29', to which
he gave the name of Icy Cape. After the death of Cook, Captain Clarke
entered the strait on the Asiatic side, and reached the latitude of 70 deg.
33'; he afterwards got sight of the land on the American side in latitude
69 deg. 34'. Such were the results of the last voyage of Captain Cook,
respecting the proximity of Asia and America, and the nature of the strait
by which they were divided.
Although the Spaniards seemed to be most interested in whatever concerned
the west coast of America, yet they made no attempt to explore it from the
commencement of the seventeenth century till the year 1774. In 1769,
indeed, being alarmed at the evident design of the Russians to settle in
the north-west coast, they formed establishments at St. Diego and Montory.
In 1774 they traced the American coast from latitude 53 deg. 53' to latitude
55 deg., and it is said discovered Nootka Sound. In the following year an
expedition was sent from St. Blas, which proceeded along the north-west
coast, and reached to latitude 57 deg. 58'.
The voyage of Cook roused the Russian government to further exertions; and
they accordingly fitted out an expedition to explore the sea between Asia
and America: the command of it was given to an Englishman of the name of
Billings, who had served as a petty officer under Captain Cook. He was,
however, by no means qualified for his situation, and abandoned the
enterprise in the latter end of July, having proceeded only a few leagues
beyond Cape Barrenoi: the whole amount of the information procured during
this voyage being confined to a few of the Aleutian Islands, and some
points in the coast of America and Asia.
A few years afterwards the Empress Catherine sent out a secret expedition;
the principal object of which was to ascertain the situation of the islands
between the two continents. Little is known respecting this expedition,
except that some observations were made on Behring's Straits, which,
however, were not passed. The distance between the continents was estimated
at forty-eight miles.
About the same time, the great profits which it was expected would be
derived from the fur trade on the north-west coast of America, induced
several commercial vessels to visit it; and during their voyages, nearly
all the parts of it which had not been visited by Cook, were examined as
far as the inlet which was named after him, in latitude 61 deg. 15'. This
extent of coast was found to consist of a vast chain of islands; and the
appearance and nature of it revived the hope which Cook's last voyage had
extinguished, that in this part of the coast there might be a practicable
passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic ocean.
