Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 15.djvu/228



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF DAVID THOMPSON

In the year 1897 Francis P. Harper of New York published in three volumes "The Manuscript Journals of Alexander Hen- ry and of David Thompson," edited by the late Dr. Elliott Coues, who had previously edited the Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition for this same publisher, 1893 edition. On page twenty-three of the Editor's Preface to the Henry and Thompson Journals, Dr. Coues refers to a manuscript writ- ten by David Thompson late in life in the form of a "summary autobiography," and which had passed into the hands of Mr. J. B. Tyrrell, of Toronto. This manuscript has since been loaned by Mr. Tyrrell to the Champlain Society, of Toronto, and is now being published by that Society. Mr. T. C. Elliott, of the Oregon Historical Society, has prepared annotations for that portion of the MSS. relating to the Columbia river and its tributaries, the Kootenay and Pend d'Oreille ; and Mr. Tyrrell has prepared the preface and annotations for the greater part which deals with the rivers of Canada draining into Hudson's Bay, over many of which he has personally / traveled in the practice of his profession. He has also had access to the original survey notes of Mr. Thompson, of which a portion have been printed in the earlier numbers of this volume of this Quarterly. When issued this volume (or volumes) will be a valuable addition to the bibliography of the Columbia river, but unfortunately will be available only through the member- ship of the Champlain Society, which membership includes the larger libraries of the United States. The publication is de- layed by the European war that now prevails. T. C. E.