Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 5.djvu/255

Rh long find a place in the fruit garden as well the ornamental border. I also gathered. among other curious plants, a noble species of Arbutus, A. porcera (Bot. Reg. t. 1753). We had abundance of excellent salmon, brought to us by the native tribes, which they sold very cheap. I returned to Fort Vancouver at the end of the month, having increased my collection of plants by seventy-five species, and also killed four quadrupeds and a few birds.

Till the 20th of June, I employed myself in the vicinity of Fort Vancouver in procuring seeds of early flowering plants, and collecting various objects of natural history, when I availed myself of the departure of the boats for the inland establishments, to accompany them as far as seemed advisable. Starting from the mouth of the river at 8 o'clock in the morning, in a small boat with one Canadian and five Indians, we proceeded about forty miles that day. The current was strong, owing to the melting of the snow on the mountains, and when we came to open parts of the banks, unobstructed by timber or rocks, I botanized as we went along. We supped on roasted sturgeon and bread, with a basin of tea, and slept in the boat which we dragged on shore. The next day we passed the Grand Rapids, forty-six miles above the Fort: the scenery at this place is wild and romantic, with high mountains on each side, clothed with timber of immense size. The Rapid is formed by the river passing through a narrow channel, 170 yards wide; the channel is rocky, obstructed by large stones and small islands, with a fall of 147 feet, the whole rapid being about two miles long. In many places the hanks rise perpendicular to a height of several hundred feet, over which are some line water falls; the rooks are chiefly secondary, sandstone, limestone, and blue granite. Whole petrified trees are visible clone to the water's edge, both of Pine and Acer Macrophyllum.

This being the season of salmon fishing. I had opportunities of seeing prodigious numbers taken simply with a small hoop or a scoop-net, fastened to the end of a pole. The fish are of excellent quality and average about fifteen pounds