Weftern Balfam Fir, and Libocedms; of
.•ach or exceed the utmoft capacity of the
. himdred feet long, as ftraight as an arrow.
pcrfcc'lion, and uniformity, Sugar and Yellow Pine, with the
which the eye may take in at a glancc even hundreds, which i
mills, and many which would furnilh fficks a yard fquare and ;
and almoft without a knot."
llijlory.—Xs already mentioned, this tree w;is firft made known to us by Douglas, who met with i
n collecting in Oregon for the Horticultural Society of London, He pubiiflied a defcription of it in ;
wh(
paper read before the Linnea n Society ; but a fuller and more gi
found in his MS. Journal, which is ftill preferv-ed in their Arcl
along with thofe of their other colledors. The Council of that So
million to make ufe of it; and it may gratify the reader to quote thi
and trace the ftages by which he fccured it: for from thefe it appe;
: due to an intelligent and affidui
iphic account of his difcovery of it is to be
/es by the Royal Horticultural Society,
et}' have liberally accorded their pervarious
paffages relating to this tree,
! that it was not merely a hap-hazard
i fearch after an objed of which lie had
(and the reader is requefted to take its
the fouthward of the Columbia, along
nah River, one of the branches of the
accidental difcover}-, but oi
obtained a tranfient indication.
The firft quotation is taken from his Journal in Auguft i8:
rele\'ancy upon truft), Douglas had then made an expedition ti
with a part>' of men going on a hunting excurfion to the Multii
Columbia. There he met with a fmall native plantation Q{ Nicotiaiia piilverulmta (a fpecies of tobacco^.
He had often fought for this plant, which had been ftated to be a native of this country-, but hitherto without
fuccefs. " The natives cultivate it here," fays he ; " they do not cultivate it near their camps or lodges,
left it fhouid 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 aflies. 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 defcripof
cultivating it. I was much pleafed with the idea of their ufing wood aflies, fliewing that
a the Columbia have obfen'ed their good effects. His knowledge of plants and their
mother finger-length. When we fniuked, we were all in all." Here he got the firft
of the mode
even the favages
ufes gained him
indication of the
got a feed c e fecured it.
e Piniis Lnmbertiana. We (hall prefently fee that from this favage's tobacco-pouch he had
of that Pine, and never loft fight of the hope of finding the Pine itfclf unti
The next glimpfe of it is the following: While in that dif^rict he " made a trip to th.
ppofite fi.le:
night r - the
two days after, alfo to the fummit of the hills, which I found of eafier afcent; only Hept one
top. My food during my ftay was frefli falmon, without fait, pepper, or any other fpice, with a \-er>
bifcuit and tea, which is a great luxury- after a day's march. Collected the folhnving, which <lid not
under my obfervation before: 462 Pinus /p., a tall fplendid tree, leaves glaucous. The cones being (
top, I was unable to procure any: all the trees were too large to be cut down with my finall hatchet;
as to climbing, I ha\'e already learned the propriety of leaving no property at the bottom of the tree,
went up one, but the top was too weak to bear me. The height was fo great that I could not bring d
any cones with buck-lhot.* Make a point of obtaining it by k
in fearch of it. While near the Umptqua River
i'ards the upp(T part of the river appears to be more
vilhed-for Pine, being nearer the fpot dt-fcribed to 1
the
he is ftill
fountr}- tov
afford my ^
the Multn,
month is,
to find mv
leans or other." Twelve months after
7th October 1826, he writes, " The
:1 and mountainous, and perhaps will
Auguft 1825 by an Indian, while on
-imah, in whofe fm()king-[)ouch 1 found fome of its large feeds." On the 2Stlinordinary
2Sth of the fa
" Made a Ihort ftay, and took ray courfe foutherly towards a ridge of mountains, where I hi
Pine." And .at laft, on the 26th: " Weather dull and cloudy When my people in I-:ngl;
niagniliiHc of the ci :li inuH luve flriick him t<
are made accjuainted with my trave
That may be \'cry correcl; but I n
a fhare of labour, anxiety of mind,
daylight on an excurfion, leaving n
Is, they may, periiaps, think I have tokl them nothing but my miferies.
ow know that fuch objefls as I am in riueft of arc not obtained without
and fometimes rilk of perfonal fafety. I left my camp this morning at
ly guide to take care of the camp and horfes until my return in the
evening, when 1 found ever>-thing as I wilhed; and he had in the interval dried my wet paper, as I had
defired him. About an hour's walk from my camp 1 was met by an Indian, who, on difcovering me, ftrung
his bow and placed on his left arm a fleeve of racoon (kin, and ftood ready on the defence. As I w;is well
convinced this was prompted through fear, never before having feen fiich 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 his bow and quiver befide my gun, and then ftruck a light and gave him to fmoke and a few Ixiads.
With my pencil I made a rough fl^etch of the Cone and Pine I wanted and (hewed him it •, when he
Inftantly pointed to the hills about fifteen or twenty miles to the fouth. As I wanted to go in that direction,
he, feemingly with much good-will, went with me. At mid-ila>- 1 reached my long-wilhed-for Pinus. and
loft no time in examining and endeavouring to colled fpecimens and feeds. New or ftrange things fcldom
fail to make great impreffions, and we are often at firft liable to overrate them. And now, lefl I fliould
never fee my friends to tell them verbally of this moft beautiful and immenfely large tree, I now flate the
dimenfions of the largefl one 1 could find that was blown down by the wind: three feet from the ground,
57 feet 9 inches in circumference; one hundred and thirty-four feet from the ground, 17 feet 5 inches:
extreme length, 215 feet. The trees arc remarkably ftraight; bark uncommonly fmooth for fuch large
timber, of a whitlfli or light-brown colour, and yields a great quantity of gum of a bright amber colour.
The large trees are deftitute of branches generally for two-thirds of the length of the tree:
dulous, fomething like this [fig. 4], and the cones hanging from their points like fmail
fugar-loaves in a grocer's fliop. It being only on the ver>' largeft trees that cones are
feen, the putting myfelf
n poffeffi
of thre
les (all I c.nild)
to an end. Being unabl.
to climb
hew clo>
ly, I took my gu
them from the branches
with ball, wh
eight Indians came at
They were all painted
•ith red earth.
irmed with bows, arrow
fill
knives, and feemed to me anything but friendl)'. I endc
th.
what 1 wanted, and they seemed fatisfied and fat (low
no fooner
knife with
dm th:
r of
gave me ample teftimt
hefitation I went backi
piftols, which I held in
endeavoured to preferv.
them
a f.gn
They
made
laft SL
which
learly brought my life
and was bufy clipping
he rei)ort of my gun.
fpears of bone, and
voured to explain to
to fmoke; but had
1 perceived one firing his bow and another fharpen his flint
)oden pincers, and hang it on the wrift of the right hand, which '" '
ony of their inclination. I could not fave myfelf by flight; and without an>'
irds fix paces and cocked my gun, and then pulled from my belt one of m\-
ny left hand. I was determined to fight for my life. As I as much as poffible
my coolnefs, and perhaps did fo, I Ikwil eight or ten minutes looking at
md they at me without a word paffing, till one at lalt, who feemed t.) be the leader, made
for tobacco which I faid they fluuild get on condition of going and fetching me fome cones,
ivent, and as foon as they were out of fight I picked uj) my three cones an<l a few twigs, and
I quick retreat to my camp, which I gained at duik. The Indian who undertook to be my-
;1 betray me. Leaves ihort in fives, with a very (hort fheath, bright green ;
: 14, and one 13!, and all containing fine feed. A little before this the
roafted on the embers, quartered, and the feeds fliaken out,
and poumled into a fort of flour, and fometimes eaten round f/cJ.
me under my circumftances! cannot fpeak a
n expe6tation of an attack; and the pofition I
writing by the light of my Columbian candle.
lide I fent off, left he flio
one 14; inches long, c
are gathe)-e<I by the
are then dried before
How irkfomc night is to fuch
have not a book to read: cc
on the grafs, with my gi
wood continuing refin."
Eight favages, in th'
Indians
the (ire
confiantly i
befidc me,
ltd to my guide
a now in is lying
imely, a piece of
-jxiint, ftringing their hows againlt a fmgle individual, is rather too great
odds.