Menzies' Journal. 



Johnstone Strait. 



through which the bartering Commerce of this interior 

 Country has been carried on by some inland communication, 

 for the Channel by which our party penetrated to the Ocean 

 runs to the North West ward about 20 leagues behind 

 Nootka & tho the intervening Mountains opposite to that 

 Port are of considerable height with snowy summits yet in 

 several places deep Valleys & Chasms seemd to penetrate 

 through & renderd this inland communication more evident. 



]Mr. Johnstone having made known that they reachd in 

 sight of the Ocean at that part of the Coast namd in our 

 late Charts Queen Charlotte's Sound, the Channel of com- 

 munication by which he penetrated obtaind the name of 

 Johnstone's Streights in honour of his persevering zeal in 

 the prosecution of this discovery. Cap* Vancouver resolvd 

 to proceed thither with the two Vessels, & on comparing 

 what had been done by the other Boats, it appeard pretty 

 evident by the flood tide coming from the Westward that 

 the Channel where Mr. Puget / & Mr. Whidbey left off 

 communicated with Johnstone's Streights & as it seemd to 

 then as far as they examind it to be a navigable Channel it 

 was determined to attempt a passage that way in preference 

 to the Rapids where Mr. Johnstone was apprehensive of 

 most danger, & for that purpose we on the following morn- 

 ing quitted our situation in Desolation Reach which was in 

 Latitude 50° 11' North & Longitude 235° 21' East from 

 Greenwich. 



The Morning of the 13th set in with a fresh breeze 

 from the Westward with which both Vessels weighd & made 

 Sail leaving the two Spanish Vessels behind at Anchor after 

 taking a cordial leave of our new friends with whom we 

 now parted, but first steerd to the South East' for about two 

 leagues & then hauld over between the Islands to the South 

 West Ward till we came to the entrance of the Channel 

 where we Anchord in the afternoon & Mr. Puget & Mr. 

 Whidbey were immediately dispatchd with two Boats to 

 prosecute their examination of it & ascertain whether it was 

 a navigable passage for the Vessels into Johnstone's 

 Streights. 



I landed with Cap* Vancouver & some of the officers 

 on the North Point of the Entrance which was afterwards 

 named Cape Mudge. It forms a steep elevated naked bank 

 on the edge of which we found a considerable village con- 



1792. 

 July 12tb. 



Inland 



communlcatloD 

 wns well 

 kiuiwii to the 

 Spaniards and 

 traders some 

 years before 

 this. 



Indicated on 

 maps by Dixon 

 and Meares 

 without name 

 and shown by 

 Dalrj-mple 

 with name In 

 1780. .See Mem. 

 No. I. this ser. 



July 13th. 



Discovery 

 Passage. 



Tuculta, now 

 the official 

 spelling, but 

 with many 

 variants. 



