We also got plenty of fish; at first mostly salmon, both fresh and dried, which the natives brought us.  Some of the fresh salmon was in high perfection; but there was one sort, which we called hook-nosed, from the figure of its head, that was but indifferent.  We drew the seine several times, at the head of the bay; and caught a good many salmon-trout, and once a halibut that weighed two hundred and fifty-four pounds.  The fishery failing, we had recourse to hooks and lines.  A boat was sent out every morning, and seldom returned without eight or ten halibut; which was more than sufficient to serve all our people.  The halibut was excellent, and there were few who did not prefer them to salmon.  Thus we not only procured a supply of fish for present consumption, but had some to carry with us to sea.  This enabled us to make a considerable saving of our provisions, which was an object of no small importance.

On the 8th, I received, by the hands of an Oonalashka man, named Derramoushk, a very singular present, considering the place.  It was a rye loaf, or rather a pye made in, the form of a loaf, for it inclosed some salmon, highly seasoned with pepper.  This man had the like present for Captain Clerke, and a note for each of us, written in a character which none of us could read.  It was natural to suppose, that this present was from some Russians now in our neighbourhood; and therefore we sent, by the same hand, to these our unknown friends, a few bottles of rum, wine, and porter; which we thought would be as acceptable as anything we had besides; and we soon knew that in this we had not been mistaken.  I also sent, along with Derramoushk, Corporal Lediard, of the marines, an intelligent man, with orders, that if he met with any Russians, he should endeavour to make them understand that we were English, the friends and allies of their nation.[4]

[Footnote 4:  We must be allowed to notice some particulars in the history of this remarkable enough man, well known, it is probable, to most readers, who have been interested in the operations of the African Association, but, perhaps, not immediately recognised in the humble situation of a corporal of marines.  Some years after this voyage, viz. in 1786, Lediard, by birth an American, resolved on a pedestrian excursion across his native continent; for which purpose, he, first of all, fixed on travelling to Siberia, whence he expected to be able to obtain a passage to its north-west coast.  Sir Joseph Banks, and other gentlemen, favouring his project, subscribed a sum of money, not much exceeding fifty pounds, to enable him to put it into execution.  He proceeded to Hamburgh; from thence to Copenhagen; and, as the gulf of Bothnia was not frozen over, actually walked round its shores by the way of Tornea, till he arrived at Petersburgh, in the beginning of March 1787.  Here he remained till May, when he obtained permission to go with a convoy of military stores, intended for Captain Billings, formerly his ship-mate