54 



Menzies' Journal. 



Birch Bay. 



1792. 

 June 12th. 



Aspen Poplar 

 (Populus 

 tremuloides or 

 Vancouver- 



Melanthium, 



probably 



Zygadenus 



venenosus 



( Poison 



Camas). 



latter were diligently made & continued under the direction 

 of Mr. Broughton. 



The Blacksmiths Brewers & Carpenters were also on 

 shore employed on their different occupations as the weather 

 continued serene mild & pleasant & exceeding favorable for 

 prosecuting every pursuit both on board & on shore. 



I landed at the place where the Tents were erected & 

 walked from thence round the bottom of the Bay to examine 

 the natural productions of the Country & found that besides 

 the Pines already enumerated the Woods here abounded 

 with the white & trembling Poplars together with black 

 Birch. In consequence of my discovery of the latter place, 

 the place afterwards obtaind the name of Birch Bay. I 

 also found some other Plants unknown to me, two of which 

 had bulbous roots & grew plentifully near the Tents, one of 

 them was a new species of Allium from six to ten inches 

 high & bore a beautiful number of pink colourd flowers, 

 the other had a thick set spike of pale green colourd flowers 

 & appeard to be a new species of Melanthium of which I 

 made a rough drawing & collected roots of both to put in 

 the plant frame as neither of them were at this time in Seed. 



In one place in the verge of the Wood I saw an old 

 Canoe suspended five or six feet from the ground between 

 two Trees & containing some / decayed human bones 

 wrapped up in Mats & carefully coverd over with Boards; 

 as something of the same kind was seen in three or four 

 instances to the South ward of this, it would appear that 

 this is the general mode of entombing their dead in this 

 Country, but what gave rise to so singular a custom I am 

 at a loss to determine, unless it is to place them out of the 

 reach of Bears Wolves & other Animals & prevent them 

 from digging up or offering any violence to recent bodies 

 after interment. 



On the following day Mr. Whidbey sat out about 2 in 

 the afternoon with two Boats one from us & another from 

 the Chatham to explore the opening which we had passed 

 on the morning of the i ith leading to the Eastward & which 

 was supposd not to reach any great distance from the 

 appearance of the land behind it which formd a solid ridge 

 of high snowy Mountains. These Boats had not gone far 

 on their intended expedition when they observd two Vessels 

 coming from the Southward & steering towards the Bay, 



