ANDERSON DIES.

On 27th June they were off the island of Onalaschka, and came across a party of natives who were towing two whales they had killed; they were somewhat shy, but had evidently seen ships before, and were more polite than those previously met with. One was upset from his canoe, and Cook took him down into the cabin and provided him with dry clothes; "he dressed himself with as much ease as I could have done." His clothes were of birds' skins, the feathers inside, and patched in places with silk, and over all he wore a sort of shirt of whale's intestine, which, secured round the edge of the hole in which he sat in his canoe, rendered him practically waterproof. Whilst in this neighbourhood they received a second letter in Russian, but having no one on board who could translate, it was returned with some presents to the bearer, who retired bowing his thanks. After some detention from fogs and adverse winds they got away once more and pushed slowly northwards. On 3rd August Mr. Anderson the surgeon, who had been ill for some months, died, and Cook, having named an island, sighted soon after his death, Anderson's Island, "to perpetuate the memory of the deceased, for whom I had a very great regard," appointed Mr. Law to the Resolution and Mr. Samwell to the Discovery as surgeons.

On 9th August, Cape Prince of Wales, 65 degrees 46 minutes North, 191 degrees 45 minutes East, was sighted, and they believed it to be the most westerly point of North America. They landed on what, from Heydinger's Chart, was the eastern end of the island of Alaska, but it afterwards was found to be the eastern extremity of Asia. This chart, says Burney, was found "not only to be incorrect but almost unintelligible." The country was very desolate, neither tree nor shrub to be seen, and the inhabitants seemed afraid of their visitors, though not absolutely unfriendly. They were taller and stouter than those on the American side, and their clothing very superior.

The ships fell in with the ice blink on the 17th, in 70 degrees 33 minutes North, 197 degrees 41 minutes East, rather earlier than had been expected, and soon afterwards with the ice itself in the shape of a large field extending as far as the eye could reach from west to east. Here they got a supply of fresh meat in the shape of sea-horse, of which animal they killed a good many. The flesh was fishy and indifferent eating, but Cook says anything was preferable to salt meat.

They still slowly but steadily pushed north along the American shore, but, being hampered by fog and ice, they crossed over to the west side with no better fortune, for on the 26th they found themselves embayed in the field with large quantities of heavy loose ice along the edges. Having sighted Cape North on 29th August, Cook decided the season was too far advanced, and that it would be better to proceed to winter quarters, and accordingly ran down the Asiatic coast in search of wood and water, of which he stood in need; but was disappointed, and making over to the other side was fortunate to find a considerable quantity of driftwood which served his purpose. Before leaving the straits, Cook remarks:

"In justice to Behring's memory, I must say he delineated this 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."