32 Early Botanical Explorers on the Pacific Coast 
1826. Sunday, January 1st.—Commencing a year in such a far re¬ 
moved corner of the earth, where I am nearly destitute of civilised society, 
there is some scope for reflection. In 1824, I was on the Atlantic on my 
way to England; 1825, between the island of Juan Fernandez and the 
Galapagos in the Pacific; I am now here [at Fort Vancouver], and God 
only knows where I may be the next. In all probability, if a change does 
not take place, I will shortly be consigned to the tomb. I can die satisfied 
with myself. I never have given cause for remonstrance or pain to an in¬ 
dividual on earth. I am in my twenty-seventh year. 23 
In November, while in what is now western Oregon, he wrote: 
Saturday, 1 ith.—Last night, after lying down to sleep, we began to 
dispute about the road, I affirming we were two or three miles off our way, 
they that we were quite close to our former encampment; all tenacious of 
our opinions. The fact plainly this: all hungry and no means of cooking 
a little of our stock; travelled thirty-three miles, drenched and bleached 
with rain and sleet, chilled with a piercing north wind; and then to finish 
the day experienced the cooling, comfortless consolation of lying down 
wet without supper or fire. On such occasions I am very liable to become 
fretful. 24 
The following is an account of his collecting the Sugar Pine 
which he named Pinus Lambertiana in honor of the author of 
Lambert’s Pinetum in which many Pacific coast coniferae were 
first described. 
Thursday [October] 26th [1826] I left my camp [near the Umpqua 
River in Oregon] this morning at daylight on an excursion, leaving my 
guide to take care of the camp and horses until my return in the evening, 
when I found everything as I wished; in the interval he had dried my wet 
paper as I desired him. About an hour’s walk from my camp I was met by 
an Indian, who on discovering me strung his bow and placed on his left 
arm a sleeve of racoon-skin and stood ready on the defence. As I was well 
convinced this was prompted through fear, he never before having seen 
such a being, I laid my gun at my feet on the ground and waved my hand 
for him to come to me, which he did with great caution. I made him place 
