BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 175 
Previous to his setting out on this expedition, Mr. Douglas 
had spent many months in California, and transmitted to the 
Horticultural Society an inestimable collection of dried speci- 
mens and roots and seeds, of which the larger portion was 
obtained near Monterrey. In an opposite direction also, 
namely on the north side of the Columbia, keeping near the 
coast, he had visited New Georgia. The district of the 
Columbia too and other of the vast possessions of the Hud- 
son's Bay Company, may be expected to be more thoroughly 
known, from the liberality of the Company just mentioned, 
who have appointed two medical gentlemen, Dr. Meredith 
Gairdner and Mr. Tolmie, well versed in Natural History, 
to reside in that country. They embarked in August, 1832, 
and the news of their arrival is anxiously expected by 
their friends.* In the south-west of N. America, again, 
Dr. Coulter, a most indefatigable and accomplished Botanist, ' 
has spent many months. He joined Mr. Douglas at Mon- 
terrey, and afterwards proceeded south to the Rio Colorado, 
at the head of the Gulf of California, in lat. 349 N.; and 
when our informant left California, Dr. Coulter was prepar- 
ing to ascend that river. If he should proceed to Santa Fé, 
in New Mexico, as was probable, it would not surprise us 
were he to meet Mr. Drummond there. 
In South America, William Jameson, Esq., Professor of 
Chemistry and Natural History in the University of Quito, 
and Colonel Hall of the same place, have collected many 
* While this sheet is in the press we have the pleasure of being able to 
say, that by letters, now received (March, 1834) from Dr. Gairdner, we 
learn that they had a safe but long passage of eight months duration, to 
Fort Vancouver on the Columbia. Mr. Tolmie was stationed at Nusqually 
House, a new station of the Hudson's Bay Company, at the head of 
Puget Sound, a spot that has scarcely been visited by any Botanist since 
the voyage of Captain Vancouver. Mr. Douglas had just returned from 
a four months' tour into New Caledonia, but he had lost his collections by 
having made shipwreck in Fraser's River. 
