138 
COLUMBIA RIVER. 
blishments have been placed in many of the best positions for farming 
operations. The utmost economy is practised in every part of the 
establishment of the Hudson Bay Company, and great exertions are 
made to push their operations over a larger field of action. Mercan¬ 
tile houses, supported by the credit and capital of the Company, have 
even been established at the Sandwich Islands and San Francisco, 
where articles of every description imported in the vessels of the 
Company may be purchased. 
The value of all the furs obtained on this coast does not exceed 
forty thousand pounds annually; and when the cost of keeping up 
their posts, and a marine composed of four ships and a steamer, is 
taken into account, and allowances made for losses, interest, and insu¬ 
rance, little surplus can be left for* distribution. I am, indeed, per¬ 
suaded, that the proceeds of their business will not long exceed their 
expenses, even if they do so at present. The statement of the Com¬ 
pany’s affairs presents no criterion by which to judge of the success 
of their business on the Northwest Coast. I learned that it was 
the general impression among the officers, that such has been the 
falling off in the trade, that it does not now much more than pay 
expenses. 
On my first visit to Vancouver, Dr. M’Laughlin was kind enough 
to offer to keep a meteorological diary for me, during my stay on the 
coast, that I might have the means of comparison. They had formerly 
been in the habit of noting the changes that occurred, and for many 
years had kept a journal; but this had been for some years omitted. 
The task would be but trifling in such a well-regulated establishment, 
and it is surprising that it should not have claimed more attention. 
The night observations seem to be the principal difficulty. In the 
register kept during our stay, the instruments were only noted in the 
daytime, and the record is not available for the mean temperature of 
the twenty-four hours; but as it may serve to show the state of the 
weather, during the summer months, at Vancouver, I will give an ab¬ 
stract from it. The barometer and thermometer were both compared 
■with our standard, and found nearly to coincide. 
1 
MONTHS. 
6 A. M. 
2 P. M. 
6 P. M. 
BAROM. 
THERMOM. 
BAROM. 
THERMOM. 
BAROM. 
THERMOM. 
June . . . 
30-71 in. 
51° 
30-27 in. 
63° 
30-30 in. 
62° 
July. . . . 
30-40 
61 
30-36 
87 
30-37 
72 
August. . . 
30-28 
60 
30-27 
86 
30-29 
70 
September . . 
30-28 
53 
30-25 
78 
30-30 
58 
