J OF NORTH-WEST AMERICA, 129 
and time that must have been expended in transporting such a 
large party across the Cascades, to ascend the Columbia River in 
wder to get to the eastward of those mountains. This was done 
in steamers as far as the Dalles. Here the party divided, one 
portion proceeding up the west side of the river, in a northerly 
direction, by Fort Simcoe, across the Natchess and other tributaries 
of the Yakima, and across the Upper Yakima River, striking the 
Columbia again a little below the Wenatchee ; from this the trail 
ran along (still northwards) near the Columbia until it reached the 
Okanagan valley, up which it led to the Lake Osoyoos. Here 
the party struck off to the north-west up the Similkameen valley, 
and on arriving at the Ashtnolo, a mountain-torrent, ascended the 
ravine through which it runs, and taking the tributary which led 
most directly to the southward, got close to the 49th parallel, in 
long. 120° W. The station here was 5480 feet above the sea, and 
about 2020 feet below the mountain-summits, the access to which 
was easy. From this point a party proceeded westward to Roche 
River, thus connecting the Survey with that of the preceding year 
from the west side of the Cascades. 
The route from the Dalles which has just been mentioned, and 
along which collections were made, crosses several spurs of the 
Cascades, and the rivers named below the Okanagan have their 
sources in those mountains, and a short course from thence to the 
Columbia. 
Returning to the Dalles: the other branch of the party kept on 
the left bank ofthe Columbia, from the Dalles to Walla Walla, and 
from thence proceeded northwards to the Snake River, which was 
crossed where it receives the Peloose. From that they went by 
the * Big Lake’ nearly due north to Colville, on the banks of the 
Columbia River. 
Nearly the whole of this route was over an arid, comparatively 
barren and treeless region. Collections were here made at differ- 
ent points by Sapper Buttle. 
In the summer of 1861 the line of country in which botanical 
collections were made ran southwards up the Colville valley, and 
then through a partially wooded country to the Spokan valley, a 
great part of which is destitute of trees, and partakes somewhat, 
in its productions, of the character of the barren grounds of the 
Columbia. Proceeding in a north-easterly direction, the trail 
next leads to the Pend Oreille River, which is here densely wooded 
on both sides, but has, in some places, between the forest and the 
river, pretty extensive meadow-grounds, which, in Funes at the 
M 
