st 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.

A breeze of wind springing up at N., we weighed, and stood to the
westw