Menzies' Journal. 



Washington Coast. 13 



assume! a low & flat appearance coverd with trees for a 

 considerable distance inland. — At 8 at night we were in 

 24 fathoms water over a bottom of dark brown sand, & as 

 we then haiild off we gradually deepend our water & had 

 regular Soundings the whole night. 



Early in the morning of the 28th we had heavy rain 

 & easterly wind with which we edgd in for che shore & bore 

 up about 6 or 7 leagues to the Northward of where we hauld 

 off on the preceeding evening & had soundings in the fore- 

 noon from 19 to 10 fathoms about 5 or 6 miles from the 

 shore. The land here is low & thickly coverd with wood 

 close down to the brink of a steep cliffy shore which 

 appeard pretty streight with a number of elevated rocks 

 scatterd along it but laying at no great distance from it ; 

 the land further back rose pretty high & mountainous 

 towards the summit of which we observd several patches 

 of snow. Tho' the country here was by no means unpleas- 

 ant yet there was a sameness in the extent of prospect which 

 soon fatigued the eye & did not afford it that treat of verdant 

 hills interspersd with woods & fertile dales which the Coast 

 more to the Southward presented. 



At noon our Latitude was 47° 30' N & what is calld 

 Destruction Island was at the same time about three leagues 

 to the Northward of us. / It is low & flat coverd only with 

 verdure & engirdled by steep rocky cliffs. In the afternoon 

 we had light variable wind with somewhat hazy weather. & 

 perceiving the influence of a current setting us in shore we 

 droppd Anchor in 19 fathoms about 4 miles from the shore 

 & the same distance to the Southward of Destruction Island 

 where we remaind the evening. 



At three next morning we both weighd anchor & made 

 Sail along the coast to the Northward with a favorable 

 breeze gradually increasing & soon after we saw a ship 

 nearly a head of us a little way out from the Coast which 

 on seeing us brought to & fird a gun to leeward, in passing 

 we edgd a little down towards her & spoke the Columbia 

 of Boston commanded by Mr Gray — At the name of Gray 

 it occurrd to us that he might be the same who commanded 

 the Sloop Washington at the time she is said to have per- 

 formd that remarkable interior navigation on this Coast 

 which was so much the subject of polemic conversation in 

 England before our departure. — We immediately brought 



1792. 

 April 



April 28th. 



Destruction Id. 

 of Meares, 

 1788. Perhaps 

 not of Barkley, 

 1787, as quoted 

 by Vancouver, 

 I., 212. 



April 29th. 



