We were well up with the southernmost land next morning, and found it to be an island, which was named Trinity Island.  Its greatest extent is six leagues in the direction of E. and W. Each end is elevated naked land, and in the middle it is low, so that, at a distance, from some points of view, it assumes the appearance of two islands.  It lies in the latitude of 56 deg. 36’, and in the longitude of 205 deg., and between two and three leagues from the continent, which space is interspersed with small islands and rocks, but there seemed to be good passage enough, and also safe anchorage.  At first we were inclined to think, that this was Beering’s Foggy Island,[2] but its situation so near the main does not suit his chart.

[Footnote 2:  Tumannoi-ostrow, c’est-a-dire, L’isle Nebuleuse.—­Muller, p. 261.]

At eight in the evening, we stood in for the land, till we were within a league of the above-mentioned small islands.  The westernmost part of the continent now in sight, being a low point facing Trinity Island, and which we called Cape Trinity, now bore W.N.W.  In this situation, having tacked in fifty-four fathoms water, over a bottom of black sand, we stood over for the island, intending to work up between it and the main.  The land to the westward of Two-headed Point, is not so mountainous as it is to the N.E. of it, nor does so much snow lie upon it.  There are, however, a good many hills considerably elevated, but they are disjoined by large tracts of flat land that appeared to be perfectly destitute of wood, and very barren.

As we were standing over toward the island, we met two men in a small canoe, paddling from it to the main.  Far from approaching us, they seemed rather to avoid it.  The wind now began to incline to the S., and we had reason to expect, that it would soon be at the S.E.  Experience having taught us, that a south-easterly wind was here generally, if not always, accompanied by a thick fog, I was afraid to venture through between the island and the continent, lest the passage should not be accomplished before night, or before the thick weather came on, when we should be obliged to anchor, and by that means lose the advantage of a fair wind.  These reasons induced me to stretch out to sea, and we passed two or three rocky islets that lie near the east end of Trinity Island.  At four in the afternoon, having weathered the island, we tacked, and steered west-southerly, with a fresh gale at S.S.E., which, before midnight, veered to the S.E., and was, as usual, attended with misty, drizzling, rainy weather.

By the course we steered all night, I was in hopes of falling in with the continent in the morning.  And, doubtless, we should have seen it, had the weather been in the least clear, but the fog prevented.  Seeing no land at noon, and the gale increasing, with a thick fog and rain, I steered W.N.W., under such sail as we could easily haul the wind with, being fully sensible of the danger of running before a strong gale in a thick fog, in the vicinity of an unknown coast.  It was, however, necessary to run some risk when the wind favoured us; for clear weather, we had found, was generally accompanied with winds from the west.