Botcmical Society of Edinburgh. 



327 



every case in quantities sufficient to allow of a complete division), in- 

 cluding some very pretty and previously unintroduced species of herba- 

 ceous plants, shrubs, and forest trees. Among the last are some good 

 coniferae — including Juniperus, three species — one, a large tree, Taxus, 

 n, sp. : fine lot of the rare Cupressus nutkanus^ Lamb ; Thuja Craigana ; 

 SL large quantity of Abies Bridgei, not yet introduced into England ; 

 about 100 ounces of the finest seed of Abies Douglasii ; Pinus, species 

 undescribed ; Abies grandis, Dougl. ; 20 or 30 ounces Abies Menziesii 

 (is this Pinus Sitchensis, Bognard Veg. Sitch. in the St Petersburg 

 Academy Transactions ?) &c., and among non-conifer se, Quercus garry- 

 ana ? Arb>itus Menziesii^ Pursh ; Spiraea, sp. n, ; Oreodaphne, sp. n,, 

 a tine shrub ; and, what I think justly entitles the expedition to the credit 

 which it originally laid claim to — viz., national importance, — about 

 three pounds weight of a fine pasture grass from the Upper Fraser, which 

 survives all winter, and is accounted by the Cariboo muleteers superior 

 in fattening qualities to hay, and certainly much more valuable to them, 

 as the cattle and the mules have nothing else to subsist on during the 

 long bleak winter, when the ground is covered with snow, and hard as 

 iron. I have gathered, and am still gathering, many particulars of its 

 properties from the muleteers and teamsters, which in due time I will 

 submit to you. I believe that it is superior to the much-lauded ' ' Tussac 

 grass" of the Falkland Islands, and might be introduced with great 

 advantage into some of the bleak islands of the Hebrides, or of Orkney 

 and Shetland, where I have known cattle to die off in the winter from 

 want of proper fodder. My attention was originally drawn to this grass 

 by Colonel Moodie, R.E., to whom, therefore, all credit is due ; and 1 

 believe that I am at liberty to say that he coincides fully in the above 

 statement. You may remember that it was he who introduced the Tussac 

 grass, and obtained a gold medal for his discovery. The great region 

 for coniferae I have found, since my present summer's travels have ter- 

 minated, to lie south of this latitude, and to it therefore, with your per- 

 mission, I shall in future devote more attention. My funds are in a 

 satisfactory condition, and although the stormy winter, now fairly set in, 

 will prevent me doing much more for some months, I am prepared to start 

 in early spring with renewed vigour to a widely different, and what I now 

 believe to be a better region than the one I have exj)lored. I trust that 

 I shall be able to take the field by the 1st of April with advantage to 

 the Association, and with every prospect of much greater success attend- 

 ing my efforts than during the previous six months. I know of some 

 good species of coniferae which I could not obtain this year, but I am 

 almost certain of next year — such as Abies Williamsoni from " The 

 Three Sisters," in the Cascade Mountains, Abies bracteata, Picea nobilis, 

 and a new species of Thuja. 



I have had much to contend against this season, but the difiiculties are 

 now, I am glad to say, in a great measure over. I now know the 

 country, and what is just as important, the people, so well, that should 

 there be only half the subscribers of the previous year, I will be able to 

 do tolerably well. Many expenses were incurred last year which will 

 not be required again. These are in addition to the sum paid for travel- 

 ling to this distant part of the world (Kamtschatka is the furthest sea 

 voyage, and that is only a few days' sail from here). Last night I was 

 awoke from my camp-fire sleep by the " long cry" of the same wolf that 

 " howls from Unalaska shore." 



On my return to civilisation, I will send my seeds to England by 

 Wells, Fargs, and Company's expresses, in several air and water-tight 

 boxes, addressed to you, " care of the Hudson Bay Company," prepaying 



