12g COLUMBIA RIVER. 



being seven hundred and ten feet high, and quite isolated. The 

 canoes used by the Indians as coffins are seen upon it in every direc- 

 tion, in all stages of decay. They are supported between trees, at the 

 height of four or five feet above the ground, and about them are hung 

 the utensils that had belonged to the deceased, or that had been 

 offered as tokens of respect. 



I remained the whole day on the top of this mount, and obtained 

 a full set of observations ; the weather being remarkably clear and 

 beautiful. Here my boat's crew carelessly omitted to extinguish 

 the fire they had used for cooking our dinner, and as we were pulling 

 off to the brig, I regretted to see that the fire had spread, and was en- 

 veloping the whole area of the mount ; but there was no help for it. 

 The fire continued to rage throughout the night, until all was burnt. 

 I took the earliest opportunity of explaining to the Indians who were 

 in the neighbourhood, that the fire was accidental ; and, after receiving 

 a few small presents, they appeared satisfied that it was so. But a few- 

 years earlier, the consequence of such carelessness would have been 

 a hostile attack, that might have involved us in difficulty of no 

 ordinary kind. We had a minor punishment to undergo, for the 

 smoke was so great that it enveloped all the signals towards the 

 mouth of the river, and made it necessary for me to anchor within 

 sight of Mount Coffin till the next morning. 



Before reaching the mouth of the Willamette, better known here as 

 the Wapautoo Branch, a long flat extends across the river, where we 

 were again unfortunately detained a few hours, by getting aground. 

 Warrior's Point, the locality where Mr. Wyeth proposed to erect 

 his great city of the west, was passed ; and on the 28th, at sun- 

 set, we anchored off Vancouver. Here we found that Sir George 

 Simpson had arrived over-land from Canada, on a tour of inspection, 

 and on his way to visit the Russian settlement at Sitka. The next 

 morning we had a visit from him, accompanied by Dr. M'Laughlin, 

 Mr. Douglass, Mr. Rowan, and Mr. Von Freeman, of the Russian 

 Company. 



Sir George Simpson left England the preceding month of March, 

 and was to return thither by way of Kamtschatka: a journey which 

 he hoped to perform in less than two years. He had seen much 

 service while acting as an officer of the Hudson Bay Company, 

 from which he has retired, and in which he now holds no share. 

 Since his retirement, he is employed by the stockholders of the Com- 



