At day-break on the 4th, I hauled to the N.W., in order to get a nearer view of the inlet seen the preceding day; but the wind, soon after, veering to that direction, I gave up the design; and steered to the southward along the coast, past two bays, each about two leagues deep.  The northernmost lies before a hill, which is remarkable by being rounder than any other upon the coast.  And there is an island lying before the other.  It may be doubted, whether there be a sufficient depth for ships in either of these bays, as we always met with shoal water, when we edged in for the shore.  The country here is exceedingly hilly and naked.  In several places on the low ground, next the sea, were the dwellings of the natives; and near all of them were erected stages of bones, such as before described.  These may be seen at a great distance, on account of their whiteness.

At noon the latitude was 64 deg. 31’, and the longitude 188 deg. 45’; the southernmost point of the main in sight bore S., 48 deg.  W., and the nearest shore about three or four leagues distant.  By this time, the wind had veered again to the N., and blew a gentle breeze.  The weather was clear, and the air cold.  I did not follow the direction of the coast, as I found that it look a westerly direction toward the Gulf of Anadir, into which I had no inducement to go, but steered to the southward, in order to get a sight of the island of St Laurence, discovered by Beering, which accordingly shewed itself, and at eight o’clock in the evening, it bore S., 20 deg.  E., by estimation, eleven leagues distant.  At the same time, the southernmost point of the main land bore S., 83 deg.  W., distant twelve leagues.  I take this to be the point which Beering calls the east point of Suchotski, or Cape Tschukotskoi; a name which he gave it, and with propriety, because it was from this part of the coast that the natives came off to him, who called themselves of the nation of Tschutski.  I make its latitude to be 64 deg. 13’, and its longitude 186 deg. 36’.

In justice to the memory of Beering, I must say, that he has delineated the coast very well, and fixed the latitude and longitude of the points better than could be expected from the methods he had to go by.  This judgment is not formed from Mr Muller’s account of the voyage, or the chart prefixed to his book; but from Dr Campbell’s account of it in his edition of Harris’s collection, and a map thereto annexed, which is both more circumstantial and accurate than that of Mr Muller.

The more I was convinced of my being now upon the coast of Asia, the more I was at a loss to reconcile Mr Staehlin’s map of the New Northern Archipelago with my observations; and I had no way to account for the great difference, but by supposing, that I had mistaken some part of what he calls the island of Alaschka for the American continent, and had missed the channel that separates them.  Admitting even this, there would still have been a considerable difference.  It was with me a matter of some consequence, to clear up this point the present season, that I might have but one object in view the next.  And, as these northern isles are represented by him as abounding with wood, I was in hopes, if I should find them, of getting a supply of that article, which we now began to be in great want of on board.