458 ARCTIC VOYAGES. Chap. XI. 



to accompany the Columbia brigade on its arrival. 

 He reached the portage on the 9th of October, and 

 the following day brought him an order from Cap- 

 tain Franklin to descend in the spring of 1827, to 

 rejoin the expedition on its way to York Factory 

 He therefore went with the brigade merely to the 

 west end of the portage, and returned on the 1st of 

 November. The snow was too deep to permit him 

 to add much to his collections in this hasty trip over 

 the mountains ; " but it was impossible," he says, 

 " to avoid remarking the great superiority of climate 

 on the western side of that lofty range. From the 

 instant the descent towards the Pacific commences, 

 there is a visible improvement in the growth of 

 timber, and the variety of forest-trees greatly in- 

 creases. The few mosses that I gleaned in the 

 excursion were so fine, that I could not but deeply 

 regret that I was unable to pass a season or two in 

 that interesting region." 



Another despatch was received from Dr. Richard- 

 son, requesting him to join him at Carlton House, 

 in April ; which he accordingly reached on the 5th 

 April. " We suffered much from snow-blindness on 

 the march, the dogs failed from want of food, we had 

 to carry the baggage on our backs, and had nothing 

 to eat for seven days." All this is told with the 

 greatest placidity. He seems only to regret that 

 he had done so little. Yet this modest naturalist 

 sa y S) — « My collections on the mountains amounted 



