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straggling along down the hillside with the lighter green of grasses & flowers gave a pleasant appearance to the country much enhanced by a few stray spruces visible on the low land separating the outer & inner bays on the western shore. Hiding the hill tops ragged masses of clouds were driving over all day - The cutter was lowered with LG. Reynolds in charge and started up the bay to examine a schooner anchored in the inner bay -  I accompanied him - We had a fine sail of a couple of hours and passing through the narrow strait (across which extends a bar at 2 fathoms) connecting the outer & inner bay we soon came up to & boarded the Schnr. W. F. March with a party of prospectors on board - They are prospecting the country to the N. and NE. of the head of the bay for Galena, bearing silver, and say they have found ore paying $150. per ton but have not found whether it is in sufficient quantity yet to pay working. A Col. Williams of Oakland Cal - is leading the party, 10 of whom are absent prospecting. They report Fish River which connects Port-Clarence & Golovina Bay to be too shallow to admit a whale [[?]] mouth - their mine they say is 3 days walk overland -

We had lunch on board and then turned back - going through the narrow channel we had squalls from every side alternating with calms. Often a squall from one side would scarcely die out before the sail would be driven over the other side by an opposing squall - they also came from the bow and stern. Overhead [[strikethrough]] the [[/strikethrough]] just at