Menzies' Journal. 



Port Discovery. 31 



far & that the permanent habitations of these visitors are 

 situated much nearer the sea coast from which foraging 

 parties occasionally come up here in pursuit of fish & game 

 for sustenance. 



The ship being found crank 20 Tons of shingle bal- 

 last was got on board & Lieu*^ Broughton & Mr Whidbey 

 employd themselves in making an accurate survey of the 

 Harbour & settling its exact situation by a vast number 

 of astronomical Observations, the result of which gave the 

 Latitude of the Observatory 48° 2' 30" North & 237° 

 22' 20" East longitude from the Meridian of Greenwich. 

 Captain Vancouver named it Port Discovery but we after- 

 wards found that the Spaniards had named it Port Quadra 

 the year before, & having then anchord in it, surely gives 

 their name a prior right of continuing, to prevent that con- 

 fusion of names which are but too common in new discoverd 

 countries. 



The wooding watering & every other necessary refit- 

 ment being now compleated, the following day was employd 

 in getting every thing ready for leaving Port Quadra — The 

 Tents & Observatory were struck & sent on board with the 

 Astronomical Instruments & Time-keepers — I employd the 

 day in getting on board some live plants which were new 

 to me as I did not know that I should any where else meet 

 with them, & in planting them in the frame on the Quarter 

 Deck. 



At day / light on the i8th of May we both weighd 

 anchor & with light variable airs of wind & the assistance 

 of the boats ahead we got out of Port Quadra by the 

 Channel to the Eastward of Protection Island, as Captain 

 Vancouver was going to land on that Island to take some 

 bearing I went with him to have another short stroll on 

 that delightfull spot & among other Plants I collected I 

 was not a little surprizd to meet with the Cactus opuntia 

 thus far to the Northward, it grew plentifully but in a 

 very dwarf state on the Eastern point of the Island which 

 is low flat & dry sandy soil. 



About noon the Vessels were advanced between the 

 Island & the Main when in our return we called on board 

 the Chatham where Captain Vancouver left orders for a 

 short separation of the Vessels. At this time a fresh breeze 

 sprung up at West with which we steerd for Admiralty 



1792. 

 May 16th. 



May 17th. 



May 18th. 



Prickly Pear 

 {Opuntia 

 polyacantha 

 horealis). 



