form large bales, three or four feet fquare. The herrings alfo fupply them with another grand refource, which is a vast quantity of roe, very curioully prepared. It is ftrewed upon, or as it were, incruftated about, fmall branches of the Canadian pine. They also prepare it upon a long narrow feagrafs, which grows plentifully upon the rocks, under water. It may be confidered as the winter bread of these people, and has no difagreeable tafte. They alfo roaft the large kind of mufcle, then ftick them upon long wooden fkewers, and taking them off as occafionally wanted, eat them without any other preparation, though they often dip them in oil, as a fauce.

Of the fea-animals, the most common in use amongst them as food, is the porpoise, the fat or rind of which, as well as the flesh, they cut in large pieces, and having dried them, as they do the herrings, cat them without an farther preparation. They also prepare a fort of broth from this animal, in its fresh ftate, in a fingular manner, putting pieces of it in a fquare wooden veffel or bucket, with water, and then throwing heated ftones into it. This operation they repeat till they think the contents are fufficiently ftewed or feethed. They put in the fresh, and take out the other flones, with a cleft ftick, which ferves as tongs; the vetiel being always placed near the fire, for that purpofe. This is a pretty common dish among them, and from its appearance, feems to be ftrong nourishing food.

Their manufactures, and mechanic arts, are far more ingenious, both in design and execution, than could have been expected from the natural difpofition of the people, and the little progress that civilization has made amongst them in other refpects. Their flaxen garments are made of the bark of the pinetree, beat into a hempen ftate. It is not fpun, but,

after

after being properly prepared, is spread upon a stick, which is faltened acrofs to two others that stand upright. It is difpofed in fuch a manner, that the manufacturer, who fits on her hams at this fimple machine, knot it acrofs with fmall plaited thread, near halfan inch from each other. Though, by this method, it is not fo clofe or firm as cloth that is woven, the bunches between the knots make it fufficiently impervious to the air, by filling the interftices; and it has the additional advantage of being fofter and more pliable. Their wollen garments, though probably manufactured in the fame manner, have the Arongeft refemblance to woven cloth. But the various figures which are very artificially inferted in them, destroy the supposition of their being wrought in a loom it being extremely unlikely, that these people fhould be fo dexterous as to be able to finish fuch a complex work, unless immediately by their hands. They are of differant degrees of fineness; fome refembling our coarfeft rugs or blankets : and others almoft equal to our fineft fort, or even fofter, and certainly warmer.

Their implements for fifhing and hunting, which are both ingeniously contrived, and well made, are nets, hooks and lines, harpoons, gigs, and an inftrument like an oar. This laft is above go feet long, 4 or 5 inches broad, and about half an inch thick. Each edge, for about two thirds of its length, is fet with fharp bone teeth, about two inches long. Herrings and fardines, and fuch other fmall fish as come in fhoals, are attacked with this inftrument: which is ftruck into the fhoal, and the fish are caught either upon, or between the teeth, Their hooks are made of bone and wood, and rather inartificially but the harpoon, with which they ftrike the whales and leller fea animals, fhews a great reach of contrivance. It is compofed of a piece of

bone,

bone, cut into two barbs, in which is fixed the ovak blade of a large mufcle fhell, in which is the point of the inftrument. To this is faftened about two or three fathoms of rope; and to throw this harpoon, they use a shaft of about 12 or 15 feet long, to which the rope is made faft, and to one end of which the harpoon is fixed, fo as to feparate from the fhaft, and leave it floating upon the water as a buoy when the animal darts away with the harpoon.

We failed from Nootka Sound on the 26th of April, and foon loft fight of land; but on the 2d of May, fteered N. W. by N. we difcovered a round elevated mountain, which was named Mound Edge-" cumbe and the point of land fhooting out from it. Cape Edgecumbe. The land, except in fome places close to the fea, was all of a confiderable height, and hilly. The more elevated hills were covered with fnow; but the lower ones were free from it, and covered with a fine wood.

Hence he coafted along, noticing several inlets, inlands, capes, and mountains, (to which in the order of discovery, he gave the names of the Bay of Ilands, Crofs Caps, Crofs Sound, Cape Fair Wcather, Mount Fair Weather, Bhering's Bay, the mountain called by Bhering, Mount Elias, Cape Suckling's, Keye's Ifland, and Comptroller's Bay,) till the 12th of May, when he anchored before a fmall cove, a little within a cape, to which he gave the name of Cape Hinchingbroke. Near this were fome rocky islands, to which Mr. Gore was sent in a boat, in hopes of fhooting fome catable Birds. But he had hardly got to them, before the natives made their appearance in two large canoes, on which he thought proper to return to the fhips, and they fullowed him. They would not venture along-side but kept at a diftante, hollowing aloud, and alternately clafping and extending their arms; and in a

fhort

fhort time, began a kind of fong exactly after the manner of thofe at Nootka. their heads were decorated with feathers. One man held out a white garment, which was interpreted as a fign of friendthip; and another ftood up in a canoes, quite naked for almoft a quarter of an hour, with his arms ftretched out like a crofs, and motionlefs. Though the Captain returned all their figns of friendship, and by every expreffive gefture, tried to encourage them to come along-fide, he could not prevail. After receiving fome prefents which were thrown to them, they retired to that part of the fhore whence they came, making figns they would appear again the next morning.

The next morning, Capt. Cook got under fail in order to look out for fome fnug place, where he might fearch for a leak, which he had lately fprung, At first the clearness of the weather tempted him to fteer to the N. farther up the largeft inlet; but bad weather returning, he was obliged to anchor, before he had got farther into the bay as he intended.

The weather, bad as it was, did not hinder three of the natives from paying him a vifit. They came off in two canoes, two men in one, and one in the other, being the number each could carry. Each of these men had a ftick, about three feet long, with the large feathers or wings of birds tied to it. Thefe they frequently held up, with a view as was gueffed, to express their pacific difpofition.

The treatment thefe men met with, induced many more to come, between one and two the next morning (the 14th) in great and small canoes. Some ventured on board the fhip, but not till fome of the crew had stepped into their boats. Amongst those who came on board, was a good-looking middle aged man, who was afterwards found to be the chief. He was clothed in a drefs made of the fea otter's fkin, and

had

had on fuch a cap as is worn by the natives of Nootka Sound, ornamented with fky blue glafsbeads about the fize of a large pea. He feemed to fet a much higher value upon thefe, than upon our white glafs beads. Any fort of beads, however, seemed to be in high estimation with thefe people; and they readily give whatever they had in exchange for them, even their fine otter fkins.

These people were also defirous of iron, but they wanted pieces of eight or ten inches long at leaft, and of the breadth of three or fore fingers. For they abfolutely rejected fmall pieces. Confequently they got but little, iron having, by this time, become a fcarce article. The Captain could not prevail upon the Chief to truft himself below the upper deck, nor did he and his companions remain long on board. But while he had their company, it was neceffary to watch them narrowly, as they foon betrayed a thievich difpofition. At length, after being about three or four hours along-fide the Refolution, they all left her, and went to the Discovery: none having been there before, except one man, who at this time, came from her, and immediately returned thither in company with the reft. When this was

observed, it was thought this man had met with fomething there, which he knew would pleafe hist countrymen better than what they had met with on board the Refolution.

As foon as they were gone, I fent a boat to found the head of the bay for as the wind was moderate, I had thoughts of laying the fhip afhore, if a convenient place could be found where I might begin our operation to top the leak. It was not long before all the natives left the Discovery, and instead of returning to us, made their way toward our boat employed as above.,. The officers in her feeing this, returned to the hip, and was followed by all the Iii

14

canoes;