PREFACE. 



TllK transcript of Alenzies' journal received by the late Provincial 

 Archivist. Mr. E. O. S. Scholefield, consisted of 874 quarto 

 pages, representing 345 of the original manuscript. On examination 

 it was found that the transcriber reported the absence of several leaves, 

 but, on the other hand, some of the numbers were in duplicate. 



The period covered by the journal extends from December 1790, 

 to February i6th, 1794, beginning in London and ending in the 

 Hawaiian Islands, with a description of an ascent of " Mounaroa." 

 That portion of it relating to the North-west Coast of America during 

 the year 1792 is taken from the entries made between April 7th anrl 

 October 13th, original folios 103 and 200B. Within the time herein 

 included the expedition under Captain Vancouver coasted along the 

 mainland shore from latitude 35° 25' north off what was then known 

 as New Albion, but now included in Northern California, to latitude 

 52° 18', where for that year the survey ended at Point Menzies, in 

 Burke Channel. The serious work of the navigators began at the 

 time they entered the Strait of Fuca at the end of April and continued 

 until August 17th, when the boat party which ATenzies accompanied 

 reached their turning-point near the present thriving Norwegian settle- 

 ment at Bella Coola. This was less than a year before Mackenzie 

 passed the same place. 



As so little is known of Captain Colnett's first voyage to the 

 North-west Coast of America, in which Menzies took part, the scat- 

 tered references to it in the following pages become of value. 



Menzies' first voyage to the coast is referred to in a few places, 

 and, meagre though they be, add something to the very imperfect 

 knowledge of it. Leaving London in September, 1786, the " Prince 

 of Wales," in which vessel Menzies sailed with Colnett, after forming 

 a settlement at Staten Island, in the Straits of Magellan, passed on 

 without stopping to Nootka, where the ship arrived in July, 1787, 

 with many of the crew sufifering from scurvy. With her consort, the 

 " Princess Royal," under Duncan, the " Prince of Wales " remained 

 at Nootka for about a month, during which time Menzies botanized 

 in the woods, watched over, as his journal says, by the wife of 

 Maquinna's brother. Recognizing her in 1792 at Tahsis, he made her 

 some small presents. Early in August the ships sailed for Prince 

 William's Sound, Alaska, but, meeting Captain Dixon just outside 

 the harbour, were persuaded by him to sail to the Queen Charlotte 

 Islands instead. That the expedition made a stay of some dura- 

 tion in these islands is evidenced by the date 1787, of Johnstone's 



