Mensies Journal. 



Cardero Channel. 73 



every assistance in their power, till both Boats were safely 

 through these narrows, & then returning peaceably home to 

 their Village clearly shewd that they had no other passion 

 to gratify on this occasion than that of doing a good office 

 to strangers. 



Having got through this difficult pass, the Channel was 

 found to open out much wider, & the strength of the current 

 was greatly diminishd but the weather set in so thick & rainy 

 that they were unable to carry on their Survey with any 

 degree of precision. Under these unfavorable circum- 

 stances Mr. Johnstone conceivd it of little utility to proceed 

 further on new ground & therefore returnd back by the same 

 Channels they had before explord, & had a continuation of 

 the same thick weather with heavy rain which obligd them 

 to take shelter pretty early in the / evening & detaind them 

 at the same place the day following. On their way back it 

 was their intention to examine the Arm which we had last 

 explord, but their vicinity to the Vessels indued them first 

 to visit them to learn what had been done by the other boats. 



As the weather was favorable on the 3^ of July Mr. 

 Johnstone was again dispatchd in the afternoon with the 

 same two Boats & a Week's provision to pursue the exam- 

 ination of the Channel leading to the Westward from where 

 he had left off a little beyond the Narrow's on account of 

 bad weather as already mentioned in his preceeding cruize. 



During the absence of these Boats when the weather 

 was any wise favorable I made frequent Botanical excur- 

 sions in different directions into the Woods on both sides 

 of the Channel as they were found here pretty thin & easily 

 penetrated on account of being much less encumberd with 

 Underwood than the Forests of New Georgia & those along 

 the outer skirts of the Coast. 



In these excursions I saw some Wasp nests suspended 

 to Trees of a curious & extraordinary structure. That from 

 which the annexd Drawing was taken (Plate ) was sus- 

 pended to the extremity of a branch of the Canadian Pine 

 about 8 feet from the ground ; its figure was globular, about 

 4 inches in diameter, & perforated underneath with a small 

 hole of a size sufficient to admit one of the Wasps in or 

 out at a time. The outer covering was composd of a paper 

 like substance of a light ash colour & made up by several 

 folds overlapping one another here & there like the Tiles of 



1792. 

 July 2nd. 



Cardero 

 Cbannel. 



Foliates sp. 



