take an easterly direction, through the above opening; or whether that opening was only a branch of it, and the main channel continued its northern direction through the low land now in fight.

To determine this point, and to examine the fhoals, I dispatched two boats, under the command of the mafter; and as foon as the flood-tide made, followed with the fhips. We had now many evident proofs of being in a great river.

Early next morning, being the 1ft of June, the mafter returned and reported that he found the inlet, or rather river, contracted to the breadth of one league, by low land on each fide, through which it took a northerly direction. He proceeded three leagues through this narrow part, which he found navigable for the largest ships. While the ebb or ftream ran down, the water was perfectly freth; but, after the flood made, it became brackish; and towards high-water, very much fo, even as high up as we went.

All hopes of finding a paffage were now given up. However, I dispatched two boats, under the command of Lieutenant King, to examine the tides, and to make fuch other obfervations as might give us fome infight into the nature of the river, which I fhall distinguish by the name of River Turnagain. By means of this river, and its several branches, a very extenfive inland communication feems to lie open. We had traced it feventy leagues, or more, from its entrance, without feeing the least appearance of its source.

If the difcovery of this great river*, which

* Captain Cook having here left a blank, which he had not filled up with any particular name, Lord Sandwich directed, with the greatest propriety, that it should be called Cook's

River.

VOL. VII.

S

promi

promifes to vie with the most confiderable ones already known to be capable of extenfive inland navigation, should prove of ufe either to the prefent, or to any future age, the time we spent in it ought to be lefs regretted. But to us, who had a much greater object in view, the delay thus occafioned was an effential lofs. The feafon was advancing apace. We knew not how far we might have to proceed to the fouth; and we were now conviced that the continent of North America extended farther to the weft, than, from the modern most reputable charts, we had reafon to expect. This made the existence of a paffage into Hudson's Bay lefs probable; or at least shewed it to be of greater extent. It was a fatisfaction to me, however, to reflect, that, if I had not examined this very confiderable inlet, it would have been affumed, by fpeculative fabricators of geography, as a fact, that it communicated with the fea to the north, or with Hudfon's Bay to the east.

In the afternoon I fent Mr. King again, with two armed boats, with orders to land on the northern point of the low land, on the fouth-eaft fide of the river, there to display the flag; to take poffeffion of the country and river in his majesty's name; and to bury in the ground a bottle, containing fome pieces of English coin, of the year 1772, and a paper, on which was infcribed the names of our fhips, and the date of our discovery.

We weighed anchor as foon as it was highwater; and with a faint breeze, foutherly, ftood over to the weft fhore, where the return of the flood obliged us to anchor early next morning. Soon after feveral large and fome small canoes, with natives, came off, who bartered their skins; after which they fold their garments, till many of them re quite naked.

In

In plying down the river, a good many of the natives came off. Their company was very acceptable; for they brought with them a large quantity of very fine falmon, which they exchanged for fuch trifles as we had to give them. Moft of it was fplit ready for drying; and feveral hundred weight of it was procured for the two fhips.

In the afternoon of the 2d of June, the mountains, for the first time fince our entering the river, were clear of clouds; and we discovered a volcano in one of thofe on the weft fide. It did not make any striking appearance, emitting only a white smoke, but no fire.

The wind remaining foutherly, we continued to tide it down the river. Before we left this place, fix canoes came off from the eaft fhore; fome conducted by one, and others by two, men. They remained at a little distance from the fhips, viewing them with a kind of filent surprise, at leaft half an hour, without exchanging a fingle word with us, or with one another. At length they took courage, and came along-fide, began to barter with our people, and did not leave us till they had parted with every thing they. brought with them, confifting of a few tkins and fome falmon.

Moft of the fkins, which we purchased here, were made up into garments. However, fome of these were in good condition; but others were old and ragged enough. But as these poor people make no other use of skins but for clothing themfelves, it cannot be fuppofed that they are at the trouble of dreffing more of them than are neceffary for this purpofe. And perhaps this is the chief ufe for which they kill the animals; for $ 2

the

the sea and the rivers feem to fupply them with their principal articles of food. It would probably be much otherwife, were they once habituated to a conftant trade with foreigners.

Nothing interefting happened till the 18th, when, having occafion to fend a boat on board the Difcovery, one of the people in her fhot a very beautiful bird of the hawk kind. It is fomewhat 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 arifes an elegant yellowish white creft, revolved backward as a ram's horn. The bill and feet are red. We had for fome days feen these birds in large flocks. On the 19th, being near the shore, the Discovery fired three guns, brought to, and made the fignal to speak with us. A boat was immediately fent to her, and in a fhort time returned with Captain Clerke. I now learned from him that fome natives, in three or four canoes, who had followed the fhip for fome time, at length got under his ftern. One of them then made many figns, taking off his cap and bowing, after the manner of Europeans. A rope being handed down from the thip, to this he fastened a finall thin wooden cafe or box; and having delivered this fafe, and fpoken fomething, and made fome more figns, the canoes dropped aftern, and left the Discovery. No one on board her had any fufpicion 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 fomething was written in the Ruffian language, as was fuppofed. The date 1778 was prefixed to it; and,

he body of the written note, there was a re

ference

ference to the year 1766. Not learned enough to decypher the alphabet of the writer, his numerals marked fufficiently that others had preceded us in vifiting this dreary part of the globe, who were united to us by other ties befides those of our common nature; and the hopes of foon meeting with fome of the Ruffian traders, could not but give a fenfible fatisfaction to those who had, for such a length of time, been converfant with the favages of the Pacific Ocean, and of the continent of North America.

Captain Clerke was at firft of opinion, that fome Ruffians had been fhipwrecked here; and that these unfortunate perfons, feeing our fhips país, had taken this method to inform us of their fituation. Impreffed with humane fentiments, on fuch an occafion, he was defirous of stopping till they might have time to join us. But no fuch idea occurred to me. I rather thought that the paper contained a note of information, left by fome Ruffian trader, who had lately been amongst these islands, to be delivered to the next vifiters. Fully convinced of this, I did not stay to enquire any farther into the matter, but made fail, and stood away to the weftward.

We continued to run all night, with a gentle breeze at north-east; and, at two o'clock next morning, fome breakers were seen within us, at the distance of two miles.

The breakers forced us fo far from the continent, that we had but a diftant view of the coaft. Över fome adjoining iflands, we could fee the main land covered with fnow; but particularly fome hills, whofe elevated tops were feen towering above the clouds, to a moft ftupendous height. The most fouth-wefterly of thefe hills

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