4 
PINETUM BRITANNICUM. 
perfection, and uniformity, Sugar and Yellow Pine, with the Weftern Balfam Fir, and Libocedrus ; of 
which the eye may take in at a glance even hundreds, which reach or exceed the utmoft capacity of the 
mills, and many which would furnifh flicks a yard fquare and a hundred feet long, as ffraight as an arrow, 
and almoft without a knot.” 
Hi/lory. —As already mentioned, this tree was firft made known to us by Douglas, who met with it 
when collecting in Oregon for the Horticultural Society of London. He publifhed a defcription of it in a 
paper read before the Linnean Society ; but a fuller and more graphic account of his difcovery of it is to be 
found in his MS. Journal, which is {till preferved in their Archives by the Royal Horticultural Society, 
along with thofe of their other collectors. The Council of that Society have liberally accorded their per- 
miffion to make ufe of it; and it may gratify the reader to quote the various paffages relating to this tree, 
and trace the ffages by which he fecured it: for from thefe it appears that it was not merely a hap-hazard 
accidental difcovery, but one due to an intelligent and affiduous fearch after an objedt of which he had 
obtained a tranhent indication. 
The firft quotation is taken from his Journal in Auguft 1825 (and the reader is requefted to take its 
relevancy upon truft). Douglas had then made an expedition to the fouthward of the Columbia, along 
with a party of men going on a hunting excurfion to the Multnomah River, one of the branches of the 
Columbia. There he met with a fmall native plantation df Nicotiana pulverulenta (a fpecies of tobacco). 
He had often fought for this plant, which had been hated to be a native of this country, but hitherto with¬ 
out fuccefs. “ The natives cultivate it here,” fays he ; “ they do not cultivate it near their camps or lodges, 
left it fhould be taken for ufe before maturity. An open place in the wood is chofen where is dead wood, 
which they burn, and fow the feeds in the allies. Fortunately I met with one of the little plantations, and 
fupplied myfelf with feeds and fpecimens without delay. On my way home I met the owner, who, feeing 
it under my arm, appeared to be much difpleafed; but by prefenting him with two finger-lengths of tobacco 
from Europe, his wrath was appeafed, and we became good friends. He then gave me the above defcrip¬ 
tion of the mode of cultivating it. I was much pleafed with the idea of their ufing wood afhes, fhewing that 
even the favages on the Columbia have obferved their good effects. His knowledge of plants and their 
ufes gained him another finger-length. When we frnoked, we were all in all.” Here he got the firft 
indication of the Pinus Lambertiana. We fhall prefently fee that from this favage’s tobacco-pouch he had 
got a feed or two of that Pine, and never loft fight of the hope of finding the Pine itfelf until he fecured it. 
The next glimpfe of it is the following: While in that diftridt he “ made a trip to the oppofite fide: 
two days after, alfo to the fummit of the hills, which I found of eafier afcent; only dept one night near the 
top. My food during my ftay was frefh falmon, without fait, pepper, or any other fpice, with a very little 
bifcuit and tea, which is a great luxury after a day’s march. Collected the following, which did not come 
under my obfervation before: 462 Pinus fft., a tall fplendid tree, leaves glaucous. The cones being on the 
top, I was unable to procure any: all the trees were too large to be cut down with my fmall hatchet; and 
as to climbing, I have already learned the propriety of leaving no property at the bottom of the tree. I 
went up one, but the top was too weak to bear me. The height was fo great that I could not bring down 
any cones with buck-fhot.* Make a point of obtaining it by fome means or other.” Twelve months after 
he is ftill in fearch of it. While near the Umptqua River on 17th October 1826, he writes, “The 
country towards the upper part of the river appears to be more varied and mountainous, and perhaps will 
afford my wifhed-for Pine, being nearer the fpot defcribed to me in Auguft 1825 by an Indian, while on 
the Multnomah, in whofe fmoking-pouch I found fome of its large feeds.” On the 25th of the fame 
month is, “ Made a fhort ftay, and took my courfe foutherly towards a ridge of mountains, where I hope 
to find my Pine.” And at laft, on the 26th : “Weather dull and cloudy. When my people in England 
_ are 
* This may be the reafon why he does not notice the extraordinary magnitude of the cones, which muft have ftruck him too much to have 
allowed him to pafs it over in filence had he once handled them. 
