
          the medicinal qualities of many, and had obtained all
those which they used in any way for food. With
these latter I was also acquainted from having used them
myself, and the use of the former I had witnessed
in several important cases. I had carefully studied
the vegetation through every mile of the region travelled
and made full notes. In addition to our complete
publication separate from the body of the Report,
I had intended that we should give interest &
value to the narrative by inserting in it, & for each day
along the line of travel, the characteristic shrubs
& plants of the region, which as the country was
a wash, desert and mountainous, & generally
devoid of timber, between the Californian & the
Rocky Mts. formed a peculiar & highly interesting
growth. You will form some idea to
yourself of the floral richness of the country from
the fact that at a distance of twenty five miles I
mistook the fields of red & orange flowers along
the slopes at the foot of mountains for strata
of parti coloured rocks. Though in the
course of our journey the Bales of plants had been
twice wet, yet they were in very beautiful order
when we encamped on the upper waters of the
        