The following text is directly from Archibald Menzies' journal. The bold headings are taken from notes in C.F. Newcombe's compilation as well as other information sources. In his journal, the sequence and locations of events from Point Fosdick through the evening of May 20 at Shaws Cove are imprecise. Scholars, over the years, have pieced together the events and locations by comparing with the other journals including Lt Puget's logs.

May 20, depart on the Cutter from the North end of Vashon Island

I therefore embarked next morning before day light with / Lieutenant Puget in the Launch who commanded the party together with Mr Whidbey in the Cutter who was directed to continue the survey & about the dawn we enterd the Arm which lead to the Southward & appeard to be about half a league wide with sandy shores low land coverd with Trees to the waters edge on both sides, after pursuing it for about three leagues we passed at noon a large opening or rather deep bay going off to the Eastward & apparently ending among very low marshy land, & as we saw an opening on the North [ast side of this Bay, we conjecturd that it might probably join the other branch of the Arm & make the land we passed on our left hand in the forenoon an Island.

Commencement Bay

Up this Bay we had a most charming prospect of Mount Rainier which now appeard close to us though at least 10 or 12 leagues off, for the low land at the head of the Bay swelled out very gradually to form a most beautiful & majestic Mountain of great elevation whose line of ascent appeard equally smooth & gradual on every side with a round obtuse summit coverd two thirds of its height down with perpetual Snow as were also the summits of a rugged ridge of Mountains that proceeded from it to the Northward.

Through the Narrows, enters Hale Passage, lunch at Point Fosdick, then into Wollochet Bay

We pursued our Southerly direction with a strong flood tide in our favor & about two in the afternoon we came to another arm leading off to the Westward which we enterd & found a very strong tide against us. At this time we were at a loss how to account for this as it evidently appeard to be the flood tide by rising on the shore, though we afterwards found that it was occasioned by a number of Islands round which the Tide had reverted and as it was very strong against us we disembarkd on the Point to dine till it should slacken a little. While we were here two Canoes passed on the opposite shore who dodged us at a distance several times in the forenoon, they afterwards crossed over & went into a small Cove close to us, where we soon followed them & on the Point of it saw a number of old deserted huts amongst the trees but saw none of the Indians till we were returning back from the end of the Cove, when we heard them hailing from the opposite shore, & as we began to pull across towards them we observd the women & children scudding into the woods loaded with parcels, but the Men put off from the shore in two Canoes to meet us, we made them some little presents to convince them of our amicable intentions, on which they invited us by signs to land, & the only one we found remaining on the Beach was an old woman without either hut or shelter, setting near their baskets of provision & stores, the former consisted chiefly of Clams some of which were dried & smoaked & strung up for the convenience of carrying them about their Necks, but a great number of them were still fresh in the shell which they readily parted with to our people for buttons beads & bits of Copper. After making some presents to their women whom we prevaild upon them to recall from the woods we left them & were followd by the two Canoes with some men in each till we brought up in the evening, & while we were erecting a small marquee for ourselves & a tent for the people they lay off at a little distance gazing on us with astonishment & greatly surprizd no doubt at the expeditious manner in which we erected our houses, they staid with us till it was dark & then went to the opposite shore where they kindled a fire & staid for the night.

Dr. Menzies identified the first Mountain Ash tree here.

Here I found some small trees of both the American & Mountain Ash neither of which I had before met with on this side of the Continent—The other Plants I saw in the course of this day were nearly the same as I had before examined in the other arm the former cruize.

From Puget's logs, we know that they made camp on the evening of May 20th in Shaws Cove having passed through Hale Passage. On the morning of the 21st they embarked around Green Point and into Carr Inlet. The birds they saw were pigeon guillemonts.

Early the next morning we were visited by the two Canoes who after we went off rushd on shore to examine the place we had occupied where we left them & soon after ran through a narrow gut leading to the Southward & winded round into a wide deep bay which lead off N W about 4 Miles, this we pursued passing on our right a high sandy Cliff in which a species of Diver burrowed very numerously like Swallows, we saw more of them in the Cliffs of a small Island a little further on which was also inhabited by a great number of Crows attending their young, here we landed & shot several of them which were found very good—We went but a little further on when we were convincd that the bottom of the Bay was entirely closed up by a low Beach & some naked marshy land behind it. As we were pulling across we saw some Natives before us on the western shore, three of whom put off in a Canoe to meet us, we made them amicable signs to come along side of the Boat, but no inducement could make them venture near us, on the contrary they with menacing signs wanted us to return back the way we came, & treated with contempt the alluring presents we held up to them. As their disposi- tions were thus inimical it was not / thought prudent to give them any further uneasiness by visiting their habitations, it was however necessary to convince them by some means or other that we were still inclind to be friendly & an expedient was hit upon which answerd the purpose, Some Copper Iron Medals Buttons & other Trinkets were fastened on a piece of Board & left floating on the surface of the water while we pulled away to a little distance & sufferd the Indians to take it up, this was repeated two or three times with the same success, by this method they venturd to come along side of the Boats. They were three stout fellows, two of them were much pitted with the small pox & each destitute of a right eye. As we kept pulling along shore they followd us accepting of little presents but offering no return. On the whole their disposition appeard still shy & distrustfull notwithstanding our liberality & friendly behaviour towards them. They seemd to value Copper but would not part with their Bows or Arrows in exchange for it. They frequently mentioned the Words Poo Poo pointing to the direction we came from by which we supposed they meant the report of our Muskets which they might have heard while we were amusing ourselves in shooting young Crows on Crow Island. They kept calling now & then with a vociferous noise to other Indians on the opposite shore in which we could plainly perceive ourselves distinguished by the name of Poo Poo men. As the weather was now very sultry we hauld in for a small Creek on purpose to dine in the heat of the day, / here we found two or three small runs of water & was going to haul a small Seine we had in the Launch, but the appearance of six Canoes with about 20 people in them which our shy followers had collected by their voiciferous noise prevented it, These strangers paddled directly into the Creek & landed close to us, but a mark was drawn on the Beach which they perfectly understood to prevent their intermixing with our party till we had dind when we could better watch their motions & pilfering dispositions.

The Indians being thus disposed, some in their Canoes, others setting down on the Beach close to them, we went to dinner on an elevated bank in the edge of the Woods between them & the Boats, with our fire arms loaded at hand, where we had not only the Boats in which the people were at dinner under our eye, but likewise the Natives, who were now joind by another Canoe with four men in her, & notwithstanding they had obeyd our request, we could not help conceiving that there was something suspicious & distrustfull in their behaviour, for they were all armed with Bows & Quivers well stored with Arrows, & there were no women with them. A little after they quitted the Beach & went into their Canoes where they appeard for some time in earnest consultation as if they had some deep plot in view, & we had no doubt but we were the subject of it, from their pointing sometimes to us on the Bank & then to the Boats, but as we were all armed & ready to act jointly from the Boats as well as from the Shore, we chose rather to conceal our suspicions & keep a / watch- full eye over their Motions. Soon after this we observd three Canoes stealing as it were towards the Boats, but they were called to & orderd back by expressive signs which they obeyd. In a little time another Canoe was seen coming into the Creek, & as she approachd almost all of them in a moment jumpd out from their Canoes on the Beach & were stringing their Bow with every apparent preparation for an attack. At first we thought it was to oppose the Canoe coming in but we soon perceivd that their aim was at us by seeing them advance in a body along the Beach over the line that had been drawn as a Mark & explaind to them, One man more daring than the rest jumpd up the Bank within a few yards of us with his Bow & Arrows ready in hand with intention as we thought of getting behind a tree where he could molest us with more safety. At this instant we all jumpd up with our Muskets in our hands ready to oppose them, & made them understand by menacing signs, that if they did (sic) return back again to their Canoes, we would that moment fire upon them, & they seeing the people in the Boats equally ready & armed at the same time they sneakd reluctantly back to their places, but as for the man who jumpd up the Bank, it was actuallynecessary to point a Musket to his breast before the determind villain would recede from his purpose.

Having thus retird to their station seemingly much dissatisfied with the repulse / they met with & still in deep consultation & some of them sharpening their Arrows as if they were again preparing & had not yet given up their purposd attack. We however set down again to finish our Meal, & as we could no longer have the smallest doubt of their hostile intentions, we watchd their motions very narrowly & none of them were sufferd to approach near to us & had their temerity carried them so far as to discharge a single arrow at us the consequences would instantly be fatal to them, as it was determind to punish such an unprovokd attack with deservd severity to deter others from aspiring at such diabolic schemes & committing such atrocious actions, by which already too many have lost their lives on this Coast, a whole Boats Crew being cut off & massacred in the year 1787 not thirty leagues from our present situation, besides acts equally guilty & alarming to strangers. As they were convinced of our watchfull eye over their treacherous conduct & impressed with an idea of our readiness to oppose their hostilities, they now appeard somewhat irresolute how to act, & this was thought a good time to fire off one of our Swivels from the Launch that they might see we had other resources for their destruction besides those in our hands & more powerfull ones, but they shewd less fear or astonishment at either the report of the Swivel or the distant effect of the Shot than any Indians I / ever saw so little in the way of intercourse with civilized Nations. They however now seemd to relinquish their design & on seeing our things carried down to the Boat they began to offer their Bows & Arrows for sale which was a convincing sign of their peaceable intentions & they were readily purchased from them, as by this means we disarmd them in a more satisfactory manner.

These people were in all about thirty in number & in general stout & resolute men—They had no women or Children with them which made us more suspicious of their designs—They had a number of skins such as Bears Lynxes Racoons Rabbets & Deers which they readily parted with for any kind of trinkets that were offerd them in exchange, but we saw no Otter Skins amongst them & I believe they were seldom to be met with so far inland.

When the things were got into the Boats we set off to pursue our examination along shore which now took an easterly turn, followd by all the Canoes very amicably disposed, & offering every little thing they had in the way of barter, so that whatever was the cause of their late behaviour they now seemd wholly to forget it, & finding we were going out of the Bay they soon quitted us & paddled in different directions towards their habitations. In the afternoon the wind set in from the Southward with hard rain which obligd us to pitch our Tents pretty early on the western point of a narrow passage leading to the Southward opposite to the narrow gut we came through in the morning.

Camped on the night of May 21st along the West shore of Pitt Passage near South Head

On the morning of the 22nd we had fine weather again with little wind, we set out pretty early & rowed through the narrow passage after which finding we were amongst a number of large Islands which renderd the Survey & examination more tedious & perplexing we stood to the Eastward as Mr Whidbey wished to take up his former angular bearings in the main branch which we reachd about noon & landed on a smal! Island close to the Eastern Shore about two leagues to the Southward of where we quitted the same reach two days ago. Here we dind after which we pursued the main arm to the Southward & as we were standing for a point on the Western Shore we had very heavy rain thunder & lightning with dark hazy weather that obligd us to land in a commodious place near the Point & encamp for he night.

1. Menzies, Archibald. Menzies' Journal of Vancouver’s Voyage, April–October, 1792. Edited with botanical and ethnological notes by C. F. Newcombe, M.D., and a biographical note by J. Forsyth. Victoria, B.C.: William H. Cullin, Printer to the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, 1923. PDF. Accessed October 2025.
2. Wikipedia. Archibald Menzies . Accessed October 2025.