Northwest, Dr. Cooper's attention was directly called to 

 the correspondence between the forest distribution and 

 climatic influences, which largely determined the envir- 

 onment. The result of this study was communicated to 

 the public through the Smithsonian Institute, and was 

 the first systematic statement regarding the forest growth 

 that was issued by the Government. 



While Dr. Cooper can not be regarded as a profession- 

 al meteorologist, yet the reductions of the observations of 

 this survey are models, and these observations had a pro- 

 found influence on his future work. The survey was 

 disbanded April i, 1854, and McClellan ordered our 

 friend to report to Gov. Stevens at Fort Vancouver. His 

 specimens were transmitted to Prof. Baird at Washing- 

 ton, to which place he soon went for the purpose of pre- 

 paring his report. Returning to the coast he spent the 

 entire year of 1855 in collecting specimens of natural his- 

 tory, and it was at this time that his attention was so 

 strongly fixed upon that line of thought in which proba- 

 bly he is best known that of Conchology. His report 

 on the ornithology ol the survey has become a model, 

 and is marked by deep, searching and comprehensive 

 observations. Dr. Suckley was a joint author with 

 Cooper, and reported on a separate section. 



Late in the fall of 1855 Dr. Cooper went up the coast to 

 Gray's Harbor, joining the Indian Treaty Commission 

 under Gov. Stevens, intending to accompany the Gov- 

 ernor to the Blackfoot Council at Fort Benton, but in this 



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