56 



Mensies' Journal. 



Birch Bay. 



1792. 



June 14tli. 

 Voy. of Sutil y 

 Mexlcana, 

 pp. 16, 17, 

 these were 

 Gertrudis, 

 Aransazu, and 

 Concepcion, 

 frigates, and 

 the brigantine 

 AcUva. 

 Fraser River 

 is not shown 

 on either the 

 Spanish nor 

 the British 

 charts made at 

 this time, but 

 no passage has 

 been found by 

 the present 

 editor to 

 warrant the 

 statement that 

 Vancouver 

 " denied its 

 existence." 

 June loth. 

 June 16th. 



Syringa or 

 Mock Orange 

 (Philadelphus 

 Gordonianus) . 



& Commander in Chief of their Navy in Mexico & Cali- 

 fornia, who had come to Nootka early in the Spring to 

 deliver up that Settlement to any person duly qualified from 

 our Government to receive it agreeable to the Conventional 

 Articles. 



In the place where the Chatham met these Vessels they 

 said that they expected to find a large River but it provd 

 only a large deep shallow Bay surrounded by low Land. 



On the Morning of the 15th we had a fresh breeze of 

 wind from the Eastward which provd squally with / very 

 heavy Rain & dark cloudy weather so that the Chatham was 

 not able to get into the Bay again till about Noon when she 

 anchord along side of us & the Spanish Vessels followd the 

 object of their pursuit to the North west ward. 



The following day we had dry weather with a gentle 

 breeze from the Southward which cooled the Air & made 

 it pleasing & refreshing. I landed on the opposite side 

 of the Bay, where I enjoyd much pleasure in Botanical 

 researches, in wandering over a fine rich meadow cropt 

 with grass reaching up to my middle, & now & then pene- 

 trating the verge of the Forest as the prospect of easy 

 access or the variety of plants seems to invite. Here I 

 found in full bloom diffusing its sweetness that beautiful 

 Shrub the Philadelphus Coronarius which I had not met 

 with before in any other part of this Country, & having 

 collected a number of other Plants in this little excursion 

 I returnd in the afternoon round the bottom of the Bay to 

 have them examind & arrangd, & in this route I saw another 

 old Canoe laying in a thicket with some human bones in it 

 far advancd in deca)^ which seemd to have been wrapped 

 up & coverd in the same manner as in the other Canoe 

 already mentioned. 



We had not yet seen any of the Natives since we 

 anchord here but in this days excursion I saw two or three 

 recent fire places on the Beach which made it very evident 

 that they had been lately in the Bay, & a fresh path which 

 went back from them into the Country indued me to follow 

 it in expectation of reaching their village, but I found it 

 lead only to a small well of fresh water dug in the middle 

 of the Meadow with two or three large shells laying on 

 the brink of it which were intended no doubt to serve as 

 drinking Cups. 



