DAVID DOUGLAS. I 39 



" After this misfortune in June, I endeavoured as far as possible 

 to repair my losses, and set to work again, and I hope some 

 good new species were obtained for the Flora Boreali- Americana, 

 which I am very anxious should reach you without delay. It is 

 more than probable that I may have the pleasure of presenting 

 these to you myself, say in March next, as it is my intention to 

 return to England by the very first opportunity ; and I hope this 

 small collection may give you some satisfaction, as it is all I can 

 offer you from North-west America. It reconciles me somewhat 

 to the loss, to reflect that you now have friends in that country 

 who will probably make up the deficiency. I have given 

 Dr Gairdner my notes on some more new species of Piiius. 

 This gentleman and Mr Tolmie will have a good deal to contend 

 with. Science has few friends among those who visit the coast 

 of North-west America solely with a view to gain. Still with 

 such a person as Mr M'Loughlin on the Columbia they may do 

 a great deal of service to natural history. 



" I sailed from the Columbia in November last, in the Hudson 

 Bay Company's vessel, which visited these islands, touching on 

 the way at San Francisco, where I made a short stay, but did 

 nothing in the way of botany. I arrived here on 23rd December, 

 and after spending Christmas Day with two English ladies, the 

 wife of our consul, Mr Charlton, and her sister, I started on the 

 27th for the island of Hawaii, which I reached on 2nd January 

 1834. You knew I have long had this tour in contemplation, 

 and having spent three winter months in botanizing here, I 

 proceed to give you a short notice of my proceedings. 



"The view of this most interesting island from the sea is 

 sublime indeed, combining the grand, sweet and beautiful in a 

 most remarkable degree. For 2500 feet above the level of the 

 sea, the banana, sugar-cane* coffee, pandanus, bread-fruit, etc., 

 grow in the greatest perfection. Then comes a thickly timbered 

 country as high as 8000 feet, and for 3700 feet more a space 

 covered with short verdure ; after which the reign of flora 

 terminates. I made a journey to the summit of Mouna Kaah 

 which occupied fourteen days and found it only 13,851 English 

 feet above the sea ; a height, you may observe, much less than 

 has been ascribed to this mountain by early travellers. In this 

 expedition I amassed a most splendid collection of plants, 

 principally ferns and mosses; many, I do assure you, truly 

 beautiful and worthy to range with the gigantic species collected 



