executed exactly in the fame manner that the New Zealanders manufacture their cloth. Others were occupied in opening and curing fish.

I now found, by traverfing a few miles weft of this village, what I had before conjectured, that the land, under which the fhips lay, was an island; and that there were many fmaller ones lying fcattered in the found, on the weft of it. Oppofite the north end of our island, upon the main land, I observed a village, and there I landed. The inhabitants of it were not fo polite as thofe of the other. But this cold reception feemed owing to one furly chief, who would not let me enter their houfes, following me wherever I went; and feveral times, by expreflive figns, marking his impatience that I fhould be gone. Some of the young women, better pleafed with us than was their inhofpitable chief, dreffed themfelves expeditionfly in their beft apparel, and welcomed us, by joining in a fong, which was far from difagreeable.

The day being now far fpent, I proceeded for the fhips. When I got on board, I was informed that while I was abfent, they had been vifited by fome ftrangers, who, by figns, made our people understand that they had come from the fouthcaft, beyond the bay. They brought feveral fkins, garments, and other articles, which they bartered. But what was moft fingular, two filver table fpoons were purchased from them, which, from their peculiar fhape, we fuppofed to be of Spanish manufacture. One of thefe ftrangers wore them round his neck, by way of ornament." Captain Clerke and I went in the forenoon of

day with two boats, to the village at the int of the found. When I was there, the

day

day before, I had obferved that plenty of grafs grew near it; and it was neceffary to lay in a quantity of this, for the few goats and fheep which were still left on board. The inhabitants received us with the fame demonstrations of friendfhip which I had experienced before; and the moment we landed, I ordered fome of my people to begin their operation of cutting. I had not

the leaft imagination that the natives could make any objection to our furnishing ourselves with what feemed to be of no ufe to them, but was neceffary for us. However, I was mistaken; for the moment that our men began to cut, fome of the inhabitants interpofed, and would not permit them to proceed, faying they muft "makook;" that is, muft first buy it. I bargained with them for it, and thought that we were now at liberty to cut wherever we pleased. But here again I was under a mistake; for the liberal manner in which I had paid the first pretended proprietors, brought fresh demands upon me from others; and fo many of them were to be fatisfied, that I very foon emptied my pockets. When they found that I really had nothing more to give, their importunities ceased, and we were permitted to cut wherever we pleased, and as much as we chose to carry away.

Every thing being now ready, in the morning of the 26th, I intended to have put to fea; but both wind and tide being against us, was obliged to continue where we were. At four o'clock in the afternoon, we had every forerunner of an approaching ftorm; this made me hesitate a little, whether I fhould venture to fail, or wait till the next morning. But my anxious impatience to VOL. VII.

pro

ceed upon the voyage, made me determine to put to fea at all events.

Our friends, the natives attended us, till we were almoft out of the found; fome on board the fhips, and others in their canoes. To one of their chiefs, who had attached himself to me, I prefented a new broad-fword, with a brafs hilt; the poffeffion of which made him completely happy. I make no doubt that whoever comes after me to this place, will find the natives prepared with no inconfiderable fupply of skins; an article of trade which, they could obferve, we were eager to poffefs, and which we found could be purchased to great advantage.

On my arrival in this inlet, I had honoured it with the name of King George's Sound; but I afterwards found, that it is called Nootka by the natives. The harbours and anchoring places, within its circuit, are numerous.

The land bordering upon the feacoaft is of a middling height and level; but within the found it rifes almoft every where into fteep hills, which agree in their general formation, ending in round or blunted tops, with fome tharp, though not very prominent, ridges on their fides. Some of thefe hills may be reckoned high.

The trees, which chiefly compofe the woods, are the Canadian pine, white cyprefs, cypreffus thyoides, the wild pine, with two or three other forts of pine lefs common.

As the feafon was advancing very faft, and our neceffary repairs took up all our time, excurfions of every kind, either on the land or by water, were never attempted. And as we lay in a cove on an ifland, no other animals were ever feen

alive in the woods, than two or three racoons, martins, and fquirrels. The account, therefore, that we can give of the quadrupeds, is taken from the ikins which the natives brought to fell.

Of these, the most common were bears, deer, foxes, and wolves. The bear-fkins were in great numbers; few of them very large; but in general of a fhining black colour. The deer-ikins were fcarcer; and they feem to belong to that fort called the fallow-deer by the hiftorians of Caroli pa; though Mr. Pennant thinks it quite a different fpecies from ours, and diftinguithes it by the name of Virginian deer. The foxes are in great plenty, and of several varieties; fome yellow, fome red, some white, and some black.

Befides

the common fort of martin, the pine-martin is here; and the ermine is also found at this place, The racoons and fquirrels are of the common fort.

Hogs, dogs, and goats, have not as yet found their way to this place. Nor do the natives feem to have any knowledge of our brown rats, to which, when they faw them on board the fhips, they applied the name they give to fquirrels.

The fea animals, feen off the coaft, were whales, porpoifes, and feals. The laft of these feem only of the common fort, judging from the tkins which we faw here.

Sea-otters, which live mostly in the water, are found here. The fur of these animals, as mentioned in the Ruffian accounts, is certainly fofter and finer than that of any others we know of; and therefore the difcovery of this part of the continent of North America, where fo yaluable

an article of commerce may be met with, cannot be a matter of indifference *.

Birds, in general, are not only rare as to the different fpecies, but very scarce as to numbers; and thefe few are fo fhy, that, in all probability, they are continually haraffed by the natives; perhaps for food; certainly to get poffeffion of their feathers, which they ufe as ornaments. Thofe which frequent the woods, are crows and ravens, not at all different from our English ones; a bluifh jay or magpie, common wrens, which are the only finging bird that we heard; the Canadian or emigrating thrush; and a confiderable number of brown eagles, with white heads and tails; which, though they feem principally to frequent the coaft, come into the found in bad weather, and fometimes perch upon the trees.

The birds which frequent the waters and the fhores, are not more numerous than the others. Quebrantahueffofes, gulls, and fhags, were feen off the coaft, and the two laft alfo frequent the found; they are of the common forts. We obferved wild ducks in confiderable flocks; and the greater lumme, or diver, found in our northern countries. There were also feen, once or twice, fome fwans flying across the found.

Fish are more plentiful in quantity than birds, though the variety is not very great; and yet, from feveral circumftances, it is probable, that even the variety is confiderably increafed at certain feafons.

Mr. Coxe, on the authority of Mr. Pillas, informs us that the old and middle-aged fea-otter fkins are fold at Kiach. ta, by the Ruflians to the Chinefe, from eighty to one hun ed rubles a fkin; that is from fixteen to twenty pounds each. xe's Ruffian Discoveries.

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