Vol. xvnn Elliot, In Memoriami Elliott Coues. Q 



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tent to fulfill this duty. The first of these works was that of the 

 Expedition of Lewis and Clarke which appeared in 1893, followed 

 in 1895 by the Expedition of Zebulon M. Pike. In 1897 came 

 the Henry & Thompson Journals, in 1898 appeared the Fowler 

 Journal and the Narrative of Charles Larpentuer, forty years a 

 Fur Trader on the Upper Missouri ; and during this year The 

 Diary of Francisco Garces, on the trail of a Spanish Pioneer, in 

 all 15 volumes. All of these books bear the impress of his most 

 conscientious care and wonderful minuteness of annotation, and 

 it is to Coues more than to any other, that the original sources of 

 the early explorations of the western portion of our country, 

 beyond the Mississippi, are preserved. 



It was during an arduous journey in New Mexico and Arizona 

 in the summer of 1899, undertaken, as he wrote me, as a " still 

 hunt for old Spanish MSS." and to refresh his memory of the 

 country described by Francisco Garces, and render still more 

 effective his editing of the Diary in his possession that Coues's 

 splendid physique and robust health that for so long seemed to 

 defy fatigue and exposure gave way, and he was brought to Santa 

 Fe in a rather critical condition, where for a month he was very 

 ill, but in September he came to Chicago. He seemed to be get- 

 ting better and at my last interview with him, during which his 

 condition was freely discussed, although he fully appreciated the 

 gravity of his case, yet he expressed the hope, and perhaps he 

 thought it was clearly among the possibilities, that he might be 

 present at the last meeting of this Society in Philadelphia. Re- 

 garding him, as I then did, as in a critical condition I could not 

 share this hope, although I encouraged him in his belief, or what 

 seemed to be his belief, for Coues had been too long a skilled 

 medical practitioner to try and deceive himself, but from his refer- 

 ences to his attendant physician it was clearly apparent that he 

 preferred to advance the opinion of his medical adviser, of whom he 

 spoke in the highest terms, rather than any of his own. He was 

 greatly changed in appearance, but the old fire and enthusiasm, 

 that I had so often admired and not infrequently contended with 

 in friendly conflict during so many years, was not a whit abated, 

 and he spoke with all his old time interest of the work he had 

 himself in view and of that of others. But the voice was feeble 



