# Oregon Historical Quarterly/Volume 6/Sketch of a Journey to the North-Western Parts of the Continent of North America during the Years 1824-25-26-27, part 4

SKETCH OF A JOURNEY TO THE NORTH-WESTERN PARTS OF THE CONTINENT OF NORTH AMERICA
DURING THE YEARS 1824-'25-'26-'27.
With Comment on the Results of Douglas' First Visit and Letters of Douglas Giving Plans and Preparations for a Second Visit to the Columbia.
By DAVID DOUGLAS, F. L. S.
Reprinted from "The Companion to the Botanical Magazine," Volume II, London, 1836.
IV.
DOUGLAS' JOURNEY TO HUDSON'S BAY.
On the 20th of March, 1827, by the annual express, and in company with Dr. McLoughlin, I started for England from Fort Vancouver, a place where, if I had spent not many comfortable days, yet some such happy ones, that though I hailed the prospect of returning to my native land, I confess I could not quit such an interesting country without much regret. I walked the whole distance to Fort Cohite [Colville] on the Kettle Falls, which occupied twenty-five days, not one of which passed without presenting to my notice something of interest, either in Botany or Zoology. The beautiful Erythronium grandiflorum and Claytonia lanceolata were in full bloom among the snow.
On the 18th of April Mr. E, with seven men and myself, took our departure from the Kettle Falls to the Rocky Mountains early in the morning. Nothing of importance occurred; we entered the Lower Lake on Friday the 20th, and used our sail, the wind being so favourable ​JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. 207 that we reached the termination of the Upper Lake on Sunday the 22d. Twenty-eight miles above this place, where the river takes a sudden bend, and to all appearance is lost in the mountains, a scene of the most terrific gran- deur presents itself; the whole torrent is confined to the breadth of thirty-five yards, and tossed in rapids, whirl- pools, and eddies ; on both sides are mountains towering to the height of six or eight thousand feet from their base, rising with perpendicular precipices from the very bed of the river, covered with dead timber of enormous growth, the roots of which, laid bare by the torrents, and now hurled by the violence of the wind from their original high places, come hurrying down the stream, bringing enormous fragments of earth attached to their roots, and spreading devastation all before them. The sun feebly tipped the mountain-tops as we passed this place, and, seen through the shadowy pines, imparted a melancholy air to the whole gloomy scene. On the 25th we passed the "Narrows of Death," a ter- rific place in the river, which takes its name from a trag- ical circumstance which I have not here room to relate, when ten individuals endured almost unparalleled suffer- ings, and were finally all released by death, with the exception of one. At noon on the 27th of April we had the satisfaction of landing at the Boat Encampment at the base of the Rocky Mountains. How familiar soever these snowy mountains have been to us, so that we might be expected to lose an adequate idea of their immense alti- tude, yet on beholding the Grand "Dividing Ridge" of this mighty continent, all that we have seen before seems to fade from the mind, and to be forgotten in the con- templation of their height and indescribably rugged and sharp peaks, with the darkness of the rocks, their glaciers and eternal snows. ​208 JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. The principal branch of the Columbia is here sixty yards wide, the Canoe River forty, and the middle one, on whose banks we ascend, is thirty. On Saturday, the 28th, having packed the whole of my journals in a tin box, and carrying a case of seeds and a shirt or two, tied up in a bundle, we commenced our march across the mountains in an easterly direction, first entering a low swampy piece of ground, about three miles long, knee-deep of water, and covered with rotten ice, through which we sank more than a foot down at every step we took. Then we crossed a deep muddy creek, and entered a point of wood, principally consisting of Pine, P. balsamea, nigra alba, and Strobus, together with Thuja plicata. About eleven we entered the snow, which was four to seven feet deep, moist and soft, which, together with the fallen timber, made walking in snow-shoes very fatiguing. We camped that night on the West side of the middle branch of the Columbia. Except two species of Squirrel, we saw no animals. Sunday, the 29th, min. heat 23, max. 43. After a sound and refreshing night's rest, we started at four this morning, proceeding for six miles due East, in the course of which we made as many traverses or fordings of the river, which was two and a half to three feet deep, clear, and with a powerful current. Though the -breadth did not exceed twenty-five to fifty yards, the length of time passed in the water was considerable, for the feet can not with safety be lifted from the bottom, as if once the water gets under the soles of the feet, which should be glided along to prevent this, over goes the whole person. In very powerful currents it is necessary to pass in a body, and the one supporting the other, in an oblique direction. Then we came to a level valley, three miles broad, dry at this season, but during the summer forming an inland lake, bounded by the mountains. Our course was afterwards ​JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. 209 due east for four miles, and in this short distance we made seven fordings more. We did not require snow-shoes here, as there was a fine hard solid crust, but on coming out of the water and trotting along on the hoar-frost, we found it intensely cold, and all our clothing that was wet, immediately became cased with ice; still no inconven- ience of any consequence was sustained. About nine we entered another point of wood, where we had recourse to our snow-shoes, and finding the snow becoming quite soft towards noon, we camped for the day, having travelled fifteen miles. Panax horrida (Hook. Fl. Bor, Am. t. 98), a Dryas, and a Betula, were the only plants I had added to my catalogue ; at night a large Wolverine came to our camp to steal, for which he was shot. We saw great num- bers of Anas Canadensis, and one female of Tetrao Cana- densis. On Monday, the 30th, the heat was just the same as the day before ; our elevation was seven hundred feet above the river. The route lay through a wood and a valley precisely similar to those we had passed yesterday, and during a walk of two miles and a half we were obliged to ford the river seven times, keeping in a direct line from point to point. Four more miles, and as many times crossing the river, brought us to the termination of this platform or valley, and here the stream parts into two branches, the larger one flowing from the North, the other from due East. We crossed at the angle between the two streams, and commenced our ascent of the Big Hill. The snow being so deep, at least six feet, the markings on the trees which indicated the path were frequently hid, arid we found it no easy matter to keep the track. The steep ascent, the deep gullies, the brushwood and fallen timber, rendered walking very labourious. We encamped two miles up the hill, having gained five miles to-day. The ​210 JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. timber gradually becoming smaller, no new plants or ani- mals were added to our store. May 1st, Tuesday. This morning the thermometer stood at 2 below Zero, and the maximum heat at noon was 44 ! We continued ascending, and had the satisfaction at ten to reach the summit, where we made a short pause to rest ourselves, and then descended the eastern side of the Big Hill to a small, round, open piece of ground, through which flowed the smaller or East branch of the river, being the same as we had left yesterday at the west- ern base of the Big Hill. To the right is a small point of low stunted wood of Pinus nigra alba and Banksiana. Near this place we started at mid-day a fine male specimen of Tetra Franklinii, which I preserved with great care. Be- ing well rested by one o'clock, I set out with the view of ascending what seemed to be the highest peak on the North. Its height does not seem to be less than 16,000 or 17,000 feet above the level of the sea. After passing over the lower ridge, I came to about 1,200 feet of by far the most difficult and fatiguing walking I ever experienced, and the utmost care was required to tread safely over the crust of snow. A few mosses and lichens, Andrea? and Jungermannide, are observable, but at the elevation of 4,800 feet vegetation no longer exists; not so much as a lichen is found in a tract of 1,200 feet of eternal ice. The view from the summit is of too awful a cast to afford pleasure. Nothing can be seen, in every direction, as far as the eye can reach except mountains, towering above each other, rugged beyond all description ; while the daz- zling reflection from the snow, the heavenly azure of the solid glaciers with the rainbow tints of their shattered fragments, and the enormous icicles suspended from the perpendicular rocks, and the majestic but terrible ava- lanches hurling themselves from the more exposed south- erly rocks, produced a crash and groaned through the ​JOURNAL AND"LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. 211 distant valleys with a sound only equalled by that of an earthquake. Such scenes give a sense of the stupendous and wonderful works of the Almighty. This peak, the highest yet known in the Northern Continent of Amer- ica, I felt sincere pleasure in naming " Mount Brown," in honour of R. Brown, Esq., the illustrious Botanist, a man no less distinguished by the amiable qualities of his mind than by his scientific attainments. A little to the south- ward is one nearly of the same height rising into a sharper point; this I named "Mount Hooker," in honour of my early patron, the Professor of Botany in the University of Glasgow. This mountain, however, I was not able to climb. A species of Menziesia [?], Andromeda hypnoides, Gentiana, Lycopodium alpinum, Salix herbacea, Empetrum, Juncus biglumis, and triglumis were among the last of the phoenogamous plants which I observed. Wednesday, the 2d. At three o'clock I felt the cold so much, and the thermometer only stood at 2 below Zero, that I was obliged to rise and enliven the fire to get my- self comfortably warmed before starting. Through three hundred yards of gradually rising, open, low Pine woods we passed, and about the same distance of open ground took us to the basin of this mighty river a small circular lake, twenty yards in diameter, in the center of the valley, with a small outlet on the West end, namely, the Columbia, and another at the east end, namely, one of the branches of the Athabasca, which must itself be considered one of the tributaries of the Mackenzie Kiver. This is not the only fact of two opposite streams flowing from the same lake. This, " the Committee's Punch Bowl" is considered as being half way, and we were quite glad to know that the more labourious and arduous part of our journey was accomplished. The little stream, the Athabasca, over which we had stepped so conveniently, presently assumed a considerable size, and was dashed over cascades and ​212 JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. formed cauldrons of limestone and basalt. Seven miles below the pass, as do the tributaries of the Columbia on the western side, so the Athabasca widens into a narrow lake, and has a much greater distance than the Columbia. At this point the snow had nearly disappeared, and the temperature was greatly increased. Many of the moun- tains on the right hand are at all seasons tipped with glaciers. At ten we stopped to breakfast, fifteen miles from the ridge, where we remained for four hours. The thermometer stood at 2 below Zero this morning, and had risen to 57 at two P. M., a heat which we found dread- fully oppressive. This afternoon, having set off a little before the party, I missed my way and wandered from the path. As the sun was edging on the mountains I descried about a mile off to the East, behind a low knoll, a curling blue smoke rising from above the trees, a sign which gave me infinite pleasure. I quickened my steps and soon came up to it, when I found Jacques Cardinal, who came to the Moose Encampment, and brought with him eight horses to help us on our way. He treated me to an ex- cellent supper of mutton, the flesh of A vis montana( Geoff.), and regretted he had no spirits to offer me. Pointing to the stream, he jocularly said, "there's my barrel, and it is always running." The kind fellow also offered me a part of his hut. On the next morning, Thursday, the 3d, the whole party were brought up by Cardinal ; they had been very uneasy at my nonappearance the preceding night. We break- fasted and proceeded by the banks of the stream, I pre- ferring walking, though the ground was still soft from the recently melted snow, and strewed with timber of small size. The difference of climate and soil, with the amazing disparity in the variety and stature of the vegetation, is truly astonishing ; one would suppose it was another hem- isphere, the change is so sudden and so great. We crossed ​JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. 213 the principal branch of the Athabasca, which becomes a river seventy yards broad, when joined by the stream on the banks of which we had descended. Here it was our intention to camp for the night, but Cardinal found his horses so unexpectedly strong, that the route was con- tinued to the Rocky Mountains' House where we were to find canoes, and which we gained soon after six p. M. Several partridges were killed, but the only plant new to me this day was Anemone Nuttalliana (A. patens, Hook.), which was in full flower. The scenery here is very fine, with a small lake and open valley, commanding a sublime prospect of the mountains. Our distance to-day was thirty- four miles. On the following day (Friday) we embarked at daylight in two fine light birch canoes, and went rapidly before the stream, the banks of which are low and woody, in some places narrow, in others widening into narrow lakes full of sands and shoals. We stayed to breakfast on a small low island in the Upper Lake, where we had some mountain sheep's flesh, given us by Cardinal's hunter. Continuing our route, we passed a ridge of steep mountains on the right, and five miles lower down a similar range to the left, which are the termination of the dividing moun- tains on the East side, and arrived at Jasper House at two p. M. The minimum heat to-day had been 29, the maxi- mum 61. Saturday, the 8th. This day presented scarcely any va- riety. The river is one hundred to one hundred and forty yards wide, shallow and rapid, with low gravelly banks, wooded with Poplars and Pines. Its vicinity abounds with wild fowl, and the Northern Diver charmed us with his deep mellow melancholy voice in the evenings. Our progress was ninety-three miles. The following morning we had gained but three miles when we were detained by the ice, and here we found Mr. G. McDougall. We got on slowly, owing to a portage, where the canoes had to be ​214 JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. carried a considerable distance to a place where the main channel was clear, after which we proceeded rapidly and arrived at Assinaboyne, one hundred and eighty-four miles from Jasper House, the next day. But as this place afforded us but little food, we pushed on without delay for Lesser Slave Lake, where we hoped to meet Mr. J. Stewart, who received us there with the utmost kindness, and showed me in particular so much attention that I travelled partly with the Brigade, and latterly alone with a single guide on foot to Fort Edmonton, on the Saskatch- awan River, which I reached on Monday the 21st. On the plains I killed several Curlews, and in the woods a number, both male and female, of Tetrao Phasianellus, the Pin-tailed Grouse of Edwards, with abundance of T. Can- adensis. From May 21st to the 31st, I spent my time in exploring the country round Edmonton House, which is woody and interesting ; after which I embarked in Mr. Stewart's boat for Carlston House. This mode of travel- ling gave me little time to botanize ; I could only do so during the breakfast hour in the morning,, and just before encamping in the dusk of evening, except when a halt was made for the purpose of hunting Buffalo and Red Deer. In some parts the scenery around the river is very varied and picturesque, especially near the Red Deer and Eagle Hills. The soil is dry and light, but not unfertile, with a rich herbage, belts and clumps of wood inter- spersed, which give it a most romantic appearance. Near this place many Buffalo were killed, with a few Red Deer and Antelopes of the Plains. This latter animal has so much curiosity that he will approach within a hundred yards of the hunter, particularly if the latter wears any thing red, a colour which is sure to attract him. The Buffalo is easily killed by a skilful person. Among a va- riety of plant.s that I had not seen before were Astragalus pectinatus (Phaca pectinata, Hook..Fl. Bor. Am. v. 1, t. 54), ​JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. 215 and Drummondii (Hook. Fl. Bor. Am. v. 1, t. 57), Phlox Hoodii, Thermopsis rhombifolia (Hook. FL Bor. Am. v. 1, t. 47), Hedysarum Mackenzii, Astragalus succulentus (Bot. Reg. t. 1324), A. Caryocarpus (Bot. Reg. t. 176), and seven species of Salix. On one of these hunting excursions, Mr. F. McDonald was dreadfully injured by a wounded Buffalo Bull, which shockingly lacerated his left thigh, broke his ribs, dislocated his left wrist, and otherwise severely bruised him. These animals have a propensity not to destroy life at once, but to delight in torturing their vic- tim. On first striking the object of their vengeance, if he be stunned or feign death, there is a chance of escape, the creature meanwhile lying down beside him, and watching with a steadfast eye for the slightest motion, in which case he instantly rises and gives another blow. Poor McDon- ald was thus situated for two hours and a half, bleeding and at the point of death, and that too under cloud of night, which afforded us scarcely any opportunity of res- cuing him, for the animal lay watching within a few yards, and we were afraid to fire, lest a shot should strike our friend. By the activity of Mr. Heriot and my assistance, he was, however, saved. I bound up his wounds, and gave him all the aid that a small medicine chest and my slender knowledge of surgery would suggest. Hence we passed hastily onwards in hope of meeting Dr. Richard- son, but on our arrival found that he had gone to Cum- berland House. At Carlton House I had the pleasure of meeting with Mr. Drummond 1 of Capt. Franklin's party, who had spent the greater part of his time in exploring the Rocky Mountains contiguous to the sources of the rivers Athabasca and Columbia, where he had made a princely collection. I had intended to cross the plains from this place to Swan and Red Rivers, but the hostile JMr. Drummond's Journal of that expedition is given at page 178 of the first volume of our "Botanical Miscellany." ​216 JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. disposition of the Stone Indians rendered it unsafe. I therefore descended to Cumberland House, where I found Dr. Richardson, who kindly showed me portions of the noble collection in Natural History made during the expe- dition. This part of the country has been so well de- scribed in the former narrative of Capt. (now Sir John) Franklin, that little is left for me to say respecting it, and I shall merely notice my stages. After leaving Cumber- land House, two days took us to the Grand Rapid, the en- trance of Lake Winipeg, where we were detained by the ice. A few hours after it became rotten, sank and disap- peared, leaving an open sheet of water through which we sailed to Norway House. The shores of this lake are clothed with diminutive trees, Pinus alba, nigra, micro- carpa, Populus trepida, Betula papyracea and nigra, and sphagnous swamps of Lednm, Kalmise, and Andromeda, together with a strong herbage of various species of Carex, near the springs or pools. On the 16th we arrived at Norway House, where I found letters from England. The following day Mr. Simpson, the Resident Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, came, and I received great kind- ness from him ; and after I had spent several days at Norway House, Capt. Sir J. Franklin made his appear- ance and most politely offered me a passage in his canoe through the lake as far as the mouth of Winipeg River, on my way to Red River, which I gladly accepted. At this period, such an opportunity of saving time was most valuable, as I thus gained twelve days on the usual time required for performing the trip. Captain Franklin left me for England on the 9th of July, and on the following day I proceeded to the settlement on the Red River, which I reached on the 12th. I took up my abode with D. Mc- Kenzie, Esq., Governor of the Colony, a most kind and excellent man, who during my whole stay showed me great hospitality, and afforded me much valuable assist​JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. 217 ance. Mr. McKenzie's knowledge of the country, partic- ularly to the West of the Rocky Mountains, where he had spent many years, was particularly useful to me. I had also the pleasure to make the acquaintance of the Rev. David Jones and R. W. Cochrane, at the English Mission House, an admirable establishment, which owes much of its value to the unremitting care and zeal of these gentle- men, whose lives are devoted to the charge of the little flock over which they are called to preside. It was also a pleasure to me to become acquainted with the Rev. J. N. Provenchier, the worthy Catholic Bishop, a person of lib- eral disposition and highly cultivated mind, who lives only to be useful and good. The soil is exceedingly fer- tile, capable of bearing any kind of produce, being a deep alluvial stratum of brown loam over a gravel or limestone bottom. The settlers here live comfortably, and seem happy. The crops are liable to be attacked by grasshop- pers, but the wheat is exempted from smut and rust. Cattle thrive well, as do pigs and horses ; sheep had not then been introduced. During a month's residence here, I formed a small Herbarium of two hundred and eighty- eight species, many of them new to me, and the more in- teresting, because, if I had staid with Dr. Richardson or Mr. Drummond on the Saskatchawan, I should probably have added hardly any thing to the Flora of the country. With Mr. Hamlyn, the surgeon of the colony, I set off and had rather a tedious passage through the lake. Ar- riving at York Factory, Hudson's Bay, I was kindly re- ceived by J. G. McTavish, Esq., the Chief Factor, who had the goodness to order some travelling equipments for me, my own stock being completely worn out. Here ended my labours, and I may be allowed to. state, that when the natural difficulties of passing through a new country are taken into view, with the hostile dispo- sition of the native tribes, and the almost insuperable in​218 JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. conveniences that daily occur, I have great reason to con- sider myself a highly favoured individual. All that my feeble exertions may have effected, only stimulate me to fresh exertions. The whole of my botanical collections, with the exception of some few, were, agreeably with my anxious wishes, given for publication in the forthcoming North American Flora of Dr. Hooker. I sailed from Hudson's Bay on the 15th of September, and arrived at Portsmouth on the llth of the following month. D. DOUGLAS. EDITORIAL COMMENT BY SIR WM. J. HOOKER. Thus happily terminated Mr. Douglas' first adventurous journey in North America, a journey extending from the Pacific to the source of the Columbia River, and thence to the Atlantic Ocean. Among the many dangers to which he was exposed, was that one recorded by Mr. Drum m on d (who, with Capt. Back [Black ?] and Lieu't Kendal, was of the party), in the first volume of the Botanical Miscel- lany" (p. 216); when in a small open boat in Hudson's Bay, they encountered so dreadful a storm, and were so short of provisions, that their escape seemed little short of a miracle. Mr. Douglas in particular suffered severely, and was confined to his bed during the greater part of the voyage home. It was fortunate that he directed his scien- tific researches chiefly to the western side of the Rocky Mountains ; for, during the very time he was carrying on his investigations there, his countrymen, Dr. Richardson and Mr. Drummond, were exploring the territories to the eastward of that vast stretch of the Cordillera : the former chiefly in the Arctic regions, the latter in nearly the same parallels of latitude with Mr. Douglas ; and the result of their combined exertions has been a mass of collections that have thrown a new light on the Natural History of ​JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. 219 those interesting regions, and have supplied the materials for Dr. Richardson's inestimable works on the Quadrupeds, Birds, (in which he was assisted by Mr. Swainson), and Fishes of that country, as well as that which is preparing on the Insects by Mr. Kirby ; and of our Flora Boreali- Americana. These will constitute a lasting memorial of Mr. Douglas' zeal and abilities ; whilst not only in this country, but throughout Europe, and in the United States of America, there is scarcely a spot of ground deserving the name of a Garden, which does not owe many of its most powerful attractions to the living roots and seeds which have been sent by him to the Horticultural Society of London. 2 Dr. Lindley has favoured me with the fol- lowing list of species which have thus been introduced by him, the greater proportion of which are figured in the Botanical Register, and have now become common in our gardens. LIST OF PLANTS Introduced by Mr. Douglas in 18ZG-27. Abronia inellifera. Caprifolium hispidulum. Acer circinnatum. Castilleja coccinea. macrophyllum. Chelone nemorosa. Araelanchier florida. Clarckia elegans. Anemone Hudsoniana. gauroides. Arbutus procera. pulchella. - tomentosa. Clematis Virginiana. Astragalus succulentus. Clintonia elegans. Benthamia lycopsioides. pulchella. Berberis Aquifolium. Collomia grandiflora. glumacea. bellidifolia. Brodiaea conge&ta. gracilis. grandiflora. linearis. Calochortus macrocarpus. pinnatifida. nov. sp. Collinsia bicolor. Caprifolium Douglasii. grandiflora. ciliosum. parviflora. 2 A young friend of ours, who has lately (summer of 1836) visited Hammerfest in Norway, the most northern town in the world, in latitude 71, saw the Clarckia pulchella cultivated in pots in the windows of the apartments and very much prized. ​220 JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. Coreopsis Atkinsoniana. Lupinus lepidus. Cornus alba. leucophyllus. Cratsegus Douglasii. littoralis. Delphinium Menziesii. lucidus. Donia villosa. micranthus. Epilobium minimum. nanus. Eriogonum compositum. ornatus. nudum. polyphyllus. Eriophylluni caespitosum. - var. albex. Erythronium grandinorum. - plumosus. Eschscholtzia Californica. rivularis. Eutoca divaricata. succulentus. multiflora. tristis. viscida. Sabinianus. Gaillardia arisbata. Malva Munroana. Garrya elliptica. Mimulus Cardinalis. Gaultheria Shallon. floribundus. Geranium Carolinianum. guttatus. Gilia achillesefolia. moschatus. capitata. roseus. pungens. Nemophila insignis. splendens. Nicotiana multivalvis. tricolor. CEnothera albicaulis. Helianthus lenticularis. decumbens (pallida L.). Helonias tenax. dentata. Heuchera micrantha. lepida. Horkelia congesta. Lindleyana. Hosackia bicolor. muricata. Hyssopus urticsefolius. quadrivulnera. Ipomopsis elegans. rubricunda. Iris tenax. viminea. Lathyrus Californicus. vinosa. Lilium pudicum. Pentstemon acuminatum. Linuin Lewisii. attenuatum. Sibiricum. ' confertum. Lupinus arbustus. deustum. albifrons. diffusum. aridus. glandulosum. bicolor. gracile. densiflorus. ovatum (pruinosum). flexuosus. Richardsoni. grandiflorus. Scouleri. hirsutissimus. speciosum. laxiflorus. staticsefolium. leptophyllus. triphyllum. ​JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. 221 Phlox speciosa. Ribes petiolare. Pinus Douglasii. sanguineum. Lamberti. setosum. ponderosa. speciosum. Potentilla arachnoidea. - . tenuiflorum. arguta. viscosissimum. effusa. Rubus leucodermis. glandulosa. leucostachys. obscura. longipetalis. pectinata. Nutkanus. Prunus depressa. spectabilis. Pyrola rivularis. Scilla (Camassia) esculenta. Ribes cereum. Sida malvseflora. divaricatum. Silene inamsena. glutinosum. Spergula ramosissima. * echinatum. Spiraea Americana. irriguum. arisefolia. lacustre. Aruncus. malvaceum. Symphoria racemosa. niveum. Tanacetum boreale. Qualified, as Mr. Douglas undoubtedly was, for a trav- eller, and happy as he unquestionably found himself in surveying the wonders of Nature in its grandest scale, in conciliating the friendship (a faculty he eminently pos- sessed) of the untutored Indians, and in collecting the productions of the new countries he explored ; it was quite otherwise with him during his stay in his native land. It was, no doubt, gratifying to be welcomed by his former acquaintances, after so perilous yet so successful a journey, and to be flattered and caressed by new ones ; and this was perhaps the amount of his pleasures, which were succeeded by many, and, to his sensitive mind, griev- ous disappointments. Mr. Booth remarks, in his letter to me on this subject, "I may here observe, that his ap- pearance one morning in the autumn of 1827, at the Hor- ticultural Society's Garden, Turnham Green, was hailed by no one with more delight than myself, who chanced to be among the first to welcome him on his arrival, as I was among the last to bid him adieu on his departure. ​222 JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. His company was now courted, and unfortunately for his peace of mind he could not withstand the temptation (so natural to the human heart) of appearing as one of the Lions among the learned and scientific men in London ; to many of whom he was introduced by his friend and patron, Mr. Sabine. Flattered by their attention, and by the notoriety of his botanical discoveries, which were ex- hibited at the meetings of the Horticultural Society, or published in the leading periodicals of the day, he seemed for a time as if he had obtained the summit of his ambi- tion. But alas! when the novelty of his situation had subsided, he began to perceive that he had been pursuing a shadow instead of a reality." As some further compen- sation for his meritorious services, the Council of the Hor- ticultural Society agreed to grant him the profits which might accrue from the publication of the Journal of his Travels, in the preparation of which for the press he was offered the assistance of Mr. Sabine and Dr. Lindley; and Mr. Murray of Albemarle-Street was consulted on the sub- ject. But this proffered kindness was rejected by Mr. Douglas, and he had thoughts of preparing the Journal entirely himself. He was, however, but little suited for the undertaking, and accordingly, although he laboured at it during the time he remained in England, we regret to say, he never completed it. His temper became more sensitive than ever, and himself restless and dissatisfied ; so that his best friends could not but wish, as he himself did, that he were again occupied in the honorable task of exploring North-west America. The Hudson's Bay Com- pany, as upon the former occasion, made a most liberal offer of assistance, and it was resolved that he should go again to the Columbia River, partly at the expense of the Horticultural Society and partly with assistance of the Co- lonial Office ; for his geographical observations and the friendship of Mr. Sabine had recommended him to the ​JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. 223 brother of this latter gentleman, Capt. Sabine, who showed at all times the utmost kindness, made him known to the Colonial Office, gave him most important instructions at the Greenwich Observatory, and found in him so apt and so grateful a pupil, that a cordial friendship was estab- lished, which continued to the last. The original plan of his route was communicated to me by Mr. Douglas, in a letter bearing date LONDON, August 6, 1829. "I am sure you will be glad to know that my anticipated journey has been laid before the Council, and approved of; so that I go, God willing, on the 15th of September, by the Hudson's Bay Company's Ship Eagle. My plans must be a separate communication, but just let me say, that my principal objects are to make known the vegetable treas- ures of the Interior of California, from the northern boundaries of Mexico, near the head of the Gulf. The botanical productions of Rio Colorado and other streams, totally unknown in Europe, will, I trust, ere many years, be as familiar as those of the Columbia. The govern- ment provides me with every instrument which Capt. Sabine, as Sec- retary of the Royal Society thinks may be of use. These consist of sex- tants, chronometers, barometers, thermometers, hygrometers, com- passes of all sorts, instruments for magnetic intensity, dip of the mag- netic needle, all of which can be used with such accuracy, as will ren- der my journey, as I trust, not the journey of a commonplace tourist. " I am not quite certain, but that when I have completed my expe- dition on the Continent of America, I may cross to the opposite shore, and return in a southerly line, near the Russian frontier with China. What a glorious prospect! Thus not only the plants, but a series of observations may be produced, the work of the same individual on both Continents, with the same instruments, under similar .circum- stances and in corresponding latitudes ! I hope I do not indulge my hopes too far. I shall try to set a hundred pairs of feet and as many pairs of hands to work for me, and shall make them grub up and bring me all they can find. People tell me that Siberia is like a rat-trap, which there is no difficulty in entering, but from which it is not so easy to find egress. I mean at least to put this saying to the test. And I hope that those who know me know also that trifles will not stop me. I am glad to learn you are coming to England before I go that I may see you once more. I shall be greatly obliged if you would purchase for me a Bible, in 2 vols. 8vo., with a good bold legible type and notes of refer- ence, or more properly speaking, marginal notes. I cannot see to read small type, and have been unable to find such an one in London, but I know there is a Scotch edition of the kind which I describe. I intend ​224 JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. to procure the skulls of dogs, wolves, and bears for Scouler; but noneof men, for fear he should make a second voyage to the Northwest coast, and find mine bleached in some canoe, 'because I stole from the dead,' as my old friends on the Columbia would say." Mr. Douglas here refers to Dr. Scouler's having carried away from the Columbia River, the preserved skulls of two Chinooks, on account of the singular mode in which, by compressing the frontal bone in infancy, the heads of these people are made to assume a conical, almost sugar- loaf appearance. The indignation of the natives was much roused on this occasion, and Dr. Scouler would probably have met with very rough treatment, if he had not deferred this robbery for the sake of science to the very night pre- vious to the vessel's sailing from the Columbia River, by which he was carried out of the reach of their resentment. Extracts from two other letters, now before me, written previous to his departure, will perhaps be read with inter- est ; and if it shall appear that I have suffered any passage to come before the public which was only intended for a private communication,! trust that my motive in so doing will not be attributed to personal vanity, but to the real cause my desire to commemorate the generosity of Mr. Douglas' heart and his grateful disposition whenever any act of kindness was shown him: GREENWICH, Sept. 14, 1829. "I am exceedingly engaged in my preparations, and will soon be ready. The vessel is to sail not later than the end of this month, which delights me amazingly. I go under most comfortable circumstances, and am certainly very happy. All my instruments are ready, save the chronometer, which I hope to be in possession of in a few days, all packed and ready to be sent on board ship at an hour's notice. Noth- ing pleases me so much as the addition of 20, which has been given me by the Colonial Office; I asked for 60 to provide books, tables, and charts, and they sent 80, as also some instruments, which, though previously used by other persons, are in perfectly good order. I ought to think myself a very lucky fellow, for indeed every person seems to take more interest than another in assisting me. I possess a beautiful assortment of barometers, so constructed that, comparatively ​JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 225 speaking, there is scarcely any liability of derangement, an object of most desirable attainment in these instruments. I shall combine ob- servations accurately made with the hygrometer on different altitudes on the mountains and in different latitudes, .which will, I trust, fur- nish you with information that can be confidently relied upon, and which will effect much in illustrating the Geography of Plants. I shall take great care of Fuci. You have heard from Dr. Mertens, 3 who doubtless told you of his splendid voyage. He possesses the gigantic seaweed of which I spoke, and has named it Fucus Lutkeanus, after the captain of the vessel. I spent ten days with Captain Lutke here, and was highly pleased with him: he gave me letters to Baron Wrangell, Governor of the Russian Colonies in America, and of the Aleutian Isles, as also circulars to Siberia. The Baron is a man of vast information, and joins heart and hand with all those who have scientific views. I spent a few days with Dr. Mertens, and would gladly have accompanied him to Sheerness to see his drawings, had I the time to spare. He tells me that he found a second species of shrubby Pyrola, a more robust plant than yours. 4 The expedition did not touch lower down on the coast than Norfolk Sound, and I should conceive that most of their plants (indeed Dr. Mertens said so, for I showed him all mine) are very different from those collected either by Capt. Beechey's party or myself. Did you hear of the total wreck of the Hudson's Bay Company's ship on the sand-bar at the entrance of the Columbia River, with the loss of every individual on board, forty- six in number, on the llth of March last? It was the vessel in which Dr. Scouler and I went out in 1824, when the late captain was First- Mate. It is stated that those who escaped from the wreck were de- stroyed by my old friends, the Chenooks. This may be true, though I confess I entertain some doubts, for I have lived among those people unmolested for weeks and months. The temptation, however, of ob- taining the wreck may have overcome their better (if indeed they pos- sess any) feelings. Though this is far from agreeable news, and though the name of my new captain (Grave) may sound ominous, I shall yet venture among these tribes once again. I doubt not if 'I can do as much as most people, and perhaps more than some who make a parade about it. I shall write every day and write every thing, so that my drivelling will return home, though perhaps I may not. "I shall feel the greatest pleasure in communicating with Dr. Richardson; it will be quite a comfort to place any of my discoveries in the hands of one who will give them so creditably to the world. 3 The son of Prof. Mertens of Bremen, who accompanied Capt. Lutke, as Naturalist, in the last Russian voyage of discovery. His account of Sitka is given at vol. 3, p. 12, of the "Botanical Miscellany." 4 It proves to be the same plant, a new genus, my Tolmicea occidentalis (Fl. Bor. Am. v. 2, p. 45,) but had been, a little time previously, published by M. Bongard, under the name of Cladothamnus pyrolijlorus. ​226 JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. " It is uncertain where I may touch in my passage out, or, indeed, if at all on the Brazilian coast. I believe it is pretty certain we shall spend a month on the Sandwich Islands, where something- may, I trust, be done, both in Botany and Zoology. " I regret to hear that you are not likely to be in England this autumn; for to Scotland I cannot go, which obliges me, most reluct- antly, to sail without seeing you. In a few days I shall write to you my, for the present, last letter. I had almost forgotten to say, that I have put the last impression on your map through my hands. It is very fine, and will surely please you. The route of Franklin, Richard- son, and Drummond is marked in RED, Parry's in BLUE, and mine in YELLOW. I must have the latter tint changed to green, for. yel- low is a most sickly hue for a culler of weeds." LONDON, Oct. 27, 1829. "I received, indue course, the letter you were so kind as to ad- dress me at Greenwich, and am delighted to know that Dr. Mertens has promised to send you part of his plants, which must be a great ac- quisition. I cannot tell you how pleased I am to have seen the first Part of your Flora Boreali- Americana before sailing, and that I am enabled to take it with me to America. The map is good and will in- crease the interest of the book; had it been printed on thinner paper, I think, however, it would have been still better. The plates are truly beautiful; but I see you have not given a figure of Pceonia (P. Brownii}. The type is also good, and the notices and habitats full a point of great importance. I have been, and still am, deeply engaged, and will continue so, if I have another season to remain here, for I have much to learn, to do, and to think, as to my anticipated journey. I know it will give you satisfaction to hear that every facility in the way of instruments for such an expedition has been granted me in the handsomest manner by the Colonial Office. And further still, Mr. Hay, the Under Secretary, sent to enquire if any thing had been for- gotten, and begged me to say unhesitatingly if this were the case. The same Office also pays the principal part of my expenses, and will give me a compensation for my charts, and for the information I may bring home on my return. This is all as it ought to be I mean the latter part of the agreement ; if I had a good salary, I might fold my hands and become lazy, therefore I can feel no objection to being paid according to my labour. I hope, ere the whole of the Flora is printed, to be able to supply you with many and striking novelties. I am sen- sible of the great advantage I derive from my former experience of travelling in the country, of hunting, collecting, etc.; and certainly if I find the Indian tribes as quiet as when I left them, much good may be effected. Of this, however, I feel considerably afraid, in conse- quence of the destruction of the Hudson's Bay Company's Ship's crew, and the murder of some parties of Americans, by which I am warned ​JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. 227 to walk with great caution, and more reservedly than before. If I find the natives hostile to the 'Man of Grass' [the name by which Mr. Douglas was generally known among them], I must shift my quarters to some other part of the country. I shall take the list of my Cana- dian plants to-day to Treuttel and Wurtz's for you, and am also send- ing to Dr. Richardson a notice of the Zoology of North-west America, to be published in the last volume of his Fauna. I am hourly expect- ing the summons to sail, and am not aware that we shall touch at any place, except the Sandwich Islands, where it is intended to make a short stay. By every opportunity, it will be my sincere pleasure to write to you, and tell you of my progress and plans; and I cannot ex- press the delight which I always feel in hearing from you, more es- pecially when I am separated from you by seas and distant lands, and yet busily employed in gathering and sending you the plants of those regions. I therefore entreat that, if it be only a few lines, you will do me the favour to write, or cause your sons to do so. It is not likely my time will permit me to address you again before sailing, let me therefore repeat once more how sincerely I feel myself indebted to you, not for much, but for all that I possess ; and that the many fa- vours and kind attentions I have always received from you command my warmest gratitude."