the
enterprise in the latter end of July, having proceeded only a few leagues
beyond Cape Barrenoi: the whole amount of the information procured during
this voyage being confined to a few of the Aleutian Islands, and some
points in the coast of America and Asia.

A few years afterwards the Empress Catherine sent out a secret expedition;
the principal object of which was to ascertain the situation of the islands
between the two continents. Little is known respecting this expedition,
except that some observations were made on Behring's Straits, which,
however, were not passed. The distance between the continents was estimated
at forty-eight miles.

About the same time, the great profits which it was expected would be
derived from the fur trade on the north-west coast of America, induced
several commercial vessels to visit it; and during their voyages, nearly
all the parts of it which had not been visited by Cook, were examined as
far as the inlet which was named after him, in latitude 61 deg. 15'. This
extent of coast was found to consist of a vast chain of islands; and the
appearance and nature of it revived the hope which Cook's last voyage had
extinguished, that in this part of the coast there might be a practicable
passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic ocean.

This hope was again extinguished in the opinion of most people, by the
result of two of the most celebrated voyages which have been performed
since the death of Captain Cook: we allude to the voyages of La Perouse,
and of Vancouver: the former sailed with two frigates from Brest on the 1st
of August, 1785: the object of this voyage was very comprehensive and
important, being no less than to fill up whatever had been left deficient
or obscure by former navigators, and to determine whatever was doubtful, so
as to render the geography of the globe as complete and minute as possible:
he was directed to supply the island in the South Seas with useful European
vegetables. At present we shall confine our notice of this voyage to what
relates to the more immediate object of this part of our work, the coast of
North-west America.

The north-west coast of America was made by La Perouse, in latitude sixty
degrees north: from this latitude he carefully traced and examined it to
the Spanish settlement of Monterey.--an extent of coast of which Cook had
had only a transient and imperfect view. Of this he constructed a chart,
which at the time was justly regarded as extr