snow, and presented us with a most dreary picture. At midnight, Saint
Laurence bore S.S.E., five or six miles distant; and our depth of water was
eighteen fathoms. We were accompanied by various kinds of sea-fowl, and saw
several small crested hawks.

The weather still continuing to thicken, we lost all sight of land till the
5th, when it appeared both to the N.E. and N.W, Our latitude, by account,
was at this time 65° 24', longitude 189° 14'. As the islands of Saint
Diomede, which lie between the two continents in Beering's strait, were
determined by us last year to be in latitude 65° 48', we could not
reconcile the land to the N.E., with the situation of these islands. We
therefore stood toward the land till three in the afternoon, when we were
within four miles of it, and finding it to be two islands, were pretty well
satisfied of their being the same; but the weather still continuing hazy,
to make sure of our situation, we stood over to the coast of Asia till
seven in the evening; at which time we were within two or three leagues of
the east cape of that continent.

This cape is a high round head of land, extending four or five miles from
north to south, forming a peninsula, and connected with the continent by a
narrow neck of low land. Its shore is bold, and off its north part are
three high, detached, spiral rocks. At this time it was covered with snow,
and the beach surrounded with ice. We were now convinced, that we had been
under the influence of a strong current, setting to the north, that had
caused an error in our latitude at noon of twenty miles. In passing this
strait the last year, we had experienced the same effect.

Being at length sure of our position, we held on to the N. by E. At ten at
night the weather becoming clear, we had an opportunity of seeing, at the
same moment, the remarkable peaked hill, near Cape Prince of Wales, on the