Mcndes' Journal. 



Strait of Fuca. 17 



gleanings of those Villages at the entrance, & this is con- 

 formable to the general practice among traders on this Coast, 

 which is always to mislead competitors as far as they can 

 even at the expence of truth. 



Towards noon we edged into midchannel to have the 

 advantage of a meridian altitude which gave our Latitude 

 48° 18' about 12 leagues to the Eastward of the South point 

 of entrance. 



The Streights appear in general to be about 3 or 4 

 leagues wide, the Southern Shore / is nearly streight with- 

 out forming any very striking points or bays — it rises steep 

 into Mountains near the entrance of a very moderate height, 

 but as we advancd to the Eastward to very high mountains 

 coverd with impenetrable forests of Pines till near their 

 summits, where they were capt with snow in abundance as 

 were also some Mountains in our view on the North side. 



We were not above 18 leagues from the Entrance, when 

 the Streights widend out to 9 or 10 leagues across, we how- 

 ever continud our course along the southern shore & in the 

 evening went round the point of a low sandy spit which 

 jutted out from it in very shallow water, when we came to 

 an anchor on the East side of it in 14 fathoms fine black 

 sand about half a mile from the spit which appeard a long 

 ridge of sand strewd over with a good deal of drift wood 

 & some high poles kept erect by four or five supporting 

 poles round the bottom of each — What was meant by these 

 we were at a loss to determine. We were now about 20 

 leagues inland in an East by South direction true from Cape 

 Clansct. — The Country assumd a very different appearance, 

 the land near the water side was low mostly coverd with 

 Pines to the very verge of a fine stony & sandy Beach, but 

 in the North East quarter a very high solid ridge of Moun- 

 tains was observd one of which was seen wholly coverd with 

 Snow & with a lofty summit over topping all the others 

 around it upwards of twenty leagues off nearly in a North 

 East direction — This obtaind the name of Mount Baker after 

 the Gentleman who first observd it. 



Next morning being the first of May I / accompanied 

 Cap* Vancouver & some of the Officers of both V'essels who 

 set out pretty early, in two Boats from us. & one from the 

 Chatham to examine the shore to the Eastward of us for 

 a Harbour. 



April SOtll. 



NewDnngeness. 

 Pta. de Santa 

 I'ruz, Caamauo, 

 1790. 



The poles for 

 nets used to 

 trap birds as 

 mentioned by 

 Sconler, 1825, 

 und many 

 subsequent 

 [ ravel lers. 

 .See Appendix. 



Mt. Baker, alt. 



10,827 ft. 



II. del Carmelo 



• <t Spaniards, 



1790. 



May Ist. 



