounce, with certainty, whether the nearest land, within us, was continent or islands. If not the latter, the coast here forms some tolerably large and deep bays.
We continued to run all night with a gentle breeze at N.E., and, at two o'clock next morning, some breakers were seen within us, at the distance of about two miles. Two hours after, others were seen a-head, and on our larboard bow, and between us and the land, they were innumerable. We did but just clear them, by holding a south course. These breakers were occasioned by rocks, some of which were above water. They extend seven leagues from the land, and are very dangerous, especially in thick weather, to which this coast seems much subject. At noon, we had just got on their outside, and, by observation, we were in the latitude of 54° 44', and in the longitude of 198°. The nearest land, being an elevated bluff point, which was called Rock Point, bore N., seven or eight leagues distant; the westernmost part of the main, or what was supposed to be the main, bore N. 80° W.; and a round hill, without, which was found to be an island, and was called Halibut-Head, bore S. 64° W., thirteen leagues distant.