Page:Letters to Mrs. F. F. Victor, 1878-83.djvu/17

 reached home with this, what would have been the conse quences?

This gentleman was the subject of some lectures in Olympia some years ago by the Revd Mr Somerville of Victoria-Lectures about an early Scottish here. I remember he set out to ascend Mt Hood, but his staff of life unlike the widows cruize failing, or from some other cause he returned without doing the mountain. Is it not singular that he could travel in security? He was always accompanied by Wm Johnson a servant, an old man-o' war's man whom I saw settled in '36 where Portland now stands-this man moved near Oregon City & in '45 used to manufacture the blue ruin (from Molasses) that used to add so much to the hilarity of the Modeste's and the Company servants at that time.... It is strange that without police or military the good order we had could be maintained. It was perhaps owing partly to the diverse people, Canadians, West Highlanders from the Lewis Islands (the Hebrides) Orkenny men, Irequoise, Half breeds S I Islanders &c-partly to there being no liquor & partly to the good management of the Companys Officers. They never used bad or ribald language & neither Dr Mc Loughlin or Douglas seemed to forget themselves for one moment.

Dr. [Meredith] Gairdner & Dr Tolmie came out as surgeons in the service by the Barque "Ganymede" in '33 both promis ing scientific young men-their patron was Sir Wm Hooker. Gairdner had been studying under Exrenbergh, the infusoria man. That study was popular at that time. One of our Salmon bears the name of Gairdner-he was taken with hemmorage of the lungs- he himself opened a vein in both arms to relief the pressure & called to me to bind up in case Wm McKay, then a boy, now Dr McKay, should get frightened. He shortly after went to the interior for health & re turned had a relapse-then went to the Islands where he died. Tolmie after being a factor retired & now lives a respect ed citizen at Victoria. J. K. Townsend Botanist from Philadelphia & Mr [Thomas] Nuttall came in '34. The first was our surgeon this the winter I think of 36. He was given this birth to make him more at ease at the establishment. He was