We had various soundings, and
saw the rippling in the middle ground: In these circumstances, sometimes
backing, sometimes filling, we entered the first Narrows. About six
o'clock in the evening, the tide being done, we anchored on the south
shore, in forty fathom with a sandy bottom; the Swallow anchored on the
north shore, and the store-ship not a cable's length from a sand-bank,
about two miles to the eastward. The streight here is only three miles
wide, and at midnight, the tide being slack, we weighed and towed the
ship through. A breeze sprung up soon afterwards, which continued till
seven in the morning, and then died away. We steered from the first
Narrows to the second S.W. and had nineteen fathom, with a muddy bottom.
At eight we anchored two leagues from the shore, in 24 fathom, Cape
Gregory bearing W. 1/2 N. and Sweepstakes Foreland S.W. 1/2 W. The tide
here ran seven knots an hour, and such _bores_ sometimes came down, with
immense quantities of weeds, that we expected every moment to be adrift.

The next day, being Christmas day, we sailed through the second Narrows.
In turning through this part of the Streight we had twelve fathom within
half a mile of the shore on each side, and in the middle seventeen
fathom, twenty-two fathom, and no ground. At five o'clock in the
evening, the ship suddenly shoaled from seventeen fathom to five, St
Bartholomew's island then bearing S. 1/2 W. distant between three and
four miles, and Elizabeth's Island S.S.W. 1/2 W. distant five or six
miles. About half an hour after eight o'clock, the weather being rainy
and tempestuous, we anchored under Elizabeth's island in twenty-four
fathom, with hard gravelly ground. Upon this island we found great
quantities of celery, which, by the direction of the surgeon, was given
to the people, with boiled wheat and portable soup, for breakfast every
morning. Some of the officers who went a-shore with their guns, saw two
small dogs, and several places where fires had been recently made, with
many fresh shells of mussels and limpets lying about them: They saw
also several wigwams or huts, consisting of young trees, which, being
sharpened at one end, and thrust into the ground in a circular form, the
other ends were brought to meet, and fastened together at the top; but
they saw none of the natives.

From this place we saw many high mountains, bearing from S. to W.S.W.;
several parts of the summits were covered with snow, though it was the
mi