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empty and all devils are here!" Düring the month I am here t a letter arrived 

 from northern Oregon for Mr. McDonald from an officer of the Company telling him 

 that the Indians killed two of his messengers he had sent out the same day and ate 

 them— supposedly not by the men, but by the womenl — Murder and suicide are quite 

 common among them ... It is certain that the Coming of the white men made them so 

 horrible. Officer Ogden who has been in this area for 36 years is now taking a 

 year's vacation in the United States to visit his friends and at the same time is 

 taking with him two manuscripts which show the Oregon as it really is. I am now 

 his roommate and he has read to me great parts of it. Other gentlemen of the Co. 

 are also busy with literary works; they have a library at Vancouver and the books 

 are circulating constantly; we have now Lyells geolagy and the Asiat ic Journal. 



It is a different life than in the fort of the American Cp.? 



The entire area has been exploited by botanists except the territory of the 

 Skitwich Indians which I left last December and where I shall go again day after 

 tomorrow to collect there. Mr. McDonald is writing to Hooker concerning a new 

 species of Melocactus which Douglas found near Fort Wallawalla and only left a 

 description of it; I shall try to find this. It is supposed to be one foot high and 

 to have a diameter of 2/3 foot. I shall also like to have the Lewisia rediviva of 

 which I already have seeds, it will bloom soon. I have yet to see any Carex this 

 spring. ^ or 5 species of grasses are all that can be found on the meadows. A 

 shrub-like Penstemon grows on the mountains at the Columbia with the fruits from 

 last yeari Did not see any anemone. One sp. of Viola similar to the smallest V. 

 cucull. ... Transportation over these mountains is not easy and rather expensive, 

 I almost don't know how to do it. The devil can have science without money, but 



something has to be done. 



I should like to send my collection to St. Louis, but it seems impossible. One 

 does not dö these things beforehand. The best field for botany is Fort Laramie in Platte 

 and from there to the Black Mountains and to the Missouri and that is probably what 

 Hooker meant. There is an entirely new field in the Spanish areas. Taos and the 

 territories of Estavos (?) and Pojontas (?), all easy to reach from Laramie, but 

 dangerous. As everybody eise, I was disappointed in Oregon, its vegation is pecul- 

 iarly monotonous. All I can do is to collect the best in masses, I am convinced I 

 have more new things from the level part, but cannot say so for certain. I intend 

 to make the best of the journey and at the same time go home. I am very worried 

 about my debts which I left behind me in St. Louis, especially Kimms and Küchenthals, 

 but hope that you already made plans to seil, also help for me should have arrived 

 from home in the meantime. Please let me know everything in your letter and teil 



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