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Productive as was the first mission of Mr. Douglas to the western shores of North America, the second was undertaken under far more favourable auspices. He had acquired knowledge of the most valuable kind—that gained by experience, and often, as has been seen in the preceding part of the memoir, by dear-bought experience:—he was well acquainted with the language and customs of the various tribes of people on the Columbia and its tributaries; and, in addition to his familiarity with the several branches of Natural History, he had profited so much by the able instructions of Capt. Sabine, that he could not fail to make observations in other departments of Science, especially such as should bear upon magnetic and atmospheric phenomena, and on the Geography of the countries he would visit. Hence it was that the Colonial Office, at the suggestion of Capt. Sabine, supplied him with an excellent set of instruments, and I may here remark that the result of these investigations, communicated to the Colonial Office from time to time, as well as to Capt. Sabine, has been duly appreciated by the latter