About three in the morning of the ift of juIy, the party proceeded
down the weflern fhore, and foon arrived at the wcftern divilion of the
main inlet, mentioned on the 29th of june to have been feen from point
Hopkins. This, which took a direction s. 35 w., was about a mile wide;
its weflern fliorc being ftill a continuation of the continent, its eaflcrn
having the appearance of being an ifland, or a group of iflands; fo that
little doubt was entertained of finding a paffage by that route, inflead
of returning by the way they had come. For this'rcafon Mr. Whidbcy
did not hefitate to proceed down the arm, and having advanced about
five miles along the continental fliore, he came to a point in latitude
53° 50', longitude 231° S-j'j which he named Point Ashton. Here
another branch extended from that they were purfuing to the north-
ward, and, at a little diflance, appeared again to divide into two arms,
to the north and the north-weft.
By this time their provifions were nearly cxhaufted ; and ns there
v;as no certainty of gaining a paffage to the fhip by this route, Mr.
Whidbey deemed it moft prudent to quit the further examination of
the continental fhore, and to make the beft of his way towards the
veffels. At point Afhton they breakfafled, and by the fhore found it
high water there 13' after the moon paffed the meridian. From this
point in. a foutherly direftion were feveral rocky itlets, and two fmall
iflands. After breakfaft they made confiderable progrefs, and found the arm
take a dire6lion s. 30 w., 14 miles to a point on the eaft fhore. About
half way from point Afhton, they paffed on that fhore by an opening,
flretching to the north-eaft, and communicating mofl probably with one
of thofe they had paffed on the oppofite fide of the land, extending to
the weftward. From this lafl flation the channel ran nearly fouth ; and
by ten in the forenoon of the 2d of July, their former opinion was con-
firmed, by their arriving at the fouth-weft extremity of the land which,
in their way up to point Hopkins, had formed their weftern, and on their
return from point Afhton. their eaflern fhore. This, which I called
Point Gumming, is fituatcd in latitude /j3" i8-§^', longitude 230° 58',
from hence the iflet, on which Mr. Whidbc}- had left a note the 23d of
Vol. II. R r June,
Page:Voyage of discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and round the world in the years 1791-95, volume 2.djvu/333
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
ROUND THE WORLD.
305
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Voyage_of_discovery_to_the_North_Pacific_Ocean%2C_and_round_the_world_in_the_years_1791-95%2C_volume_2.djvu/page333-1024px-Voyage_of_discovery_to_the_North_Pacific_Ocean%2C_and_round_the_world_in_the_years_1791-95%2C_volume_2.djvu.jpg)