Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 5.djvu/221

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Botanists of Oregon Country.
211

ships and privations are cheaply purchased if I may but roam over the wild domain of Primeval Nature and behold.

'Another Flora there of bolder hues.

And richer sweets beyond our garden's pride.'"

Elias Durand in his "Memoir of Thomas Nuttall." says: "No other explorer of the botany of North America has personally made more discOVeries, no writer except perhaps Asa Tray has described more new genera and species."

Mr. W. D. Brackenridge and Dr. Charles Pickering, botanists with the United States Exploring Expedition. under Lieutenant Wilkes. went from the Columbia by land to California in 1841. An account of their collections was given by Dr. Torrey in the Botany of the Expedition, to which the writer has not had access.

Dr. John S. Newberry and Dr. J. T. Cooper made some botanical explorations in Oregon and Washington in connection with the Pacific Railroad Surveys. In the report of this Survey, Vol. VI, part III, Dr. Newberry gives some general observations on the plant life in Northern California and Oregon and also a description of the forest trees in the same region. Most of the botanical names of the trees he mentions have been changed since his time. From this report we may conclude that he made collections in the Cascade and Coast Mountains, the Klamath, Des Chutes, and Willamette Valleys, as well as in California and Nevada. In Vol. XII.. Part 11., there is a botanical report by Dr. J. T. Cooper, who visited many parts of Washington and Oregon. He does not mention as many trees as Dr. Newherry, but he giVes a description of most of our common shrubs. He also made some observations on the life in fresh and salt water.

M. Duflot de Mofras, who was sent by the French government on an expedition to the west coast of North America in 1840-2. seems to have interested himself in making a botanical collection. In an appendix to his "Explorations du Territoire de Oregon des Californies" there is a catalogue of the principal plants of the Northwest Coast. It enumer-