Port Abel, Latitude 26, Long. 122° 11´, and the Callao of Lima, being laid down Longitude 60 West from the first Meridian of Fero, and hitherto we have carried on our Computation of Longitude 80 from Paris, we shall hereafter compute from Fero and London; and Cape Christabel we compute 102° 11´ from the Meridian of Fero, or 119° 46´ from the Meridian of London.
The Course four Hundred and ten Leagues North North-west, de Fonte made Cape Blanquial in Latitude 45, Longitude from London 129° 28´, from the Meridian of Fero 111° 53´, to Northward and Westward of the Entrance of Martin Aquilar. Sufficient Observations have not been made to determine by the Geographers as to the true Latitudes and Longitudes of these Places, and, until they attain more perfect Informations, must disagree.
The Course from Blanquial is not inserted, but is to be determined by the Distance two Hundred and sixty Leagues, ending in Latitude 53 at Rio los Reys. De Fonte had, during the whole Time between Abel and Los Reys, the Wind in his Favour. Therefore his Course must have been to the Northward of the East; and if he run two Hundred and sixty Leagues, with a Course East 52° North, he would make 2 Deg. 1 Min. Latitude, and 20 Deg. 24 Min. Longitude. To correspond with which de Fonte must, for the one Hundred and ninety-six Leagues, made his Course North 52 Deg. West, which would determine in Latitude 50 Deg. 59 Min. and in Long. 141 Deg. 12 Min. from London, in 123 Deg. 27 Min. West from Fero. De Fonte would then be about thirty Leagues from the Land, agreeable to the Russian Discoveries, tho' this Voyage was made so many Years before that Attempt; a great Evidence of the Authenticity of this Account. His Conduct also in this Case was necessary, consistent with the Character of a good Seaman, not to make the Coast direct, or immediately engage with this Archipelago, to which he was a Stranger, and in Parts unknown, or where he had no sailing Directions but to form such Course as gradually to fall in with the Land, and, as the Wind was, if he saw Occasion, could at any Time stand off.
De Fonte by this Course, agreeable to the Latitude of the Suesta del Estrech D'Anian, which is laid down by Prieto in Latitude 51, would be to the Southern Part of the Entrance into such Archipelago, had he been Northward, as the Wind was, he would have regained it with great Difficulty and Loss of Time.
As this Table of Prieto was composed before the Russian Discoveries, and this Land, the Suesta del Estrech D'Anian, is computed in Longitude 141 Deg. 47 Min. computing Lima at 80 Deg. answerable to 238 Deg. 13 Min. East Longitude from Fero, it is a little singular that these Accounts should agree so well, as to the Longitude of this Part of America; is an Instance that Prieto did not proceed upon vague Calculations; had acquired a more exact Account than could be even supposed in these unfrequented Parts, and in his Care and Exactness, as to the more known Parts, we have no Reason to doubt but he hath laid down the Latitude and Longitude of the Suesta del Estrech de Anian, with the greatest Certainty that he could attain to.
I shall not controvert it whether these are the proper Streights of Anian. This Entrance was commonly called amongst the Navigators into those Parts by that Name, as is evident from former Accounts; and Hornius, from his Maps, which may be seen in Purchase, lays it down in the same Manner. My Intention is answered in producing an Authority from the Spaniards of New Spain, that there is an Entrance here agreeable to the Account in this Letter; also, in all Appearance, a superior Entrance to that of Martin Aguilar, which Prieto doth not expresly mention; neither could he properly; but inserts Cape Escondido in Lat. 43, and Cape Blanquial in Lat. 45, an intermediate Distance of one Hundred and twenty Miles. Again mentions the Port of Salagua in Lat. 46, and then the Port of Salado in Lat. 48; in which Interspace the Entrance of de Fuca is supposed to be.
By the Name Archipelago, de Fonte, who would give the Name with Propriety, expresses it to be a Sea; and on his Return says, he sailed down the River Los Reys to the North-east Part of the South Sea; after that returned home. Where the Word Part, properly speaking, or to use the Word as it really imports, can be no otherwise understood than as an Arm or Branch of the South Sea. Had he steered eight Hundred and sixty-six Leagues North North-west, he must necessarily have traversed the Courses of those brave Discoverers Capt. Beering and Tschirikow, which were from Lat. 45 in Asia, to Lat. 56 and 58 in America, and who were not interrupted by any such Islands. Capt. Tschirikow positively says, the Coast was without Islands where he was in Lat. 56; by Capt. Beering's Account in Lat. 58, the Islands lay only along the Coast; and de Fonte in his Account mentions, that he sailed in crooked Channels, amongst Islands. These various Descriptions shew that these Accounts relate to various Parts. As de Fonte could not, in the whole Extent between Asia and America, meet with such Islands, and yet was under a Necessity to pass up crooked Channels, with no small Hazard, as the Boats being a-head express, his Course must have been to the Eastward of where Captain Tschirikow fell in with the Land, and for the Distance of the two Hundred and thirty Leagues before de Fonte came to a River, to Los Reyes, was then passing up the North-east Part of the South Sea, as he terms it, and in some Part of which there were Islands, which he names the Archipelagus of St. Lazarus. There is a Singularity of Expression in the Letter, where his Boats always sailed a-head, the Word where limits the Islands to a certain Space, and that they were not extended the whole two Hundred and thirty Leagues, which is consistent with the Expedition he made, as otherwise the Ships must have often shortened sail, and it could not be avoided, and must have frequently brought up at Night.
As de Fonte did neither make the South or North Shore of this Streight, the most comprehensive Way of expressing himself was to say, he passed up these Islands, by which those who had composed his Instructions well knew the Parts he meant. It must be considered de Fonte was not as to this Part on Discovery, the Whole would be pointed out to him by his Instructions, which being to fall in with the Islands, or Entrance in such a Latitude, to mention either the North or South Limit of the Entrance would be improper; whereas the contrary was the Case as to Cape St. Helena, Francisco, Passao, and Cape Abel, as his Instructions were express, as to the making these Lands.
As de Fonte made a true Course East 81° North, subtract the Longitude 20 Deg. 24 Min. from the Longitude 141 Deg. 12 Min. from London, and from the 123 Deg. 27 Min. from Fero. The Entrance to the River _Los Reys_ lies in Lat. 53 Deg. Long. 120 Deg. 48 Min. from _London_, and 103 Deg. 3 Min. West from Fero. And that his Course was now Easterly is plain from the subsequent Words of the Letter, as they sailed more Easterly. It was also confident with the Purpose they were sent on, to meet a Vessel from Boston.
'The 22d of June Admiral de Fonte dispatched one of his Captains to Pedro de Barnarda, to sail up a fair River, a gentle Stream, and deep Water, went first N. and N. E. N. and N. W. into a large Lake full of Islands, and one very large Peninsula full of Inhabitants, a friendly honest People in this Lake, he named Lake Valasco, where Captain Barnarda left his Ship; nor all up the River was less than 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 Fathom Water, both the Rivers and Lakes abounding with Salmon Trouts, and very large white Perch, some of two Foot long; and with three large Indian Boats, by them called Periagos, made of two large Trees 50 or 60 Foot long. Capt. Barnarda first sailed from his Ships in the Lake Valasco, one Hundred and forty Leagues West, and then 436 E. N. E. to 77 Degrees of Latitude. Admiral de Fonte, after he had dispatched Capt. Barnarda on the Discovery of the North and East Part of the Tartarian Sea.'