3S0 Mr Goldie's Description of' some new and rare Plants 
land, I hastened to return thither ; and having again entrusted 
my treasures to the deep, I had again, as the first time, the dis- 
appointment of never obtaining any intelligence whatever of 
them. 
My finances being now extremely lov/, and winter having 
■commenced, I hardly knew what to do; but after some delay, 
went up to the Mohawk river, where I found employment du- 
ring that season as a schoolmaster. 1 quitted this place in April 
1818, and proceeded to Montreal, expecting to be ready to de- 
part on my journey towards the north-west country. I was 
disappointed in finding that Mr Pursh had left Montreal for 
Quebec, and that even if present, his interest would scarce 
have been sufficiently strong to have obtained for me the assis- 
tance and protection which I desired. My only alternative was 
now the spade, at which I worked all summer, excepting only 
two days in each week, which I devoted to botanizing, and went 
also a little way up the Otowa or Grand B.iver, the only excur- 
sion of any length whieh I accomplished. In . the autumn I - 
-shipped my collection of plants, and in two months had the 
mortification to learn that the vessel was totally wrecked in the 
•St Lawrence. Thus did I lose the fruit of two years' labour. 
During the next winter I did little, except employing myself, 
with such small skill as I was able, in designing some flower 
pieces, for which I got a trifle. Early in the following spring 
I commenced labour again, and by the beginning of June had 
amassed about 50 dollars, which, with as much more that I 
borrowed from a friend, formed my stock of money for the next 
summer’s tour. I started in the beginning of June from Mont- 
real, and passing through Kingston^ went to New York, to 
whi(ih, after an excursion to Lake Simcde, I returned ; then 
visited the F^Us of Niagara and Fort Erie, and crossed over to 
the United States. Keeping along the eastern side of Lake 
Erie for ninety miles, I afterwards took a direct course to Pitts- 
burgh on- the Ohio, which, owing to the advanced state of the 
season, was the most distant point to which I could attain. On 
my return I kept along the side of the Alleghany river to Point 
Ollean, in the State of New York, then visited the salt-works 
of Onondago and Sackett’s Harbour on Lake Ontario, whence, 
pi-oceeding to Kingston, I packed up my whole collection, with 
