iendship.

Upon your arrival on the coast of New Albion, you are to put into the
first convenient port to recruit your wood and water, and procure
refreshments, and then to proceed northward along the coast as far as
the latitude of 65 deg., or farther, if you are not obstructed by lands or
ice, taking care not to lose any time in exploring rivers or inlets, or
upon any other account, until you get into the before-mentioned latitude
of 65 deg., where we could wish you to arrive in the month of June next.
When you get that length, you are carefully to search for, and to
explore, such rivers or inlets as may appear to be of a considerable
extent, and pointing towards Hudson's or Baffin's Bays; and if, from
your own observations, or from any information you may receive from the
natives, (who, there is reason to believe, are the same race of people,
and speak the same language, of which you are furnished with a
vocabulary, as the Esquimaux,) there shall appear to be a certainty, or
even a probability, of a water passage into the afore-mentioned bays, or
either of them, you are, in such case, to use your utmost endeavours to
pass through with one or both of the sloops, unless you shall be of
opinion that the passage may be effected with more certainty, or with
greater probability, by smaller vessels; in which case you are to set up
the frames of one or both the small vessels with which you are
provided, and, when they are put together, and are properly fitted,
stored, and victualled, you are to dispatch one or both of them, under
the care of proper officers, with a sufficient number of petty officers,
men, and boats, in order to attempt the said passage, with such
instructions for their rejoining you, if they should fail, or for their
farther proceedings, if they should succeed in the attempt, as you shall
judge most proper. But, nevertheless, if you shall find it more eligible
to pursue any other measures than those above pointed out, in order to
make a discovery of the beforementioned passage, (if any such there be,)
you are at liberty, and we leave it to your discretion, to pursue such
measures accordingly.

In case you shall be satisfied that there is no passage through to the
above-mentioned bays, sufficient for the purposes of navigation, you
are, at the proper season of the year, to repair to the port of St Peter
and St Paul in Kamtschatka, or wherever else you shall judge more
proper, in order to refresh your people