August the 12th, fine pleasant Weather; at Eight o'Clock had 40 Fathom Soundings, and at Ten made the Land, bearing W. by S. ten Leagues. Many Islands of Ice, but the Wind contrary for Davis's Inlet, stood towards another Opening which promised a good Harbour; but not being able to attain it before Night, stood on and off until the next Morning, fine pleasant Weather; and August the 13th, by Four in the Morning, were in with the Land. A Whaleboat, with proper Hands, was sent to sound a-head, and find a Harbour. Soon after a Cry was heard from an Island to Northward; there appeared to be five Persons. Some Rings, Knives, Scissors, and Iron Hoop, being taken by the People into the Boat, after rowing about a League they entered into a small Harbour, near the Place where the five Persons were first seen, but who had retired. Entering the Harbour they saw Shallops built after the Newfoundland Manner, at Anchor, with Buoys and Cables, a Mast, a square Yard athwart, with a Sail bent, a Tilt made of Seal Skins abaft. These Boats were tarred, that Summer's Work. Upon the Sight of these Boats a Doubt arose whether they were Indians whom they had seen, or some unfortunate Shipwrecked People.
When the Boat got further into the Harbour two Eskemaux Indians came off, the one a Man in Years, the other a young Man. The elder Man had a small black Beard. The elder Man being presented with a Ring, immediately put it on his Finger; the young Man did the same when one was presented him. Both declined accepting Pieces of Iron Hoop, a very agreeable Present to the Eskemaux on the Western Side Hudson's Bay. They knew what Fire-arms were, which they saw in the Boat: Also asked for some Pork, which they saw, and had been taken into the Boat for Fear the Schooner and the Boat should be separated; and, on the Boatsmen not having a Knife immediately ready, they produced a Knife apiece; and the elder Man used the Word Capitaine in his Address; had a Complaisance in his Behaviour. From these Circumstances it was plain they carried on a Trade with the French; tho' the latest French Authors represented them as a savage People, who would never have any Commerce with them. And a Motive for this Undertaking was from an Opinion, that no Trade had been carried on in these Parts, either by Europeans or Americans, the printed Accounts and common Report both agreed in this. It was apparent to whom these Boats belonged; and there were more than twenty Eskemaux ashore, of various Sexes and Ages, who kept shaking of old Cloaths for Sale; and the elder Man pressed the People in the Boat very much to come ashore, also to bring the Schooner to an Anchor, which was standing on and off; but as the Day advanced, the Situation the Schooner was in, being many small Islands about, and a fine Opening which promised a good Harbour in the main Land, they declined the Invitation; and there was an Eskemaux ready with a large Coil of Whalebone, seemingly for the Boat to warp in to a small Cove and make fast with. These Civilities were acknowledged by a Present being sent to those ashore, and after shewing where they intended for, the Boat returned aboard the Schooner.
The People on board the Schooner, as they advanced towards the Inlet where they expected a Harbour, hoisted their Ensign, which was very large, and fired two Swivels by way of Salute; soon after the Eskemaux displayed on the Rocks a large white Ensign, on a high Pole; and when there was Occasion to lower the Schooner's Colours, the Eskemaux lowered theirs; the Schooner's Colours being again hoisted, they hoisted theirs; but a Squall of Sleet and Rain came on, which prevented their having a further Sight of each other. At Six in the Evening the Schooner was anchored in a convenient Harbour, a level Shore, with high rocky Land, bare in Spots, the other Parts covered with a good Herbage and large Groves of Trees, Firs, Spruce, and Pine. An Evening Gun was fired to give the Natives Notice where the Schooner was, and also a good Watch was set.
August the 14th, at Day, they fired a Swivel aboard the Schooner, and displayed their Colours as a Signal for Trade; and a Party went ashore to ascend the Heighths. The largest Trees did not exceed ten Inches Diameter, and fifty Feet in Heighth; many Runs of excellent Water, Ponds in level Spots; the Country had an agreeable Aspect, a plentiful Herbage, the Flowers were now blown, the Berries not ripened, and the Angelica, of which there was great Quantity, not seeded. They had a very laborious Walk before they attained the desired Summit; the Musquetoes very troublesome. Being on an extraordinary Eminence they saw the North and South Point of the main Land, or two Capes which form a Bay, the Northermost was computed to be something to the Northward of Latitude 56, and the Southermost in Latitude 55. The Shore high and bold, to Northward a Number of Reefs of Rocks lying out a great Way into the Sea, in the Southern Part of the Bay many Islands and two Inlets. Sixty Islands of Ice of large Dimensions in Sight. In the ascending this Heighth, saw many Moose Deer Paths, Tracts of other Animals; and in the Ponds Trouts of about ten Inches in Length. On the Shores few Fowl but Ducks, and a Plenty of Muscles. The Weather very warm and pleasant. The Schooner's People found a Barrel, a Hogshead Stave, and a Piece of hewed Wood, on which it was conjectured that this was no unfrequented Harbour.
The next Morning, the 15th of August, the Boat was sent to carry two Persons to the Head of the Harbour, that they might travel to a Mountain about ten Miles off, to take a View of the inland Part of the Country. When the Boat returned, the People brought Word they had seen the Ruins of a Timber House. The Boat was again manned to go and take a Survey of it; and it appeared to have been a House built for some Persons to winter in, of Logs joined together, part standing, with a Chimney of Brick and Stone entire. The House consisted of three Rooms, a Log Tent near, and a Pit dug in which they seemed to have buried their Beer. The Ground cleared at a Distance round: The Woods burnt, several Hogsheads and Barrels, and seemingly a great Waste of Biscuit, Pork, Salt Fish, and other Provisions, which seemed as if those who had been here had retired with great Precipitation; neither had been long gone, as there were fresh Feet Marks on the Strand, and some Trees lately hewn. The Marks on the Cask shewed that the People were from London; and it was supposed that as the Eskemaux had not come to trade, there had been a Fray between the Eskemaux and these People; and when they considered the compleat Manner in which the Boats were equipped and rigged, doubted whether the Eskemaux had not overpowered them, and had some of the People with them. The great Earnestness with which the elder of the Eskemaux made Signs for the People in the Boat to go ashore, seemed to be with a particular Design: Therefore it was thought prudent to be very careful in the Watch at Night, to strike the Bell every half Hour, to keep a continual Walk on Deck, and call All is well, that the Eskemaux might hear, if they should intend a Surprize, that the People aboard were on their Guard.
The Morning of the 16th they run up to the Head of the Harbour with the Schooner, to Wood and Water, there being Plenty of Wood ready cut, and a Place conveniently dammed up to confine a fine Stream of excellent Water which came from the Heighths. There was then found several Pieces of printed Books, in German and English, the English Moravian Hymns. Peas, Beans, Turnips, and Radishes planted, which seemed as if they would come to no great Perfection, and judged to have been sowed about three Weeks. The wooding and watering was finished by Ten at Night, but with no small Trouble on Account of the Musquetoes, though great Smoaks made to keep them off.
The two Persons who had been sent to view the inland Country returned in the Morning, after having spent a rainy Night in the Woods; gave an Account that they had been forced to go round several small Lakes, which made the Way longer than expected; and the Mountain was very steep and rugged: Saw several large Spots of excellent Meadow: The Timber much the same as that on the Shores of the Harbour: That they saw two Inlets to Northward, extending a great Way into the Land: That it was only the Branch of an Inlet that the Vessel was at Anchor in; but they saw the Termination of the Inlet to be in large Ponds.
The 17th of August the Schooner was to return to her first Anchorage, with an Intention to search the Inlets to Northward; but the Wind proved contrary, and a hard Gale, though the Weather pleasant. The 18th the Wind moderated, and the Schooner returned to her former Anchorage; but the Wind did not serve to quit the Harbour until the 19th in the Afternoon; the Interval of Time had been filled up in brewing Spruce Beer, and doing other necessary Work with respect to the Sails and Rigging. At Six in the Evening was close in with the Island, where they had seen the Eskemaux, but now gone. It was not until the 21st, by reason of Calms and Currents, that they attained to the Inlet to Northward. Those who had been sent out with the Boat to sound a-head, had seen on the Shore an Eskemaux Encampment, from which they were but very lately retired, and brought from thence a Piece of a Jawbone of a Spermaceti Whale, which was cut with a Hatchet. It was plain from that the Eskemaux were supplied with Iron Tools: They also found a Piece of an Earthen Jar. They judged there had been about eleven Tents.
The 22d of August, in the Morning, the Ship's Company catched some Cod; they were but small, but fine full Fish. The Whaleboat was sent up with some Hands, to sound and find a Harbour: And three Persons went on Shore to a high Summit, about four Miles off, to view the Country: Saw in their Way many Tracts of Deer, a deep Soil, good Grass, and met with several large level Spots, with Ponds of Water; thick Groves of Timber, and a plentiful Herbage. The Country, from this Summit, appeared to consist of Ridges and Mountains; and as the Weather changed from fine and pleasant, to thick and hazey, they saw the Clouds settle on several Ridges of the Mountain, near them, as also on the Heighth where they were, and under them. And when they returned the People on board said they had had some smart Showers of Rain, which those who had been on the Heighth were not sensible of.
In the Afternoon they proceeded with the Schooner to a Harbour which those who had been sent out with the Whaleboat had discovered, an extraordinary fine Harbour; and it may be here observed in general, that most of the Harbours are very fine ones. There are many of them, and not far the one from the other.