mm.
>794- tageoufly employed, and that the furvey would be a very irkfome and C-v" - tedious taflv, in confequence of the immenfe numbers of large pieces of
ice that were floating in the found in every direftion. To guard as much
as poflible againfl accidents, I diretled that inftead of two boats as here-
tofore, three ihould be equipped for this fervice, with a fortnight's fup-
plv of provifions, under the direftions of Mr. Whidbey, who had my
orders to go back to cape Spencer, as we had to that place now traced
the continental boundary caftward from Cook's inlet; and there to com-
mence and profecute its examination, fo long as their provifions would
irurldayio. hold out. On tlus fervice he accordingly departed early on thurfday
morning, accompanied by Mr. Menzies in the purfuit of botanical re-
fearches. Thoi'c on board were now fully employed in the various fer-
vices the veflels required: thefe principally confilled in caulking the
decks and top fides of the Difcovery, brewing fpruce beer, which here
proved to be extremely good, and in repairing our fails and rigging;
this latter had now become an objeft of our moll ferious attention, and
called fo"th all our management and ingenuity, as we had little rope left
to replace thofe that were by this time worn down to the very lall flage
of being ferviceable.
The plan of our operations thus arranged ; and having received from Mr. Puget, his journal and chart of the coall, eastward from Prince William's found ; I fhall proceed in the following chapter to flate fuch infor- mation, as was procured during die fepa ration of the veffels, in which it will ap]^!Mv, that I have adopted the name of Beering's bay, inftead of that of At. iiiralty bay, fo named by Mr. Dixon; this I have done from a conviftion of its being the place that Beering had vifited, and in conformity with Captain Cook's intentions, that the bay in which Beering had anchored (iiould bear his name ; and for the following reafons alfo.
On reference to the chart of Mr. Dixon, who firft named that place Admiralty bay, anotlier fpacious bay is therein defcribed to the eaflward of it, having an ifland lying off its fouth-eaft point, and called Beering's bay; this has evidently been done in conformity to Captain Cook's chart, for the dillance at which MefTrs. Portlock and Dixon pafi'ed the coaft, gave them the fame fort of view of it, and precluded their dcteding the error into
