# Oregon Historical Quarterly/Volume 6/Dr. John Scouler's Journal of a Voyage to N.W. America: 1824-25-26, part 2

DR. JOHN SCOULER'S JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA.
[1824-'25-'26.]
II.
Leaving the Galapagos Islands for the North Pacific Coast.
10th.—To-day we left James's Island & in the evening we passed Albemarle Island. We were much surprised to see a fire on the beach, & on burning a blue light the signal was in some degree answered by an increase of the fire on the shore; this left little doubt in our minds that there were some European castaways on shore, who in all likelihood belonged to some South sea whaler.
21st.—To-day rather blowy & numerous herds [of] fish sporting about the vessel, & we succeeded in obtaining two species. One species proved to be the——[illegible] & the other was a Diodon, which I have preserved in spirits. When inflated the fish is of an orbicular shape. The back is of a blue colour & interspersed with dark purple spots; belly white; a purple line about half an inch in breadth runs across the throat from one eye to the other. Eyes large; iris, azure blue. The whole body is covered with spines; those of the back arise from a purple base & have white points; the belly spines are entirely white. Pectoral fins placed at the posterior side of the bronchial aperture, of a blue colour, rays about 1% bifurcating towards the margins of the fin. Dorsal fin situated near the caudal, with fine purple spots at the base; margin green. Anal fin opposite the dorsal free from spots. Caudal fin of six rays with many spots generally placed at the base of the rays. Bronchial apertures somewhat semilunar. Lips fleshy ​160 DR. JOHN SCOULER. & loose. Tongue fleshy ; its point covered by a semilunar membrane fixed to the lower jaw. This animal is eden- tulous. Xiphias velifer [Xiphias gladiust]. Body somewhat roundish ; becoming very slender before it terminates in the tail, this part is curvated [?]. Gills 5 on each side ; internal ones bilamellar, exterior one single. No swimming bladder. The intestines are very simple, they consist of a stomach which forms almost a cul-de-sac ; & where it narrows & immerges into the small intestine is enveloped by the lobes of the liver. The stomach contained a num- ber of small flying fish & a sepia ; its internal surface has many longitudinal plicse. A short & straight gut goes from the stomach to the anus. Liver about fills the whole abdomen ; at its anterior extremity it is thick & lobulated, towards its caudal it becomes thin. Spleen small & black. 27th. A great many birds of the sub-genus Sula have been flying about the. vessel and several of them have alighted on the rigging. From the descriptions of Cuvier & Temminck this bird in all probability is the Pelecanus bassanus of Linneus & the Sula abba [?] of modern orni- thologists. 28th. Saw abundance of porpoises of two different species, probably Delphinus Gladiator & D. phosena [?] of Lacep^de. February 17thi During the very bad weather we have experienced of late, many albatross have been seen & to-day we succeeded in obtaining four of them. In their plumage & internal organisation they differed in no re- spect from those I dissected of[f] Terra del Fuego. It may be proper to notice some mistakes into which Cuvier has fallen, in his Regne Animal with respect to this bird. He says : Us habitent tous les mers Australes, vivent de frofde poissou de mollusques : Regne Animal, p. 1, +517. ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 161 He also mentions the D. exulans as being a great enemy to the flying fish. The first of these mistakes, that the- Diomedea is entirely an antar[c]tic bird, we have now had abundant means of rectifying & saw the bird in equal abundance in 40 degrees north latitude as we did of[f] Cape Horn. It is, however, a remarkable circumstance that these birds should be found in such plenty in the N. Pacific, while not a single individual has ever been found in the North Atlantic. M. Cuvier also represents the D. exulans as living very much on flying fish. During all our voyage we never saw an albatross within many degrees of the region of flying fish. I have noticed these errors because they are the only ones I ever could detect in the Regne Animal of this distinguished naturalist, & who is undoubtedly better acquainted with the structure of organized bodies than any man in Europe. 24th. This afternoon an unfortunate accident hap- pened to the boatswain, who, in consequence of a fall, broke his thigh bone. This misfortune was occasioned by the slippery state of the decks from being continually wet. On getting brought to his bed I found the fracture was in the middle third of the femur & the upper part of the bone had nearly protruded through the skin. The leg of the same side had suffered very much by a previ- ous compound fracture, & at present it has been a good deal hurt. I found no more difficulty in the reduction than what was occasioned by the motion of the vessel. We soon found that it was impossible for our patient to remain in his bed with any degree of comfort & got a cot arranged for him in the cabin. In this case I adopted Potts' plan in preference to that of Desoult, because on account of the injury his leg had sustained splints were more unbearable on his leg[?] than on his thigh. March 5th. Of late we have had no amelioration of the weather, & my patient has suffered in proportion. His ​leg & knee, however, give him much more pain than his thigh, so as to require fomentations & frequently it is essential to slacken the bandage to give him some relief.
Great quantities of Velella are to be seen in every direction around us. They resemble a good deal those of the Atlantic; but are not so large. The tentaculæ are of an azure colour. The concave part of the animal is red & the crest is rather lighter than in the Atlantic ones.
25th.—We have now been 73 days from the Galapagos & great part of that time we have experienced very severe weather, so that we have seldom been 24 hours at a time free from close reefed topsails. The effect of this weather on the boatswain has been such as to spoil the sanguine hopes I had entertained of a perfect cure. The pain has been so great at times to oblige me to get up during the night to relax the dressings for some time & to give opium.
28th.—For the last three days the weather has been more moderate & has produced a beneficial effect on my patient's comfort & spirits.
We procured a very large mass of sea weed that was floating past us; it measured about 40 feet. The stipes was round, tapering & fistulary; it swelled into ampullæ in many parts, which were hollow, & some of them measured 14 inches in circumference. From these ampullæ proceeded the frondose part, which was long & ensate; but I could detect no appearance of fructification. Among the roots of the plant several curious animals were found; probably more interesting than the plant they inhabited. I found a species of Asterias, two species of Cancer & several other articulate & several Sertularia, the most beautifull & delicate of all the coralline animals.
April 3d.—This morning we saw Cape Dissapointment, a circumstance we had long & anxiously wished for; & there was not an individual of our little society who did [not] feel pleased at the prospect of speadily reaching the ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 163 object of our long & stormy passage. Our attempt to cross the bar, however, was unsuccessful! & we were under the mortifying necessity of putting again to sea. On the 7th we made another attempt & before the evening we were safely at anchor in Bakers bay. We lay about i of a mile from the shore, & opposite two small rocky islands, which lay at the bottom of the bay. The land is very steap & uneven, but is covered completely by pine trees. 9th.- We 'were this morning pleased by a scene that was new to all of us, several canoes were seen approaching the ship & in a short time three of them were alongside of us. On coming on board they behaved with the utmost propriety ; but from what we could understand of their signs we suspected the state of affairs among them was very unsettled. We ascertained from them that most of the white men had gone up the river & left Ft. George, & by taking a knife & putting it to their breast we concluded that some murder had lately taken place. The dress of the men consisted of a robe of skin, which was thrown loosely over their shoulders, & alike useless for the purpose of decency or of comfort. Their hats were made of straw very neatly plaited, and were of a conical sugar loaf shape. The dress of the women was more de- cent, & consisted of a petticoat which reached to the knee. It was made of many strings placed exceedingly thick to- gether & must afford considerable warmth. Over this they wear the same skin robe as the men. Among those [who] were permitted to come on board was a man dressed in European clothes, & who appeared to be of some consequence among them ; his wife who ac- companied him was dressed with red cloth & was the most intelligent person among them. She knew a good many English & a few French words. They were well provided with arms of different kinds ; in addition to their bows & arrows, every canoe had several fowling pieces & a plen​164 DR. JOHN SCOULER. tifull supply of daggers of different shapes. We feasted these people on bread & molasses, & they appeared well pleased with their repast, after it was concluded they left us, after behaving in the most peac[e]able manner. They were all of a very moderate stature, none of them exceeding 5-J- feet. Their hair is long, straight & black, their colour olive, inclining to coppery ; none of them had any beards. Their limbs are straight ; but the gastrocne- mius wants the roundness which is admired in Europeans. The eyes are of a dark colour, & the iris very black, cheek bones rather prominent, face round ; mouth large ; nose rather flat. These characters approximate them in some respects to the Mongolian race, with the ^Etheopii they have manner of affinity. In the afternoon in company with Mr. Douglass I made a short visit to the shore. The first we collected on North American continent was the charming Gaultheria Shallon, in an excellent condition. We then penetrated into those primeval forests never before explored by the curiosity of the botanist. Here the lover of musci & lichens enjoys ample opportunity of studying his favorite plants. The moisture of the climate is very favourable to the growth & variety of these plants & the trees & rocks are covered by them. During this excursion we saw none of our new friends, the Indians. 10th. We landed again in Bakers bay, with the inten- tion of going across Cape Dissapointment to the ocean. In this journey we met with many difficulties, not only from the steapness of the rocks, but from the deap pools of fresh water which were to[o] deap to pass. Our excur- sion was also obstructed by the immense profusion of G. Shallon. The coast to the north of Cape Dissapointment is very precipitous & it is dangerous to climb among them. From their soft nature they are rapidly broken down by the breakers, which wash against them with ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 165 great violence. Along the coast are many deap canons which the tide fills at high water. In this situation the eagle takes up his abode in a situation congenial to his nature, & two of these animals devouring a duck added wildness to the scene. llth. We are still attended by several canoes, but they bring us no fresh provisions, the only articles of trade they bring are hats, bows & arrows & other articles of In- dian manufactory. These they barter for knives, buttons & other trinkets. The most curious ornament they pos- sess is a shell which they suspend from their ears, & which appears to be a species of Dentalium. The Indians con- tinue to behave very peac[e]ably towards us, although it is apparent that the utmost distrust prevails among them- selves. 12th. To-day we landed (well craved) at Ft. George, & were received in a very polite manner by Mr. McKenzie, the only gentleman at present at the fort. He informed us that the other gentlemen were employed in building a new fort, about 80 miles further up the river, at Point Van- couver, & Ft. George had been ceded to the Americans by the treaty of Ghent, & they were expected to take posses- sion of it very soon. We were informed by Mr. McKen- zie of the cause of the suspicious appearance we had seen among the Indians. Comcomli or Madsu who is the great- est chief upon the river had lost two of his sons. W T hile these two young men were sick Comcomli had placed them under the care of a neighbouring chief who pretended to great skill in medicine, & cured diseases by singing over his patients. Under this method [of] cure both the young, chiefs died, & the medicine chief was accused of procur- ing their death by enchantment. The belief in magical agency which seams to belong to every savage tribe, & exists equally among the degraded natives of the coast of ​166 DR. JOHN SCOULER. Guinea, & the acute people of Carybee, reigns with no less force among the tribes of the Columbia. To revenge this imaginary crime, the remaining son of Comcomli had assassinated the medicine chief, & it was now expected that his friends, who are both numerous & powerful, would attempt to revenge his death. To-morrow in all probability a battle will take place, as old Oomcomli is going to visit the graves of his sons, who are buried near the village of the murdered chief. We made a short excursion to the neighbouring woods, & collected a good number of Musci & Jungermannias be- sides Pha3nogamous plants. On our return we ventured into an Indian house, but the reception we experienced rendered it prudent to leave it as soon as possible. Two of the Indians drew their daggers, an insult of which we were obliged to take no notice. Ft. George is a square building, consisting entirely of wood, & situated about 100 yards from the river. It is surrounded by palisades & furnished with bastions. The entrance looks towards the river & opens into a large square court. On the West side of this court are the stores & warehouses, on the opposite one the houses of the people & the shops of the mechanics. On the south side is a large building containing a messroom & the apartments of the gentlemen. They have cleared about 80 acres of land, on which they cultivate potatoes; & the woods afford plenty of pasturage to their cattle, which, however, are not very numerous. They have only hogs brought from Owyhee & bullocks from Monterey. A little to the west of the factory is the Indian village, it [is] sit- uated on a low sandy beach & is sheltered on the south side by a forest of pine trees, many of them of immense height. This village consists of about a dozen houses, but many of them are large & many have from 15 to 30 inmates. ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 167 . Since we have been in the Columbia River the rain has been incessent, & we have not had six [days] of uninterrupted dry weather since we anchored in Bakers bay. The rain detained us on board yesterday, & although it was very little better to-day we made an excursion to the shore. On arriving at the Fort we were informed that a battle had taken place among the Indians & one man had been killed & two severely wounded. To-day we had the opportunity of seeing the War Dance of the Indians. About 50 men paraded from the vicinity of the fort to the beach, they moved at a most grotesque pace, keeping their feet in the same position with respect to another as nearly as possible. On their progress to the beach they fired their fowling pieces & set up the most disagre[ejable howling I ever heard ; they then formed a circle round theirs, & continued their dance, making a general yell every two or three minutes. Many of them were armed with fowling pieces others had bows & arrows & all of them had knives. They each of them [wore] a war dress consisting of dressed elk skin, which went over them like a shirt without sleeves. This war dress, although a poor defence against fire arms, is said to be arrow proof. The warriors were painted of every sort of colour, but princi- pally black, red & yellow. Their music consisted of a number of shells of Pecten marina tied to a stick, which they rattled during the whole of their manoeuvres. In the afternoon I had an interview with the old chief Com- comli or Madsu, as he is now called. He is an old man of about 60 & blind of an eye. He is at present in deap mourning for his sons ; his mourning consists in putting on the worst clothing he can possibly procure, & abstain- ing from washing ; in that condition he continues for eighteen or twenty months. The change of names among the Cheenooks depends upon a curious feeling & is well illustrated in the case of ​168 DR. JOHN SCOULER. Comcomli. The old man had conferred his name & au- thority on one of his deceased sons, on his death the name forever ceased to be used among his countrymen as being unlucky & calling to remembrance a lamented chief ; hence it is esteemed cruel & unfeeling ever to pro- nounce it; & when they speak of the deceased chief they say the old man's favorite son, or some such expression. 15th. In my wandering through the woods to-day I met with many Indians, chiefly women & children, who were employed in gathering the young shoots of Equisetum arvense, which is eaten by these people as we do asparagus, & has a similar taste. To-day I collected a considerable number of cryptog- am ous plants, & none of the plants I ever met with on the N. W. coast gave me greater pleasure than Hookeria lanus. I found beautifull specimens of the charming little plant, with its constant attendant, Hypnum Splendens, growing by the margins of a shady rivulet among a brush wood composed of Menziesia ferruginea. This pleasing occurence brought to my memory in a vivid manner, the delightful excursions I had made in a far distant country where I imbibed a love for natural history from the ex- ample of him whose name it bears, & the instruction it was his pleasure to communicate. 16th. This morning I had the pleasure of being in- troduced to Dr. McLachlan [McLoughlin] the chief factor of the H. B. Company on this side of the Rocky Mountains. From him I experienced the utmost politeness & to his kindness was indebted for some curious specimens of the rocks of the Rocky Mountains. 17th. Mr. Douglass & myself made a journey to Tongue Point, about 5 miles from Fort George. Our journey was fatiguing, as we had to climb over rocks to penetrate dense brush wood & damp marshes. Seldom have I made an excursion attended by more interesting results. My vas​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 169 cula & handkerchiefs were filled with mosses and land shells; phrenogamous plants were abundant; the pools along the banks of the river contained plenty of fluviatile crabs ; and the features of the rocks gave me a clear idea of the geological structure of the surrounding country. I may here condense all the geological facts respecting this country I have been able to collect. There are no high mountains within thirty miles of Fort George. The country consists of sloping hills of gradual ascent & regular outline, quite free from the rugged & barren ap- pearance of the primitive formations. From the soft nature of the rocks of the Columbia & from the great size of the river during the summer months, immense quantities of sand are deposited in different situations. From the abundance of these materials the numerous al- luvial islands of the Columbia are deposited & banks & shoals are formed in every part of the river. These islands are some of them two or three miles in extent, & would afford the richest agricultural returns, if they were not annually covered by the waters of the river dur- ing two months of the year. All the mud & sand of the river is not thus deposited; part of it is carried out to the ocean, & by the action of the Westerly winds, which blow three fourths of the year, it is accumulated at the mouth of the river & forms the chief danger of the navigator who visits the Columbia. Point Adams on the South side of the river seams to be entirely an alluvial deposition, formed by the united efforts of the sea & river. On going [to] the north of Cape Dissapointment we find the same causes operating there. The [sea] has undoubtedly made considerable encroachments on the rocks, but this opera- tion must be diminished yearly from the effects of its own efforts. The rocks are worn away & disintegrated & deap & capacious caverns excavated in their sides, but ​170 DR. JOHN SCOULER. these very ruins, by being thrown up in the form of sand banks, defend them from further encroachments. It is, however, obvious that all the sand in the neighborhood of Cape Dissapointment is not from its own disintegration, perhaps more than the half of it is derived from the depo- sitions at the mouth of the Columbia; & this opinion amounts to certainty when we witness the enormous quantity of driftwood which is no doubt derived from the same source. The rocks in the vicinity of the Columbia River appear to be entirely calcareo[u]s, & this character seams to ex- tend from the Cascades to the ocean. To pronounce a decided opinion of the rocks of the Cascades would be exceedingly rash, as I have never had an opportunity of visiting that part of the country ; but from the specimens I have received from there by Mr. Douglass, & from the phenomena of saline springs, there can be little doubt of the character of the prevailing rocks. At the Cascades silicified woods abound, & often very fine specimens are found ; the fibrous texture is still preserved, the colour is pale ferruginous brown, & they are hard, but may be scratched by the knife. Rocks are also found there ap- proaching to the character of calcareous tufa ; they are coarse grained, of a white colour, & easily reduced to grains, & often contains pebbles disseminated through it. The rocks from Cape Dissapointment to Tongue Point were more within the sphere of my observation & their study afforded many interesting facts. These rocks are of a dark leaden colour & of a very soft consistence, & are rapidly worn away by the rains & water torrents. They are of moderate height, & very commonly caverns are ex- cavated in them. It is exceedingly probable that these rocks are connected with the series of magnesian lime- stone formation. They contain imbedded masses of a spherical shape, & varying in size from that of a hazelnut ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 171 to the size of a cannon ball. They are much harder than the rocks in which they are contained & resist for a much longer time the action of the weather. On some parts of the rocks I detected a white efflorescence, but in such small quantities that I could not detect its composition ; it was, however, insipid. The water that issued through this magnesian limestone deposits some ferruginous mat- ter, indicating that a small portion of iron enters into the composition of the rock. The limestone is traversed by veins of two different substances, sandstone & carbornate of lime, in the form of spar. The calcareous veins are very small, not above 4 inches in breadth. Their occurrence is by no means frequent, the only place where I saw them was near Cape Dissapointment. The standstone veins ar very common on the side of the river. This sandstone is of a very coarse, granular texture, & is soft & friable. These veins are about the breadth of 3 feet in general & have little inclination. They resist the action of the air longer than the limestone, as in many places the lime- stone is washed away & the more durable veins remain like small dykes. The fossil contents of this rock, although not very varied, are abundant. They consist as far as my examination extended entirely of shells. A [illegible] of large size and good preservation was by no means un- common. The handsomest shell may probably [be] a spe- cies of Venus. Those parts of the rock that were unusually hard were the richest in this shell ; but easily fell out en- tire from a smart blow of the hammer. I also found great abundance of a small species of , & very imperfect fragments of a species of Solen. Such is the geological structure of the country about Ft. George as far [as] my observations extended. But from the limited opportunity I had of penetrating far into the interior of the country, of course it was only in my power to give a general idea of its geology, & not to enter into those interesting details, ​172 DR. JOHN SCOULER. which could only be obtained by more extensive observa- tions. However, the knowledge I have been able to acquire is, I think, decisive as to the geological features of the country in the vicinity of the sea, and to render it probable that a similar range of calcareous formations exists towards the Cascades at the distance of a hundred and fifty miles from the sea. What is made certain by the fossils of the coast is, I think, made equally obvious with regard to the interior from its calcareous tufa and abundant saline springs: namely, that all the rocks of this part of the country be- long, or are subordinate, to the magnesian series. Saline springs are by no means uncommon through the country, and I succe[e]ded in procuring a quantity of water from one of them. 22d. We have now so completely ransacked the neigh- borhood of Ft. George, that very few new plants now at- tract our notice, and our impatience is obliged to wait till the progress of spring lays open more plants to our curi- osity. In this delemma I set out in quest of animals and was tolerabley successfull. Among the wood [I] found two very line species of land [illegible^ & in the water near the margins of the river I detected abundance of a beautifull fluviatile Turbo furnished with an operculum, & with very deap ribs. In the same situation I obtained a fine species of Astacus, that takes up his abode under stones in the same situation with the Turbo, which seams to form his principal food & in his turn is devoured by the ravens, which are very abundant along the beach. 29th. This morning I set out on a visit to Ft. Van- couver, & I undertook this with the more pleasure, as I had every reason to believe the vegetation would be con- siderably different from that of the coast. Our party consisted of 5 canoes, superintended by Mr. McKay. As the wind was favourable we made rapid ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 173 progress & in the evening we slept at Oak Point, 30 miles from Ft. George. As far as I could judge the rocks on the banks of the river appeared to belong to the trap class ; but I had no opportunity of landing to examine them. 30th. We were detained to gum two of our canoes, which gave me an opportunity of seeking for a few plants. The soil of Oak Point is marshy & alluvial, & the only vegetables that abound on it are Cyperacetv, of which I amassed many species. One of the Canadians killed a fine species of Hydrophis, which I lost no time in prepar- ing the best way I could. I stuffed it with moss, but un- fortunately I had no preserving powder, a thing so essential this season. In the stomach of this serpent I found a large bullfrog (Rana tourina) and several elytrae of Dytis- cus marginalis. Our progress to-day was very slow, as the wind was un- favourable & required that we should make frequent de- lays, which enabled me to obtain some excellent plants, viz., Cornus Canadensis, 2 sp. Myosotis, 1 sp. of Fedice^?] 1 of Valeriana, & some Ranunculi. At the place where we encamped in the evening we found a Canadian of the name of Gervais going to Ft. George to obtain medical advice for his child. On going to the patient, I found a poor girl in the last stages of enteritis and no chance of its surviving for many hours. I encouraged him to hasten to the Fort and gave him a note to Mr. McKenzie for such medicines as might have a chance of being usefull. May 1st. We made very little progress on account of the strong wind that blew directly down the river. d. To-day at 11 o'clock we arrived at Ft. Vancouver, where I experienced the most polite reception from every gentleman belonging to it. On rejoining my fellow trav- eller, Mr. Douglass, we made an excursion to Menzies island, where we found many interesting plants. These plants on this island belonged chiefly to the classes Com​174 DR. JOHN SCOULER. positie & Leguminosss, the Phlox linear is, Collomia linearis, Nuttall, & a beautifull Myosotis, which, as being the most beautifull nondescript plant we had yet seen, from the allusion contained in the Scotch name for the genus, we agread to honour this plant with the name of M. Hookeri. Ft. Vancouver is built on the same plan as the other fort, but is not so large. Its situation is far more pleas- ant than that of Ft. George. It is situated in the middle of a beautifull prairie, containing about 300 acres of ex- cellent land, on which potatoes & other vegetables are cultivated ; while a large plain between the fort and river affords abundance of pasture to 120 horses, besides other cattle. The forests around the fort consists chiefly of Pinue balsamea & P. canadensis, while most amentacese are exceedingly rare. Within a short distance of the fort I found several interesting plants, as Phalangium esculen- tum, Berberis nervosa, B. Aquifolium, Calypso borealis & Corallorhiza innata. The root of the Phalangium esculen- tem is much used by the natives as a substitute for bread. They grow abundantly in the moist prairies, the flower is usually blue, but sometimes white flowers are found. The bulbs are about the size of those of the Hyacinthus Men- seriptus [?], & are collected by women & children. In their present state they have a slightly sweetish taste, but when cooked they acquire the flavor of molasses. The Indians have two methods of preparing these roots : they sometimes boil them & eat them cold ; but their more favourite method is to compact them into a cake, which they bake by placing it under heated stones & covering them with hot ashes. Baked in this manner they are very palatable. 5th. To-day found some Indian boys fishing ; the fish they caught appeared to be a sp. of Clupea ; on obtaining & dissecting a specimen of this fish all ambiguity as to its genus was removed. It had no maxillary teeth. At the ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 175 commencement of the sesophagus, & behind the gills, there are two bones of a curvated shape & each containing 5 teeth. Liver large & many-lobed, "some of the lobes ex- tending to the anus. Swimming bladder large, intestines simple. 10th. Since my arrival here my time has been entirely occupied in making excursions in every direction around the fort, & I had no reason to be dissatisfied with my col- lection. llth. To-day set out on my journey to the coast & bade a sincere farewell to the gentlemen of the establishment in whose society I had spent some pleasant hours. On our journey to the coast we passed a great number of In- dian villages, & in all of them the inhabitants were em- ployed in fishing Salmon or Sturgeon. These villages were all of them very populous & we procured from them any quantity of Salmon we wish to purchase. About 6 miles below the Fort we found some Indians drawing their net ashore, & among the variety of fish it contained I selected two species of Cyprinus, which were new ; these specimens unfortunately became putrid before we arrived at Ft. George. While stopped to prepare our supper I made a little excursion into the woods with Mr. Douglass & found Dalibarda repens [?], a large Pyrola, & a sp. of Heuchera. 12th. After taking our supper we allowed the canoes to drift down the river & in the morning we found had gained 15 miles by this plan. At two.o'clock we were of[f] Tongue point where the first plant that attracted my notice was a beautifull & a new species of Mimulus, & we collected specimens of it with the utmost enthusiasm. This little plant grows among Musci on the wet rocks & may be called M. pusillus. It is distinguished by the following characters & is the smallest sp. of the genus. Leaf an inch in length, lower lip of the corolla spotted, leaves spatulate. ​176 DR. JOHN SCOULER. On arriving at Ft. George, I was informed that about half an hour ago, two Indians had fallen down from an attack of apoplexy ; they were crossing the river in a canoe & both of them fell senseless within ten minutes. I lost not a moment's time in going to see them. The bodies were both laid in the canoe in which they had died, & had their faces turned toward the ground. The bodies were yet warm, and the skin a dark colour. Their friends were sitting around them lamenting them, with the most dismal noise. On removing the mats in which they had been already enveloped, we found all pulsation either of the heart or great arteries gone. I opened a vein in the one who had died most recently, but with no success. In examining the bodies we received no assistance whatever from the natives ; this did not in any degree arise from an unwillingness to accept of our aid, but from an uncon- querable aversion they have to touch a dead body. Appoplexy is far from being a rare disease among the Cheenooks, & two months seldom elapse without an Indian being carried of[f] by it. This perhaps depends on the enormous quantity of fish & other kinds of animal food they eat, & their inordinate appetite for oil ; certainly few savage tribes have equal facility in procuring their favourite luxuries as the Indians of the N. W. Coast. Of the vegetables which they eat, many belong to the sus- picious order of Umbelliferse such as Heracleum, Sium, etc. 25th. My time is now divided between making ar- rangements for our voyage to the Northward & completing as far as possible my collection of Columbia plants. We are about to leave the Columbia during the finest season of the year, but I anticipate a rich harvest at Nootka & Fuca straits. 31st. We are now ready for our expedition, which promises to be of considerable interest. From the char- acter of the northern tribes, a greater degree of vigilance ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 177 & caution than is required among the friendly Cheenooks, from whom we suffered no trouble, except from their beg- ging propensities. We, however, can have no possible reason for apprehending any danger, our crew is well armed & a party of thirteen natives of Owyhee will make us perfectly secure. In the morning we landed at the Cheenook village to purchase salmon; before our departure I seized the opportunity of herborising & found some in- teresting plants as a fine sp. of Triticum & a sp. of Spirsea, 1 sp. of Trifolium. In the afternoon some of our Indian friends came on board to wish a good voyage. Among these were Kasoka & Chicuana, who had been assiduous in bring us provisions. June. On the first of June- we crossed for the second time the bar of the Columbia & stood to the north. As the wind proved constantly unfavourable we were obliged to beat up to Queen Charlotte's Island. On the 8th of June we saw the mountains of Nootka about 10 leagues distant. Continuing our voyage we saw many albatrosses, which seam to emigrate to more northern latitudes during the summer months. The sea everywhere abounds in the beautifull Velella which seams to be dispersed all over the N. Pacific, & probably forms the chief support of Diome- dea & other sea fowl which live in these latitudes. 20th. A small species of Alca [?] fell on deck. It ap- peared to be the Alca alle of Linnaeus, Uria alle, Brisson. These birds were by no means scarce about the vessel. It had the double larynx in common with its congeners. Stomach small & muscular, with many longitudinal rugae on its internal surface. The intestines had many convo- lutions. Liver consisted of two nearly equal lobes. 23d. We are now in the channel between Queen Char- lotte's Island & Pitts Archipelago, & have great quantities of Fuci afloating past us. We succeeded in obtaining a few specimens which [I] found contained several smaller ​178 DR. JOHN SCOULER. species, & to abound in marine animals, as Sertularige, Crustacese ; we also found a Halothuria & a sp. of Patella. %4,tli. This afternoon we were coasting along Q. Char- lotte's Island, & at about 6 miles distance from the shore. We passed what we took to be an Indian village, & were not dissapointed, for a canoe came of[f] to us. They in- formed us that the name of their village was Skedans [?]. They had all of them blankets, & their hats were of a much neater shape & displayed far more ingenuity than those of the Cheenooks. They were also well supplied with fire arms. These people were much taller, & more robust? than those of the South. Their hair straight & black, & was tied in a knot on the crown of their heads. Their cheek bones were prominent, & all of them had some beard. Their conduct was bold and decided, bordering on ferocity. & while on board they behaved with the utmost selfishness. They seamed, however, to be frequently vis- ited by vessels, as they mentioned the names of several that [had] lately been on the coast. %5th. We were again visited by the Queen Charlotte islanders ; for the few things they had to sell they de- manded such exorbitant prices as convinced us they were in no want of European goods. The number of English words they knew surprised us, & it was soon evident that they had acquired their knowledge of English words from the Americans. The teeth of all these Indians are re- markably poor, I suppose from the quantity of sand & filth they eat with their food. Notwithstanding our short acquaintance with these people, it is very evident that they far excell the Indians of the Columbia in manly ap- pearance, ingenuity, & facility in imitating their civilised visitors. In two respects, however, they were far inferior to Cheenooks, in cleanliness & mildness of conduct. In the afternoon we were becalmed, & the men amused themselves in fishing the Squalus Acanthias which was ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 179 here in the greatest profusion. The individuals we pro- cured were about 2 feet in length, & had white spots along their sides. The anal fins of the males has a curi- ous appendix in common with the other sp. of the genus. The appendix consists of three claws analogous to the claws of birds. All these claws are of different shapes ; one of them was quite obtuse, the middle one was hooked, the external one was quite straight. The sesophagus was furnished with tubercles, perfectly analogous to those of the marine testudines, in their structure, & probably they are for the same use. The stomach large & contained many longitudinal plicse and terminated in a very narrow pylorus. The intestinal canal was short, but exceedingly capacious, & its internal surface was furnished with a very complicated set of valvulae conniventes. The spleen & pan- creas were of moderate size. The liver was very large, & consisted of two nearly equal & very large lobes, extend- ing from above the stomach to the anus. The testicles were large, oblong ovate bodies, situated near the superior extremity of the liver ; they had very long & convoluted spermacetic tubes laying close to the spine. The ova of the female I found in all stages of development. They varied in number from twelve to fifteen. In their early stages they were perfectly spherical, & had on their sur- face a small cicatrix the size of a pea; the whole egg in this stage might be the size of a turtle's. At a more ad- vanced period, the ova exhibited a beautifull appearance ; after cutting through the membraneous & very vascular uterus, an exceedingly delicate & transparent chorion was exposed, & the young animals were seen moving about with great vivacity in an amber coloured liquor amnii. They were about two inches long, & were connected to the ovum by a short cord. When put into a bucket of sea water they moved with the utmost liveliness. ​180 DR. JOHN SCOULER. 26th. We are now off Skittigass, one of the harbours the American traders are very fond of frequenting. Many of the natives came of[f] to us in their canoes ; they were well provided with arms, as spears, bows, arrows, & mus- kets. Their fire arms are almost all obtained from the American traders, but we saw several with Russian char- acters on them. Their language had no connection with the Cheenook or Nootkan. With their imperfect English they made us understand that there was an American vessel at present in their harbour, & were very anxious we should go there. These Islanders were the most acute & ingenious people we had seen on the coast, & were very cleanly in their dress & persons. Their bows were about five feet in length, & were much stronger than those of the Cheenooks. The arrows were pointed with bone. The parts are about two inches long, & have three or four notches on each side ; they were not fixed to the arrow, but attached to it in the same manner as the iron part is attached to a harpoon. One of the Indians was very anxious to accompany us on our voyage, & we willingly accepted his offer. He in- formed us that he had already been on board several American & Russian vessels as an interpreter, & assured us that he would neither lie nor steal. From the attach- ment he expressed to the Americans, we might easily infer that they observed justice and humanity in their inter- course with the Indians. A Cheenook we had on board soon excited his contempt, & he told him that if he came to live at Skittigass he would be flogged every day unless he would pay more attention to cleanliness. 27th. T[w]o canoes came to us from a low sandy point to the N. of Skittigass, the Punta Ymbisible of Vancou- ver's chart; they behaved with great propriety & seamed well acquainted with our new interpreter, who requested a little bread from us to send to his children on shore. ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 181 29th. This morning we were becalmed off Dundass Island, on which we landed about 6 A. M. On landing we discovered many tracks of Indians, & several articles be- longing to their fishing apparatus; we saw, however, no natives. That part of the island we were on was sur- rounded by steap rocks, & the landing was rather diffi- cult. The whole island appeared to be encircled by a zone of algse. Among the rocks were many curious ma- rine animals ; the shells belonged to the genera Tuba Pa- tella & Mytillus [?]. The most interesting animal here belonged to the articulata ; it was a species of Monoculus. Among the Radiata we found Actinea, Asterise & Alcyonia. Our limited time did not allow us to make an extensive collection of plants, but those we found were very inter- esting. On the rocks near the coast we found plenty of Saxifraga & Potentilla, with abundance of Xanthium mi- mosim. After we got on board the vessel a breeze sprang up & we made for Portland Canal. The entrance into the above named canal & Observatory Inlet is about 3 miles broad, & is accordingly deap, as we could find no bottom with 120 fathoms of line. During our progress a canoe put of[f] to us from the shore, but as the wind was favourable it would have been a loss of time to have waited for them. When they saw it was impossible to overtake us, they tes- tified their displeasure in angry menaces. We saw sev- eral people viewing us from the shore ; one of them was armed with a fowling piece, the others appeared to be unarmed. On the approach of night we had much diffi- culty in finding a convenient anchoring place on account of the great depth of water close to the shore. After 3 hours hard labour, & some anxiety, we found a small cove about 4 miles below Point Ramsden, where we anchored in 30 fathoms of water & about 160 feet from the shore. ​182 DR. JOHN SCOULER. 30th. This [morning] we landed to take a view of the country. On penetrating across a little point of land we found a stream of excellent water, descending with great rapidity from the mountains & forming a little cascade where it fell into the sea. Here I found many interesting specimens, A was under little apprehension, as no vestiges of Indians could be discovered. Under the shade of pine trees I found Corallorhiza Odontorhiza, & on the margins of the rivulet Pyrola, several orchids, & a species oi Heu- chera, which was unknown to me. The coast abounded in marine phenogamous plants, as Plantago, Triglochin, & the little Glaux mdritima in great abundance. The Glaux seams to inhabit every seacoast in the North Temperate Zone. I have now collected the plant in places between which 130 degrees of longitude intervene. I also obtained a specimen of Mergus serrator. On returning to the ship we found a canoe alongside. It was in all probability the one we had seen off Point Ramsden. There were only four Indians in the canoe; their behavior was peac[e]able & inof[f]ensive. They be- longed to a very populous tribe, called the Nass Indians. Their language is a dialect of that spoken on Q. Char- lotte's Island, & was easily understood by our new inter- preter. In the afternoon our canoe was dispatched to seek for a more commodious anchorage farther up the inlet. I made one of the party. We went as far as Salmon Cove of Captain Vancouver. During our excursion we saw no traces of inhabitants. Every part of the coast was char- acterized by high, almost perpendicular mountains, sepa- rated by deep ravines, rather than vallies. The rocks were entirely composed of granite, & usually covered with pines ; but there were many barren spots where the dura- ble texture of the granite resists the action of the storms & winter torrents, & almost refuses to support the minutest ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 183 lichen. On our return it began to blow Very hard, & it was with some difficulty we could reach the ship ; once indeed the canoe was nearly upset, & it was dark before we got on board. We now received the disagre[e]able in- telligence that in our absence the ship had drifted from her anchorage & was with much difficulty prevented from going ashore. July 1st. This morning we left our disagre[e]able an- chorage & a favourable wind soon brought us to Salmon Cove. Before getting under way we were visited by an- other canoe from Nass, in which were some women, with their lips deformed in a remarkable manner. A trans- verse incision had been made in the lower lip, about an inch and a half in length, into this opening an oval shaped piece of wood was introduced, of about the same length as the incision, an inch in thickness, & concave on its upper & lower surfaces. This piece of wood they often exchange for a larger one & dilate the lip to a monstrous size. In some cases the lower lip projected about H ; inch before the tip of the nose, & and. gave them a most grotesque appearance when they chose to eat anything. The Indians appeared to have some traditions of G. Vancouver, as they were at some pains to make us under- stand that a great many snows ago two vessels had an- chored in the place where we now are. The little vall[e]y in which Salmon Cove is situated has a verdant appearance, & a small brook supples it with abundance of excellent water. The stones in the brook are everywhere covered by Fontinalis antipyschea & F. squamosa, the last is in the state of perfect fruit. d. Our excursion on shore to-day was very limited, as we were under perpetual apprehension of a visit from the Nass Indians, whom our Skittigass friend was at great pains to assure us were a bloody & treacherous people. ​184 DR. JOHN SCOULER. Before we left the coast we were informed by good author- ity that his advice was not false. 3d. In the morning canoes from Nass began to make their appearance, & in a short time we had 15 canoes & about 150 people about us. We were soon convinced of their friendly intentions, as they had brought their wives & children with them. Those who appeared to be chiefs among them were brought on board & feasted on bread & molasses, of all things the most delicious to an Indian palate. They behaved with uniform propriety & honesty ; a tin dish in which we had given them some molasses was taken ashore in the evening, but a canoe came of[f] with it before we could detect the mistake. 4th. We were busily occupied to-day in trading [with] the Nass people ; they proved to be keen merchants, but were not guilty of any attempt to cheat. We obtained some of the haunch backed [salmon] of[f] by C. Vancouver & embraced the opportunity of investigating its internal structure. In general the left side is of a lighter colour than the right. The dorsal protuberance is narrow & acute, & is composed entirely of cellular matter. Brachial rays four; numerous. All the individuals that had the haunch back were males, their snout was also produced to a considerable extent & armed with powerful teeth. Upper jaw arcaded [?]. These people had in their canoes a kind of square cake which they were always chewing. On examining these cakes I found there were two kinds of them. The one was of a soft consistence & consisted of different species of Halymenia, compressed into a cake. From the taste of these cakes & the saline efflorescence on their surface, it was obvious they did not wash the salt water of[f] them. The other cake was of a more firm consistence, & consisted of the bark of some tree beaten very fine & then compressed ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 185 & dried. Its taste was sweat & far more agre[e]able than the cake of Halymenia. These Indians resemble those of Q. Charlotte's Island very closely. The men are tall, stout & well proportioned, & have not the same aversion to beards that most Indian tribes have. They have high cheek bones, oval counte- nances, & rather round chins. When washed their com- plexion is not any darker than that of an inhabitant of the S. of Europe. There was a degree of decency among these people we did not observe among any tribe on the coast. Although most of the men wore blankets, they had a piece of cloth before them so as to prevent exposure. Almost the whole of the women had calico gowns & piece of blue cloth thrown over their shoulders, & had a very handsome appearance. They do not appear to use the lip ornament from their infancy. I saw many girls of about 14 or 16 who had not as yet assumed this mark of distinction ; probably it is conferred at marriage. 5th. In our boat excursions, we had found a more con- venient anchorage than Salmon Cove, about five miles further up the inlet ; to this situation the vessel proceeded & anchored in 30 fathoms [of] water in a very secure little bay. On account of the incessant rain we now experienced, as well as from the number of Indians about us, we judged it proper not to leave the ship. Friendly as the conduct of the people of Nass has been, the bad character they have got from previous visitors renders it by no means prudent to put ourselves in any degree at their mercy. Our Skitti- gass interpreter shrewdly advised us not to go on shore, but to employ the Indians to bring off water. As a further reason for adopting his advice, he said that a boat's crew belonging to an American trading vessel had been cut of[f] by the Nass people while employed in obtaining water; & ​186 DR. JOHN SCOULER. that 1 since that time the Americans had always employed the Indians to supply them with this essential article. 6ih As most of the Indians had left us this morning, we went about four miles up the inlet in the boat. In one place we saw the smoke of an Indian lodge, but none of its inmates made their appearance. The western branch of the inlet which we had been exploring is about a mile broad, surrounded on each side by steap & lofty moun- tains, covered with pine trees. The scenery of some of our Highland lochs would be very similar if the hills would support as rich a vegetation. On our return we landed for a few minutes on a small rocky point which afforded some specimens. In this situation the Lilium pudicum grew in abundance, although unfortunately out of flower. The pear-shaped granular roots of this plant are much sought after by the Indians & is eaten raw; its taste is not disagre[e]able, & it contains far more farina- ceous matter & less savoury [?] than the roots of most Liliacese. 7th. We now set out on our departure from this part of the N. W. Coast, and although the wind was unfavour- able, we succeeded in getting 8 miles down the inlet, and came to anchor in a small but secure harbour on its west- ern side. In this situation we found a few Indians employed in fishing. They sold us two fine halibut, weighing about 100 Ibs. each, & brought a good number of haunch backed salmon. The salmon were mostly females, & were larger & of a more vivid colour than the males ; their snout was not prolonged, nor was their haunch nearly so much de- veloped as in the males. The method the natives have of procuring halibut is very curious. They select a bifurcating twig of the birch tree, & to one of its bifurcations they fix a sharp, straight piece of bone, with its point directed in an opposite man​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 187 ner to the limbs of the fork. This hook would be too weak to hold so strong a fish if they were not ready to transfix him with their spears as he came to the surface of the water. 8th. To-day we got a few miles further down the inlet, but in the evening we were obliged to anchor in a very dis- agre[e]able situation. We were less than a cable's length from the shore & were obliged to make the vessel fast by a rope fixed to a tree. .9th. In the morning it began to blow hard & we were obliged to quit our uncomfortable situation and run back to the bay we had left on the 7th. 12th. We still remain in our old situation, the wind unfavorable & the rain incessant. Tired of inaction, & as the Indians had left us, I ventured ashore to collect a few specimens, & penetrated through the woods till we came to a small bay formed by a sudden turn the land takes to the eastward. The excursion afforded some interesting plants whose genera I was unacquainted with ; but my partiality for acotyledonous plants was amply gratified in the abundance of Lichens, Musci, & Jungermannise this place afforded ;& all of them in a state of fruit. The rocks even to high-water mark were covered by Gyro- phora[t], Conomyes & Peltidise[^]. The beauty & variety of the species, & the narrow space in which they are con- densed, enabled us to collect 40 specimens in the course of an hour, & convinced me that this bay was one of the most favoured climes for cryptogamous vegetation. This richness will cause the more surprise when it is stated that the principal rock was granite of a very undecom- posed nature, with a few masses of clay slate. Of mud slate I could detect no traces. On our return we observed the remains of an Indian lodge. It appeared to have been merely a temporary residence, as it consisted only of a few poles supporting a ​188 DR. JOHN SCOULER. cover formed of the branches of trees. The neighbor- hood was plentifully strewed with the shells of Mytili & Ostrese ; & we also found the remains of some of the fish- ing apparatus of the Indians. 13th. My time is now completely occupied in examin- ing in as great an extent of country as I can with pru- dence. This day was occupied in the course of a small rivulet which emptied itself into the cove. The rain was incessant & the ground so obstructed with Xanthium Spinosum as greatly to obstruct our progress. The phe- nogamous plants of our neighbourhood I had some time since exhausted, & my attention is chiefly directed to the Acotyledonse, & I found a few interesting individuals of them in this excursion. We had also the pleasure of seeing a fine waterfall. The water descended through a narrow channel & with great irnpetuousity over a perpen- dicular rock about 60 feet in height. Clambering up a steap rock near the cataract I found Linnsea borealis & Lycopodium. 17th. We made another excursion in a different di- rection to a small point on the N. W. side of the inlet. We had scarcely sent the boat away when we saw an Indian canoe going round the point, but as their number was equal to our own we did not judge it necessary to re- turn. The place we visited was exceedingly poor in plants, the only ones we detected were a species of the order Cruciferse, Linnsea borealis in fine fruit, Noethia, & Pinus taxi flora. 18th. As the morning was fine & the breeze favourable, we made our way to Salmon Cove, where we came to anchor about 11 o'clock. The quantity of salmon around us was truly astonishing ; looking over the sides of the vessel we saw shoals of them amounting to many thou- sands. As there appeared to be no natives in the neigh- bourhood, I wandered three miles up the brook & saw ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 189 nothing to alarm me but the tracks of bears, which were very common. Every pool and every brook swarmed with salmon so that nothing was easier than to kill any number of them. I killed 7 very large ones & dragged them after me to the ship. In consequence of my success a party was sent in the afternoon to procure more, & in the evening they returned with 40 fishes. In this excursion I met with a few interesting plants, as Veratrum viride, Epilobium [?] & a beautiful plant which Nuttall & Pursh omit in their Floras, but from the description of De Can- dolle I think is the Romanzovia Unalaschensis of Dr. Chamisso : Romanzovia-sepala 5, basi coalita, Pet. 5 in co- rollum 5 fidam coalita, stam. 5, unotubo inserta capsula uni- valvis, [An illegible description of about twenty words omitted.] 19th. The wind still continues unfavourable, so that our only alternative is to work down the inlet. By this plan we gained 15 miles, & in the evening came to anchor in a small sandy bay in the Northern part of the inlet. 21st. As the weather was very unfavourable on account of the rain & fog, we were oblidged to remain at our an- chorage. Although there were three canoes of Indians around us, yet as their conduct had been uniformly hon- est & peac[e]able, I resolved to venture ashore among them. On landing we found them employed in gathering berries, which they cheerfully presented to us, & seamed under no apprehension whatever. 28d. To-day we made considerable progress & at sunset we came to anchor in a small & commodious bay below Nass. As we passed Nass harbour many canoes came off to us, & seamed very anxious we should stop to trade, but we did not choose to detain ourselves as we had been de- tained here long enough already. 23d. In the morning the boat was dispatched to pro- cure some salmon, which were so abundant in the cove. ​190 DR. JOHN SCOULER. On this excursion we killed 35 large ones. Since we vis- ited Observatory Inlet I have been in the habit of paying close attention to the salmon it produces. In their young state no difference is to be observed between the males & females in their external organization. As the season of spawning approaches, a striking change takes place in the male so that a stranger would be apt to suppose the two sexes belonged to different species. The body of the female is round ; the back is of a deap green colour, in- terspersed with purple spots ; sides have large green spots, belly white. The snout is round and obtuse ; teeth short ; lower jaw nearly as long as upper. At the spawning pe- riod, the appearance of the male is very different. The body increases in size, & is very much compressed, & a large haunch is developed on his back, which consists entirely of adipose substance. The snout becomes very much elongated ; but the inferior is about -J- inch longer than the upper. Both jaws are furnished with strong, hooked, recurved teeth. The colours of the male is much paler than those of the female. On our journey I obtained a few plants, as sanguisorba, Empetrum nigrum, Stellaria, Orchis scirpus sylvestris, & Adiantum pedatum. Most of these plants were obtained in a damp sp[h]agnous place, which abounded in a species of Salamandra. ft^ih. On account of the incessant rain I did not ven- ture ashore during the forenoon ; in the afternoon as there was no prospect of better weather I ventured to make a short excursion, & was so fortunate as to obtain a few Musci & Jungermannise. 25th. This morning with a favourable though unex- pected breeze we left our anchorage, & although in a few hours the wind resumed its old direction," before evening we had lost sight of Observatory Inlet. ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 191 26th. In the afternoon we were of[f] Skittigass & af- forded us an opportunity of sending our interpreter ashore. Although in one respect he dissapointed our hopes by stealing when he had an opportunity of doing it ; we ought not to judge of him with the same severity as we would do of those who know better. It ought rather to be our wish that this interesting island may obtain some knowl- edge of moral responsibility & religious principles. The acuteness of the Queen Charlotte's Islanders has prompted them to adopt a great many customs of civilized life, & the cultivation of potatoes is very general among them, and had our time admitted of it we might have ob- tained any quantity of this usefull vegetable. This con- sideration alone, in my opinion, places them far above the natives of the Columbia in the scale of intelligence. With all the advantage of having Europeans constantly among them I do not know of one improvement requiring the smallest exertion that has been adopted by the Cheenooks. Poor Skittigass Tom was the only Indian that ever ex- pressed much anxiety to learn to read and write, & was very fond of obtaining a few ciphers. He made charts of Nass & Skittigass, which served to give a very good idea of the coast & of the different tribes settled along it. In the afternoon we saw two vessels getting out of Skit- tigass harbour & had the pleasure of receiving a visit from Mr. Kelly, Master of the Brig Owyhee, who informed us that the other vessel was the Volunteer, Captain Barker. Although engaged in the same trade, Mr. Kelly behaved in the most friendly & unreserved manner towards us, & gave us all the information in his power respecting the Indians. He assured us that on every part of the coast the natives were hostile & would be ready to seize every opportunity of cutting of[f] those who went ashore & of surprising the vessel. The only exception to this hostile disposition was ​192 DR. JOHN SCOULER. in the natives of Kigannie: the Porta Cordova y Cordova of C. Vancouver's chart. At Kagannie the seamen went ashore without any precaution whatever, & the natives were allowed to visit the ship in as great numbers as they pleased. Much of the hostile disposition is probably ow- ing to the Americans themselves, who alone enjoy the trade to the N. of Nootka. Of this, at least, I am sure that offenses of the Indians have been punished in a most bloody & unrelenting manner. With respect to atrocity they can outdo the Indians in cruelty. While of[f] Skittigass the Indians gave us a specimen of their expertness in thieving. By some means or other they contrived to steal the charges of the great guns & did [it] in so expert a manner that it was not detected till next day. 30th. To-day we were of[f] Nootka harbour & a canoe with 10 Indians came of[f] to us. They repeated the well known words Wakush & Masquada, & invited us to visit their harbour. They gave us a few fishes, consisting chiefly of Cyprinus brama & Gadus minutus. In appear- ance & language they have affinity to the Cheenooks, & soon [we] were able to understand them pretty easily. About 5 in the afternoon we anchored in [illegible] Cove, about 4 miles above Friendly village. Here Moa- quilla came on board with his two sons. The elder bears his father's name, & is, as far as we could judge, of a very mild temper. The younger is called Sadoo. Before ven- turing on board the old man inquired from what country we came, & on being informed we were English, he & his people clapped their hands & seamed highly delighted. On showing him the portrait of Mr. Mears he soon recog- nized his old friend, & had not forgot the Spaniards or C. Vancouver. When we showed him the portraits of him- self & Calleum, he easily found out the unfortunate chief & told us that Komkela was dead for many years. In the ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 193 evening he & his people left us, much pleased with the reception they had experienced. 31st. The whole of the Nootkan people seamed in mo- tion to visit the vessel, & we soon had about 25 canoes around the vessel. From the scarcity of European goods among them, it was pretty evident they seldom had any opportunity of seeing vessels. Most of them were in a happy state of ignorance of rum & tobacco ; old Moaquilla was the only exception to the remark, & he was much pleased with a little rum & water, which a Queen Char- lotte Islander would have rejected with contempt & de- manded wine. Our new friends brought us plenty of provisions, as Salmo Solar, Pleuronectes rhombus & Clupea pilchardus, the berries of Gaultheria Shallon, a sp. of Allium, & the roots of Phalangium esculentum. August 1st. In the forenoon I had the opportunity of landing for a few minutes, & although my time was so limited, I succeeded in procuring two species of Compos- ite [?] I had not before seen, & in picking up a few Fuci on the rocks. A short time after we returned to the ship we found that one of the iron hooks used in hoisting in the boat had been stolen, & the canoe in which the thief was had paddled of[f] with great dispatch. We had the pleasure of witnessing the disapprobation this conduct excited among his countrymen, & a canoe was instantly sent in pursuit of him & returned in a short time with the property.
of the Indians & one of the most intelligent among them brought me a Monoecius plant I had not before detected. To encourage this disposition I gave him a few presents & I doubt but [not] he may bring many more interesting plants. ​194 DR. JOHN SCOULER. The Nootkan canoes remain with us from morning to sunset, & of course are well provided with such food as the country affords. Their principle[al] support at present appears to be dried salmon, roots & oil. Their oil was contained in different kinds of bags. Some of them were made from the intestines of the larger quadrupeds, others were made of the fistulous stipes of a sp. of Fucus which abounds everywhere on the coast. 3d. Since visiting Nootka sound we have all been very curious to visit the village, & see what vestiges of the English & Spanish settlements remained. Although we received a very kind invitation from Moaquilla to pay him a visit, the fate of the Tonquin which was cut of[f] a few miles to the S. had filled the minds of some on board with fearful apprehensions. Concerning the fate of the Ton- quin the Indians were very reserved ; perhaps they had little to communicate. The old chief told us that the mas- sacre had taken place at Cloquatx, & the scheme had been concocted by a turbulent Indian named Quashelyshee, & that it was done entirely without the knowledge of the chief of Cloquatx. We know nothing authentic concerning the loss of this vessel; but it seems probable that she was surprised by the natives of Weanamuth of Cloquatx. The Tonquin was the first ship the Americans sent with set- tlers to the Columbia ; the captain after loosing two boat's crews on the bar of that river, whether by accident or on purpose, the stupid ferocity of the man renders it difficult to decide, he was sent on a trading voyage to the islands, where the loss of the ship I have not the smallest doubt was occasioned by his own negligence. It is but justice to the people of Nootka to state that we did not find that degree of filth among them which Mr. Mears describes. They were as cleanly as any tribe of Indians we had seen. Nootka, which excited so much contention between the courts of Madrid & London, is now ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 195 completely neglected by every civilised power, & the state of poverty in which they are at present affords little in- ducement to the visits of mercantile adventurers. The few skins they have to dispose of, seam to make their way to Ft. George through the inter medium of other tribes, as most of their blankets & other articles were recognized to be the goods of the N. W. Company. The Cheenook custom of deforming the head prevails among the inhabitants of Vancouver's Island ; but this operation must be somewhat modified, as their heads are of a more conical shape than of the Columbia Indians. Like the Indians of Queen Charlotte's Island they wear long ear ornaments, consisting of square pieces of a shell which has a margaritaceous lustre. The practice of de- forming the lower lip does not prevail at Nootka. 8th. Since the 3d of August on which we left Nootka we have made but little progress on account of the fre- quent calms & foggy weather. As we were quitting Nootka we had an instance of the honesty of old Moaquilla. We had given his young son the loan of a musquet while we were in [illegible] & although we [were] leaving the land fast with a fair wind, a canoe was sent after us to re- store us the musquet as a proof of his honesty & friend- ship. This morning we entered the straits of Juan De Fuca. About 7 A. M. we discovered a number of canoes making towards us & in a short time we had fifteen of them about the vessel. Some of the natives who had been at Ft. George soon recognized Mr. McKenzie, & all of them be- haved in the most friendly manner, & brought us plenty of fish, turbot & mullets (Mugil auratus). The chief of these people, who is brother to the Tatooch chief, was in one of the canoes, but was so debilitated as to be unable to come on board. They carry on an inveterate war with the people on the opposite side of the straits (the Cloquatx ​196 DR. JOHN SCOULER. & Nitlinat), & many of the slaves they obtain are sold to the Indians of the South & arrive at the Columbia. The natives of Tatooch show much ingenuity in manu- facturing blankets from the hair of their dogs. On a little island a few miles from the coast they have a great num- ber of white dogs which they feed regularly every day. From the wool of these dogs & the fibres of the Cypress they make a very strong blanket. They have also some method of making red & blue stripes in their blankets in imitation of European ones. At a little distance it is diffi- cult to distinguish these Indian blankets from those of Europe. 9th. On continuing our course down the straits, canoes came of[f] from every quarter, bringing beaver & other skins. Most of the Indians belonged to a powerful tribe called the Klallums. When they found that we came from the Columbia they became very friendly. In the evening we anchored of[f] their villages in Port Discovery. We had no sooner anchored than about 20 canoes came of[f] to us. In one of the canoes was a young man who had seen several of the traders from Ft. George who had made a journey to this part of the coast last winter. These people much resemble the Indians of the Columbia in their dress, manners & personal appearance. In the vicinity of their village are many of those poles so much represented in Captain Vancouver's voyage. We found it difficult to ascertain the use of this curious apparatus, but was told by some of the Indians they were for catch- ing birds. Most of the canoes had long spears, armed with iron points, & ornamented with human hair ; these spears were about ten feet in length. They had also a kind of harpoon about the same length as their spears but not so strong, & at the extremity had a bifurcated piece of wood fixed to them & both its points armed with bones. ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 197 10th to 13th. The Indians continue to behave in the most quiet & inof[f]ensive manner. & have supplied us most abundantly with fishes, ducks & all the vegetables their country afforded. The chief is an old man named Squastin, who visited us every morning, bringing us a present of fish & berries, & he is by no means so greedy a beggar as Moaquilla of Nootka. As none of the boats ventured ashore I had no oppor- tunity of examining the productions of the country. I tried the plan I had adopted at Nootka & was more suc- cessful. Observing a mouse in one of the canoes I pur- chased it, & in the course of a few hours I was plentifully supplied with specimens of Uria troile, Colymbus cornutus, three species -of Mus. No. 1: intestines with numerous convolutions, stomach capacious, liver bilobed, ears very short. No. 2 : Tail longer than body, back brown, belly white, ears long, liver 5 lobed. No. 3 I did not dissect. As there is little doubt that some of these mice are non- descript it is much to be regretted that some of^them were to[o] putrid to admit of a carefull dissection. I may here mention that I had an opportunity of removing all doubt as to the authenticity of the Mus bursarus of Shaw, as I saw a very fine specimen of it in the possession of Mr. Douglass. The dissection of the Colymbus cornutus presented the following appearances : oesophagus wide & dilatable, & furnished with many longitudinal plicae, which all termi- nate in a ring around the cardiac orifice of the stomach. The stomach is rather muscular, the internal surface fur- nished with many small glands. Gizzard very muscular. Convolutions of the intestines numerous. Liver consists of two large & nearly equal lobes. This part of the coast appears to be extremely populous; in sailing down the straits from Tatooch to Port Discovery we never lost sight of the smoke of villages; & whenever ​198 DR. JOHN SCOULER. we came to anchor we had plenty of canoes around us. This numerous population is not to be wondered at when we consider the abundant means of support the country affords. The sea yields abundant supply of excellent fishes of the most agre[e]able kind, every rivulet teeming with myriads of salmon ; & the land affords an endless variety of berries & esculent roots. The collecting of the latter forms the occupation of the women & children, while the men are employed in procuring the former, & both are carefully dried for winter stores. The sea fish they obtain are different kinds of Pleuronectes, Mugil & Gadus. About the beginning of October they abandon their summer residence near the shore & retreat into the interior of the country, where, in addition to their winter stock, they kill abundance of birds, especially of the duck tribe, & beaver, otters & elks, whose skins afford them comfortable cloathing or the means of procuring European articles. They return to the sea coast again in the begin- ning of April. This action [?] of the Indians explains the cause of the mistake into which the very accurate C. Van- couver fell, concerning the apparent depopulation of the coast, when we reccolect [sic] that between the months of October & April the natives would be at their winter abode. 14th. This morning we left Port Discovery, & as we were getting under way these friendly Indians came of[f] to us with fishes & birds, which we could not wait for. All the time we were among these Klallums the old chief Squastin visited us every morning, never neglecting to bring us a supply of provisions, for which he would re- ceive no remuneration. His present consisted of berries of G. Shallon, shellfish, crabs, & in short, everything the country afforded. On leaving these friendly people, we coasted along a beautifull country ; the hills of moderate height & grad​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 199 ual ascent ; seamed better fitted for cultivation than any place N. of the Columbia we had yet visited. At this place two canoes came of[f] to us from the Nootkaside. In one of them was a famous chief named Waskalatchy, who had wandered more over the N. W. coast than any Indian upon it. This chief readily agreed to accompany us up the straits, & in the evening we anchored in Strawberry Cove, Cypress Island. 15th August. Since we anchored in this cove we have seen no Indians, but Waskalatchy informed us that there was a village a little to the N. E. of us. On obtaining this intelligence we fired a gun & in about an hour & a half we saw three canoes making for the ship. The Indians seamed to be under considerable apprehension & appeared to hesitate whether they should proceed or not-. After a short consultation they came near to us, & we soon found means to dissipate their alarm. They seamed very poor & had nothing in their canoes but a seal & a few gulls. In the afternoon when the canoes left us we had an op- portunity of visiting Strawberry Cove ; but, as evening was approaching, I had but little time to make observa- tions. We landed on a fine smooth sandy beach, which was bounded on all sides by low & marshy ground, cov- ered with Scirpi & Carices, & abounding in dear trails. Along the beach we found abundance of Berberis Aqui- folia & B. Nervosa. 16th. This afternoon we left Cypress Island & before sunset we anchored opposite an Indian village. This tribe of Indians is called the Lummie tribe, & are on terms of friendship with Klallums, & along with Squastin's peo- ple carry on a constant war with the people further up the straits. These friendly savages made us a present of two fine beavers, which afforded us an agre[e]able repast after being so long confined to salmon. Our Klallum friends, ​200 DR. JOHN SCOULER. who had heard the report of our gun on the preceding day, arrived this evening & behaved as usual in the most peac[e]able manner. 17th. These poor people continue to supply us with abundance of fish & berries & to accept with gratitude anything we please to give them. Our confidence in them was so great that we resolved to venture ashore. At the place where we landed a number of children who had been amusing themselves scampered of[f] in great alarm. As soon as I got ashore my attention was occupied with some interesting plants which grew on the beach ; among these plants was a Solidago & a beautifull specimen of Artemisia, but what pleased me most was the vast profu- sion of Myosotis Hookeri. In an extensive saline marsh I found a gp. of Salicornia & a fine Arenaria. During my herborising the Indians watched my motions with con- siderable curiosity, but what surprised them most was the captain's sextant, & enquired what was to be seen in the sun. They believed it to be some powerful medical charm by which we ascertained whether the Indians beyond them had many skins to dispose of or not. 18th. In the afternoon we proceeded farther up the Gulph of Georgia & about 12 miles from the Lummie vil- lage we found another people, called the Saugtch Indians. These Indians sold us a few skins & behaved very peac[e]- ably. Their village is situated very near the shore, at the bottom of a white cliff. Many of the houses were taken down & they appeared to be occupied in removing to their winter quarters. One of the Indians had a small porpoise, on which I made some observations. It was very young, as the teeth were not very evident. The tongue fleshy, a margin like a duck's, oesophagus narrow, stomach very small, & the intestines were of a very small diameter, but their convolutions were very numerous. Rectum about ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 201 two feet long, & equalling in capacity the stomach. Lungs of both sides nearly two lobed. Ovum, granular. The different tribes who inhabit De Fucas straits & the Gulph of Georgia, differ little in their features from the Cheenooks. The practice of flattening the heads of their children is universal. I could not ascertain any details of the nature of this process. They are more addicted to painting themselves than the natives of the Columbia are. The paints they use are red ochre, charcoal & powdered mica. They make regular lines on their faces with these powders, & when painted their appearance is very dis- agre[e]able. The quantity of grease they apply to their hair is prodigious, but we did not observe any of them powder their heads with the down of fowls, a custom so common at Nass & Nootka. Their canoes are similar to those of the Cheenooks ; but are very light & are ornamented with the teeth of some animal, probably the sea otter. The largest canoe we saw was one belonging to Squastin, which was capable of con- taining 30 men. Their dresses are very various, but European cloathes are very scarce among them. Blankets of dogs' wool are very common, & although superior in durability to those of Europe, are far from being so comfortable. Robes from the skins of rac[c]oons [?] & elks were very common. All these dresses were attended with the inconvenience of personal exposure ; some, however, had a dress which pre- vented this completely. It consisted of two pieces of a sort of leather prepared from the elks skin. These pieces reached from the neck to the ancles, & were sowed together down to the knee, forming a kind of shirt without sleeves. The women here, as well as on all other places on the coast, wore petticoats made of straw or bark. They are yet so fortunate as to have very few fire arms among them & iron is very scarce. ^JTheir bows are similar to those of ​202 DR. JOHN SCOULER. the Columbia Indians, & are frequently ornamented with the skins of serpents. The arrows are very short and are armed with barbed pieces of bone, about six inches long. 19th. This morning we left the Saugtch Indians & an- chored of[f]. Point Roberts. The coast here has a very low marshy appearance, & is more abundantly covered with bushes & shrubs than any part of the coast we have seen. As the weather was rather blowy we did not ven- ture to land, nor did any natives come of[f] to us, although three canoes & several Indians ashore. 20th. As the weather was much improved this morn- ing, the canoes came of[f] to us & proved to be our old ac- quaintances from Saugtch & Lummie. They said they came to warn us that we would soon be visited by two very powerful & dangerous tribes, the Cowitchen & Yakulta, who would surprise the vessel if possible & would poison the fish they sold us. This piece of policy on the part of these natives was easily detected. At every place from port Discovery to Point Roberts the Indians had endeav- oured to prejudice us against the natives farther up the Gulph, & [to get us] to join them in an expedition against the Cowitchen & Yakultas. To their advice we paid little attention, as it only proved the inveterate hatred that pre- vailed among the different tribes. The canoes had not left us long when those [of] the Cowitchen & their allies appeared, & we were soon con- vinced that they were as friendly & peac[e]able as any of the tribes we had yet seen. Before mid[d]ay we ventured ashore & I had a short time to examine the productions of this part of the coast. Point Roberts consists of an extensive flat marsh, bounded towards the sea by a slightly elevated beach, formed prob- ably by the accumulation of drift wood, which was very abundant here. The interior of the marsh was impene- trable on account of its semifluid, consistance & the abund​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 203 ance of Scirpus lacustris, growing to the height of 6 or 7 feet. Nearer the shore the soil consisted of a mixture of sand and peat, formed by the action of the sea & the decay of the musci which abounded here. The bay abounded in Scirpi carices & other aquatic grasses. In the dry sandy margins I found Spiraea salicifolia Guapha- lium, 2 sp. (Enothera biennis. The drift wood along the beach abounded with Coluber. They were perfectly harm- less & the ground seamed a mass of serpents. One could not overturn any piece of old wood without dislodging from 18 to 20 of them. 23d. The fresh taste of the water, although we were three miles from the shore, seamed to indicate the vicinity of large rivers. As this was the grand object of our enquir- ies, the long boat was dispatched & on its return in the evening confirmed our suspicions. The river is shut up from the access of vessels for a great way by sand banks & has not more than 6 feet water at its mouth. Qj^ili. The Cowitchen chief, Chapea, came on board to inform us that a part[y] of white people from the Colum- bia were in search of us, & that we would soon see them in three canoes. We were at first inclined to give a little attention to the report, but when he further informed us that two vessels had entered the straits, we were convinced that his object was to sell us news when his skins were disposed of. Chapea had in his retinue an Indian deaply marked with smallpox & was the only individual we had seen on the N. W. coast with this disease. The rarity of such an occurrence at once indicates the fatality of the disease & the dread they entertain of it. This epidemic broke out among them in 17 & soon depopulated the eastern coast of America, & those on the Columbia were not secure be- hind the Rocky Mountains, & the ravages of the disease were only bounded by the Pacific Ocean. The Cheenooks ​to the present time speak of it with horror, & are exceedingly anxious to obtain that medicine which protects the whites, meaning vaccination. Such is the dread of this disease that when about to plunder the tribes of the interior, they have been deterred by the threat of disseminating smallpox among them. It is, I believe, the benevolent intention of the H. B. Company to send missionaries among these untutored Indians; nothing would enable them to gain the goodwill of the Indians so much as introducing vaccination, & no gift would be more gratefully received.
25th.—We made another excursion to point Roberts. There was a pretty large party of Indians on the beach but they did not come near us, but I did not hesitate in going near them & employed a young man as a sort of assistant in my excursion. In this excursion I found a greater variety of plants than on the former, but none of them happened to be so new or interesting. Bidens, Galium, Polygonum hydropiperoides, Sparganium, Typha latifolia.
26th.—The object of our voyage up the Gulph of Georgia being now accomplished, we set out on our return to the Columbia & in the evening anchored of[f] the Lummie village, when our old friend Sahumkan [?] came on board. At this place we were plentifully supplied with fish & berries. Such is the abundance of provisions up the straits that since we anchored in Port Protection we have not had to use any salt provisions. The people have been plentifully supplied with salmon, & the supplies of the cabin have been often varied by ducks, venison & beaver.
In the afternoon we went ashore to visit the chief at his village, but found he was absent; his people, however, behaved with the greatest propriety & kindness. The village is situated at the extremity of a fine forest, under the shade of some large trees. Their lodges were about ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 205 20 & the number of inhabitants was probably about 300. The houses were constructed of planks of fir & cedar, & thatched with Typha latifolia. Near the shore there were several large shades erected for drying salmon, & from the immense quantities of dry fish we saw, there was little probability they would experience any of the horrors of famine the ensuing winter. The method they adopt of curing the salmon is very simple ; the intestines are taken out & the spine & the remaining part of the fish is exposed to the sun. No salt is ever used by the Indians. 27th. We went ashore again this forenoon to make a short botanical excursion. We found the Indians busily employed in removing their provisions & furniture, even to the boards of their houses, to their winter quarters, which were a little way into the interior. My botanising was very unfortunate & I was about to go on board with- out a single plant; on advancing a little farther into the woods, I had the good fortune to find a fine species of Sanicula. On examining this plant I found it to differ from any of the sp. of Sanicula I was acquainted with. From the down on the lower part of the stem & on the leaves it may be called S. tomentosa. 28th. Towards evening we were becalmed of[f] Ta- tooche & several canoes carne of[f] to us with salmon & halibut. One man ventured on board, though with much apprehension. The reason of his terror was that he had been carried of[f] & sold as a slave by an American ship. We were already aware that such things had been done by an American vessel, but we had not seen any of his victims before. This villain, whose name is Ayres, once entered the Columbia & carried of[f] 12 men, seven of them, however, escaped by stealing the boat & making for the shore. (TO BE CONTINUED.)