86 



Mensies' Journal. 



Johnstone Strait. 



1792. 

 July ISth. 



Johnstone 



Strait. 



Alt. 5,000 ft. 



here. 



Wakashians of 

 Cook, Voy., II., 

 337. The 

 Kwakiutl word 

 lor ' ' welcome ' ' 

 is very 

 different from 

 wakash and 

 was probably 

 used by traders 

 with other 

 words which 

 remain as part 

 ol the 

 " Chinook " 

 jargon. 

 July 20th. 



Cathlagees of 

 Menzies ; 

 Cheslakees of 

 Vancouver ; 

 Cathlaglness 



its source in weighing in the morning we carried away one 

 of the flukes of our small bower Anchor which situated as 

 we were was a great & an irreparable loss to us. 



The South Side of this Channel rose in most places 

 abruptly into high steep broken / Mountains coverd with a 

 continud forest of Pines to their summits which in some 

 places was checquerd with patches of Snow, but the Land 

 on the North side tho' hilly is of a moderate height, the 

 great chain of high continental Mountains being five or six 

 leagues removed & extending to the North Westward with 

 elevated rugged snowy summits apparently forming every 

 where an impenetrable barrier to any communication with 

 the opposite side of the Continent. 



We continued passing several Villages on the South 

 Shore as already mentioned, but hitherto the Natives 

 remaind so shy that we had no intercourse with them. We 

 were now however visited by some Canoes & Natives from 

 whom we procurd a quantity of Salmon. We found that 

 they spoke the Nootka language, & it was evident to us at 

 first sight that they were of the same Tribe by their crying 

 out Wakash JVakash as they were coming along side, which 

 is their expression for friendship, & as it so readily dis- 

 tinguishes the Individuals of this extensive Tribe to a 

 Stranger, I think they may be very aptly named as Captain 

 Cook has already hinted the Wakashion Nation. 



As we advancd to the Westward we soon found the 

 Northern Shore to be much broken with Islands & Inlets, 

 but we kept on along the South Side till we came abreast 

 of a large Village which Mr. Johnstone & his party had 

 visited in their Boats, & reported it to be very numerously 

 inhabited with great abundance of Sea Otter Skins. Here 

 we anchord in seven fathoms about ten in the Evening. 



Early in the Morning of the 20th we were visited by a 

 great number of Natives in their Canoes from the Village, 

 & a small traffic / commencd for Sea Otter Skins & Salmon, 

 of the former there was here a more plentifull supply than 

 any part we had yet visited, & the eagerness with which they 

 were sought after afiforded a good deal of jocular merriment 

 even to the Natives. A middle aged man was announced as 

 the Chief & admitted on board, his name was Cathlagees & 

 his attention was chiefly occupied in regulating the traffic 

 between us & his Countrymen which he did with great acute- 



