The canoes of these people are of the same sort with those of the Northern Americans, some, both of the large and of the small ones, being seen lying in a creek under the village.

By the large fish-bones, and of other sea-animals, it appeared that the sea supplied them with the greatest part of their subsistence.  The country appeared to be exceedingly barren, yielding neither tree nor shrub, that we could see.  At some distance westward, we observed a ridge of mountains covered with snow that had lately fallen.

At first, we supposed this land to be a part of the island of Alaschka, laid down in Mr Staehlin’s map before-mentioned.  But from the figure of the coast, the situation of the opposite shore of America, and from the longitude, we soon began to think that it was, more probably, the country of the Tschutski, or the eastern extremity of Asia, explored by Beering in 1728.  But to have admitted this, without farther examination, I must have pronounced Mr Staehlin’s map, and his account of the new northern archipelago, to be either exceedingly erroneous, even in latitude, or else to be a mere fiction; a judgment which I had no right to pass upon a publication so respectably vouched, without producing the clearest proofs.[1]

[Footnote 1:  If the account of Beering’s voyage had been accurately given, Captain Cook need not have hesitated about the situation or nature of the place he now visited.  Captain Billings afterwards anchored in the same bay on his voyage to complete the discoveries of Cook, as related in Mr Coxe’s work.  Still, however, our acquaintance with this part of Asia is very imperfect.  Captain Cook, it may be proper to remark here, had the merit of ascertaining the vicinity of the two continents, which had been but vaguely conjectured before his time.—­E.]

After a stay of between two and three hours with these people, we returned to our ships, and soon after, the wind veering to the south, we weighed anchor, stood out of the bay, and steered to the N.E., between the coast and the two islands.  The next day, at noon, the former extended from S. 80 deg.  W. to N. 84 deg.  W., the latter bore S. 40 deg.  W., and the peaked mountain, over Cape Prince of Wales, bore S. 36 deg.  E., with land extending from it as far as S. 75 deg.  E. The latitude of the ship was 66 deg. 5-1/4’, the longitude 191 deg. 19’, our depth of water twenty-eight fathoms, and our position nearly in the middle of the channel between the two coasts, each being seven leagues distant.

From this station we steered east, in order to get nearer the American coast.  In this course the water shoaled gradually, and there being little wind, and all our endeavours to increase our depth tailing, I was obliged at last to drop anchor in six fathoms, the only remedy we had left to prevent the ships driving into less.  The nearest part of the western land bore W., twelve leagues distant, the peaked hill over Cape Prince of Wales, S. 16 deg.  W., and the northernmost part of the American continent in sight, E.S.E., the nearest part about four leagues distant.  After we had anchored, I sent a boat to sound, and the water was found to shoal gradually toward the land.  While we lay at anchor, which was from six to nine in the evening, we found little or no current, nor could we perceive that the water either rose or fell.