ON THE COLUMBIA RIVER. 
two boats and a party of fourteen men, was 
proceeding up the river to a new settlement, 
called Fort Colville, near the Kettle Falls, 
ninety miles further on. The whole dis- 
ce is mountainous and rugged, be- 
coming increasingly so as we approach 
the territory of the Rocky Mountains. 
Many kinds of Pine are seen on the banks, 
three species particularly,—P. resinosa, 
a Pinus, very similar to P. taxifolia of the 
coast, and P. Lariz, the latter more nu- 
merous than the others, and attaining a 
great size: I measured some thirty feet in 
circumference; and several which had been 
levelled to the ground by the late storms, 
were one hundred and forty-five feet long, 
with wood perfectly clean and strong. A 
thick sward of grass covered the ground, 
interspersed with shrubs which at this early 
season it was impossible to determine. The 
hills are still partially clothed with snow, 
and while the days are warm, the cold is 
Severe at night. The greatest elevation of 
the thermometer was 65°, and its minimum 
28°, during the twenty-four hours; a strik- 
Ing difference! During this voyage we 
met with several parts of the river where 
the Rapids obliged us to make long and 
diffi portages, sometimes three in a day. 
We generally started very early, breakfast- 
ing a little before noon, and continued our 
Progress till dark, about seven o'clock, 
when we camped for the night, and found 
our suppers of salmon and dried buffalo- 
meat highly acceptable. 
Saturday the 22nd. Arrived this night 
at the Kettle Falls, where the whole stream 
15 precipitated over a perpendicular ledge, 
twenty-four feet high, besides several 
smaller cascades, which shiver the water 
into the most picturesque snowy flakes and 
foam for the distance of one hundred and 
a9 yards, where a small oval rocky island, 
Studded with a few shrubs and trees, sepa- 
Tates the channel in two, 
__ Here I spent between a fortnight and 
three weeks, making short daily excursions, 
during Which I obtained some interesting 
— od killed several birds that I had 
B cela Seen in the country. Among 
~~ was a pretty black species of Par- 
109 
tridge, which at this season was not at all 
shy, and of which I secured three speci- 
mens; a small Pheasant and a Curlew, 
apparently quite distinct from the Euro- 
pean species, being never seen near marshy 
places, but abundant in dry ground, where 
it lays its egg on the bare soil. The plants 
that pleased me best, were Erythronium 
grandiflorum of Pursh (Bot. Reg. t. 1786), 
which is extremely beautiful, especially 
when seen growing, as is commonly the 
case, with the Dodecatheon mentioned be- 
fore, and with a small species of Pulmona- 
ria; also Claytonia lanceolata, of which 
the roots, though insipid, are eaten by the 
poor Indians, both raw and roasted; two 
species of Rosa, and a lovely evergreen 
shrub, probably a Clethra,! which is abun- 
dant in the woods here, and I trust may 
yet be equally so in the shrubberies of 
Britain. 
Tuesday, May 9th. Having apparently 
exhausted all the objects of interest which 
the very early season of the year afforded 
in this vicinity, I quitted the Kettle Falls 
of the Columbia, and taking two horses 
loaded with my provisions, which consisted 
of dried buffalo meat, tea, and a little su- 
gar,'and with my blanket and paper (by 
the aid of these animals also hoping to get 
an occasional lift over the worst places of 
my route) I set out across the mountains, 
for the abandoned Establishment at Spo- 
kan, distant about one hundred and ten 
miles. My object was to see Mr. Jacques 
Raphael Finlay, a Canadian Sauteur, now 
resident there, who is possessed of exten- 
sive information as to the nature of the 
country, its animals, vegetable productions, 
&c. To him Mr. Dease kindly gave me a 
note of recommendation, and I had for my 
guides his two young sons. The melting 
of the snow, which swelled the mountain 
rivulets into angry torrents, rendered our 
way difficult and circuitous ; often the mea- 
dows were so overflowed that the ground 
would not bear the horses, which became 
much fatigued by their exertions and fre- 
quent falls among the rocks. After travel- 
ling about twenty-seven miles, we camped 
I N, K' LaL 
INO Pr 
