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 NISQUALLY AND COLUMBIA RIVER. 309 



understand that in 1842 some of the settlers fed their horses upon their 

 finest wheat. 



The scenery around Nisqually is very much enhanced in beauty by 

 the splendid appearance of Mount Rainier, which lies nearly east of it ; 

 and from some of the open prairies there are three of these magnificent 

 snowy peaks in sight. They are all nearly regular cones, with cleft 

 tops, as though they had a terminal crater on their summit. I was 

 exceedingly anxious to make the ascent of one of these, Mount Hood ; 

 but owing to the non-arrival and loss of the Peacock, I found it impos- 

 sible to do so. 



On the 13th May, Mr. Anderson was kind enough to present me 

 with two bullocks for the crews, and a quantity of vegetables, for 

 which we felt ourselves much indebted. A large supply of milk was 

 also sent to us daily from the dairy, and many other little kindnesses 

 and attentions were manifested. 



To return Captain M'Niel's visit, I went on board the steamer, 

 which is called the Beaver. She is of one hundred and twenty tons 

 burden, and fitted with a low-pressure engine, similar to those in use 

 in the English boats. She was now very much out of repair, having 

 been some years on this station. Her employment was to ply between 

 the northern posts with supplies, and bring back the returns of the 

 season's trade ; at the same time trading at the different points with 

 the Indians. Captain M'Niel is a native of Boston, and was exten- 

 sively engaged in the northwest trade. He proved to be a serious 

 competitor with the Hudson Bay Company in their business, and was 

 in consequence bought off. He is now a trader in the Company's 

 service, owning stock, and receiving a share of the dividends ; to 

 qualify him for which, it became necessary for him to become a natu- 

 ralized British subject. 



The steamer is ill adapted to the services on which she is employed, 

 for she consumes a large quantity of fuel, and has not sufficient capa- 

 city to carry as much as is necessary for her entire voyage. She is 

 therefore obliged to stop at intermediate places to obtain a supply of 

 wood, which must be cut by her own crew. She is fitted with a 

 suitable armament, barricades, and boarding-nettings, which are 

 deemed very essential on the northern coast, where the savage tribes 

 are both hostile and numerous. 



On the 17th, the boats left the ship under Lieutenant Case, Messrs. 

 Totten, Colvocoressis, and May. I had by this time succeeded in 

 establishing the observatory, and had ordered a log house to be built 

 to perform the pendulum experiments, and another for the purposes 

 of drawing, &c. These I purposed to use on my return from the 



