FBEFACE. xiii 



all varieties and extremes of climate, and always finding 

 himself at home and happy, whether in the cities or the 

 deserts, in traversing the plains or climbing the moun- 

 tains of distant lands. From New York, to which he went 

 in 1849, after having for some months led a forest life 

 among its Indian tribes, he proceeded to St. Joseph, on 

 the Missouri, thence over the Eocky Mountains to the coast 

 of Oregon and Fort Vancouver, and from the latter to 

 the Sandwich or Hawaiian Islands. This was his first 

 unbroken journey. Four yeai^s were then spent in explor- 

 ing every part of these interesting islands in company with 

 a French gentleman, M. Jules Eeray, a naturalist, whose 

 acquaintance he was so fortunate as to make there, and 

 who, it turned out, was to be his companion in the greater 

 part of his future travels. At the end of this period Mr; 

 Brenchley, following his friend, sailed for Cahfornia, and, 

 after reaching San Francisco, undertook, accompanied by 

 M. Eemy, his remarkable and adventiu-ous journey from 

 tliat place to Salt Lake City, the capital of the Mormons. 

 This was in 1855. On their way back to San Francisco 

 they went to New Mexico, and, returning to California, ex- 

 plored every part of it. Next year they went to Panama and 

 Ecuador, and ascended Pichincha, down the crater of which 

 Mr. Brenchley, having slipped in his descent, was carried to 

 a formidable depth, from which, with the utmost difficulty, 

 by sheer determination and strength, he finally succeeded 

 in regaining the summit. The next excursion was up 

 Chimborazo ; after which they visited Peru, Chinchas 



