Mcnsies' Journal. 



Off Coast of California. 



1792. 

 April 12th. 



April 15th. 



April 17th. 



New Albion ( 

 Drake, 1579. 



During this period the surface of the sea was remarkably / 

 smooth & as tranquihty is so necessary for the preservation 

 of the deHcate structure of these tender animals, it would 

 seem that this part of the Pacific is seldom visited by bois- 

 terous weather or violent gales of wind, otherwise we should 

 probably find them more scatterd about the Ocean & less 

 numerous. 



In the forenoon of the 15th a small Bird was seen in 

 its flight somewhat like a Plover & though we were now 

 approaching the continent of America & had reason to 

 believe we were not far from it, yet we had no other 

 signs of our being in the vicinity of land excepting that 

 the weather also became more boisterous & unsettled. In 

 the evening we sounded but found no bottom with a hundred 

 & twenty fathoms of line, the South East Wind still con- 

 tinued & during the night & following day blew in strong 

 gales & frequent squalls with rain & thick gloomy weather. 

 We also quitted that smooth sea which we had been sailing 

 through for some days past & now got into a much rougher 

 element. 



On the morning of the 17th we sounded with a hundred 

 & again with a hundred & thirty fathoms but had no ground. 

 Some drift wood was seen at different times & a Seal in 

 the forenoon & at noon we were in Latitude 39° 20' North 

 & in Longitude 235° 54' east. The weather which had been 

 squally with strong gales & lightning on the preceding night 

 still continued boisterous till about four in the afternoon 

 when it became more moderate. About this time we past 

 some drift wood & a good deal of Sea Weed mixd with 

 grass the Zostera marina, we also saw a / number of Birds 

 such as Auks Divers & Shags which indued us again to 

 Sound when we struck ground in 65 fathoms minute brown 

 sand, it was at this time so thick & hazy that we could not 

 see any great distance ahead of us, we however soon after 

 discoverd that we were close in with the Coast of NEW 

 ALBION by seeing the land East by North about two 

 leagues off, we stood in for it till we were within three 

 Miles of the shore & then tackd hauling our wind to the 

 South westward to ply off & on for the night, during which 

 we had but light winds & a good deal of rain. At 8 in the 

 evening we sounded with 90 & at 10 with upwards of 100 



