NISQUALLY AND COLUMBIA RIVER. 307 



I also visited Dr. Richmond, who had been settled here for some 

 months, and occupies a nice log house, built on the borders of one of 

 the beautiful prairies. Here I found Mrs. Richmond and Mrs. Wilson, 

 with four fine, rosy, and fat children, whose appearance spoke volumes 

 for the health of the climate. This mission has but recently been 

 established : so far as respects its prospects, they are not very flattering. 

 I shall have occasion hereafter to allude to the operations of the 

 missions, and shall therefore defer any farther remarks at present. The 

 location of the mission-house, on the borders of an extensive and beau- 

 tiful prarrie, can scarcely be surpassed, and would be admirably 

 adapted for a large settlement, if the soil was in any respect equal to 

 its appearance. This is composed of a light-brown earth, intermixed 

 with a large proportion of gravel and stones : it requires an abundance 

 of rain to bring any crop to perfection, and this rarely falls during the 

 summer months. At the season when we arrived, nothing could be 

 more beautiful, or to appearance more luxuriant than the plains, which 

 were covered with flowers of every colour and kind : among these were 

 to be seen Ranunculus, Scilla, Lupines, Collinsia, and Balsamoriza (a 

 small sunflower peculiar to Oregon) ; but the soil is quite thin, and 

 barely sufficient for these in many places. The best land occurs where 

 the prairies are intersected or broken by belts of woods, that have a 

 dense undergrowth, consisting of Hazel, Spiraea, Cornus, and Prunus. 

 On the borders of these belts are scattered oaks and some ash, arbutus, 

 birch, and poplars, and in some places the yew is to be found ; but the 

 predominant character of the vegetation is of the tribe of Coniferae, 

 which seem to occupy large ranges of the country, and among which 

 the cedar is found to attain a large size. 



In connexion with the Company's establishment at Nisqually, they 

 have a large dairy, several hundred head of cattle, and among them 

 seventy milch cows, which yield a large supply of butter and cheese : 

 they have also large crops of wheat, peas, and oats, and were preparing 

 the ground for potatoes. These operations are conducted by a farmer 

 and dairyman, brought from England expressly to superintend these 

 affairs. A few Indians are engaged in attending the flocks, and the 

 Company's servants are almost exclusively employed as labourers. 



I have mentioned these agricultural establishments as connected 

 with the Hudson Bay Company, and they are in reality so ; but as 

 their charter precludes their engaging in these operations, another 

 company has been organized, under the title of the " Puget Sound 

 Company," the shares of which are held by the officers, agents, and 

 servants of the Hudson Bay Company, and its officers are exclusively 

 chosen from among them. Dr. M'Laughlin, for instance, chief officei 



