perience has fully confirmed the report which minimizes the muchfeared obstacles to the operation of a railroad through the mountains. Stevens decided to hasten to Washington to prevent the discontinuance of the exploration. The confidence of the legislature of Washington Territory is shown in the passage of a joint resolution that 'no disadvantage would result to the Territory should the governor visit Washington, if, in his judgment the interests of the Northern Pacific Railroad survey could thereby be promoted.' . . . . On June 30, 1854, he submitted his report to the department, the first report of all the routes, although it covered the greatest field, and was by far the most comprehensive and exhaustive. Secretary Davis, recognizing that in his measures for prosecuting the survey General Stevens was actuated solely by zeal for the public service, submitted an estimate to cover the deficiency, which was duly appropriated by Congress. Secretary Davis was astonished and deeply disappointed at the results of the survey and was of the opinion that the accounts bearing upon the agricultural resources of the Northwest were overdrawn. In his report to Congress transmitting the surveys of the several routes, he took great pains to belittle the results of Governor Stevens' labors and disparage the Northern route. An extreme Southerner, he had set his heart upon the Southern route, and hoped to secure its adoption as the national route, in order to aggrandize his own section. He put a stop to further work on the Northern route, prevented any more appropriations for it, and kept up his fight against it. Nevertheless, Stevens continued the work of exploration, survey and observation despite privation of funds. His office in the capacity of superintendent of Indian affairs taking him into nearly all parts of the Territory ,enabled him to take advantage of every opportunity to increase his general knowledge of the country." The final report of Stevens was submitted to the newly appointed Secretary of War, John B. Floyd, in February, 1859. This report, published by order of Congress in two large quarto volumes, as Parts I and II, Vol. XII., contains over eight hundred pages, with tables of meteorological and barometric observations, plates, lithographs and woodcuts. Part I partakes of the nature of a general report following the preliminary report of 1854 as given in Vol. I, pp. 73-154. He gives a most interesting account of his work among the Indians in 1855 and states that he occupied his entire time in negotiating treaties, in gaining the good will of the tribes to give them absolute and entire confidence in the government. The treaty operations taking him through Washington Territory to the waters of the Mis souri enabled him to thoroughly examine the mountain portion of the railroad route. Part I, chapters I-X, are devoted to the narrative of 1853 and give every species of information bearing upon the question of railroad practicability—the passes of the several mountain ranges, the geography and meteorology of the whole intermediate region from St. Paul to the Pacific, the character of the Missouri and Columbia Rivers as avenues of trade and transportation, the snows, and rains of the route, and especially of the mountain passes. Chapters XI and XII, pp. 196-225, contains the narrative of 1855, and give the itinerary of the expedition from Walla Walla to Fort Benton and return to Olympia. In chapters XIII and XIV Stevens gives a geographical memoir. The following are a number of significant facts brought out in this part of the report that the line of the 47th parallel is central to the vast region of the temperate zone, extending from the water line of the Great Lakes to the shores of the western ocean; that north of this is an area which, in similar latitudes in Eastern Europe and in Asia, is habitable, productive and at the moment increasing in population; the region is intersected by the only streams flowing either side of the watershed of the continent of which any considerable use could be made for purposes of navigation. Chapter XV, pp. 261-306, includes a valuable report on the hydrography of the coast and the navigable rivers of Washington Territory by Dr. J. G. Kohl. The second part of the report gives a most instructive account of the origin of some of the geographical names within the Territory. Chapters XVI, XVIII, pp. 307-358, cover reports on the meteorology of the route with tables of mean tempratures, between the mouth of the St. Lawrence and Puget Sound; reports on the peculiar features for which provision must be made, tunnels, facilities in fuel, etc. Accompanying the reports of Part I are seventy fine lithographs of scenes along the route from St. Paul to the Coast, two maps, and one sheet of general profiles. Parts II and III of Volume XII form a separate volume and include the zoological and botanical reports, the authors and paginations of which are given as follows: Report No. 1 on botany by Dr. J. G. Cooper, pp. 18-39. Catalogue of plants collected east of the Rocky Mountains, compiled by Asa Gray, pp. 40-49. Report No. 3, pp. 55-71, is of special interest to Northwest students, since it deals with the botany of Washington Territory and gives a catalogue of plants collected therein. Dr. Cooper speaks of the remarkable variety of botanical and zoological regions, each distinguished by more or less peculiar forms of life. He describes the great forests of coniferous and broad-leaved trees, the plains of the Columbia and the salt and fresh water regions. A botanical index is found on pages 73-76. Part III of Vol. XII, embodies the information collected by the expedition in the department of natural history and includes Reports Nos. 1-7, on Insects, Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Fishes, Mollusca and Crustacea. Accompanying the reports are many beautiful engravings made by competent artists within the Smitsonian Insti tution. The first volume designated as Part I was entirely the work of Stevens, with the exception of the meteorological tables and the paper on the hyrography of Washington Territory. Governor Stevens expected to devote a year to the praparation of the final report but the work was interrupted by the Indian Wars and his duties as congressional delegate from Washington Territory. His biographer, Hazard Stevens, relates how the governor overcame the difficulties, completing the report in a few months, a task which only a man of his remarkable mental powers could have accomplished. "He dictated the whole report. Every morning an expert stenographer came at six; and the governor, walking up and down in the dining room, dictated to him for one or two hours before breakfast. The reporter then took his notes, wrote them out, and had the manuscript ready for the governor's revision at the next sitting." The report so clearly and graphically written was a convincing answer to the criticisms of Jefferson Davis. Stevens appealed to Davis for aid "on the ground that the valuable data in his final report ought to be published for the benefit of the country." Davis was magnanimous enough to grant his request. The subsequent development of the country along the northern route has borne out the views recorded by Stevens in his reports. Furthermore, his work was so thorough that there was little necessity for preliminary surveys when, ten years later, the project of a railroad assumed definite form. In addition to the reports in Vols. I and XII, the students will find further material on the Northwest in Vols. II, III, VI and VIII-XI. A brief outline regarding the nature of the reports with their paginations is as follows: Vol. II, Part III, pp. 1-45: An introduction to and a synopsis of a report of the Reconnaissance of a railroad route from Puget Sound via the South Pass to the Mississippi River by Fred W. Lander, civil engineer, who undertook the exploration at his own expense. In view of the importance of his reconnaissance and its scientific character the Legislature of Washington Territory instructed its delegate to present the report to Congress and to procure its publication as a public document. Vol. VI, Part II, chapter VII, pp. 53-60: Report on the general geology of the Columbia Valley. Chapter VIII, pp. 60-85, a report on the economical geology of the Puget Sound region, including a catalogue of minerals and fossils. Vols. VIII, IX and X embody a report upon the zoology of the several Pacific routes. "Specimens collected were transmitted to the Smithsonian Institution and preserved until the return of the parties. The series of special reports prepared by the naturalists of the expedition were necessarily incomplete. It was deemed advisable to furnish a general systematic report upon the collection as a whole, and for the purpose materials were entrusted to competent individuals, necessary drawings being made by a skillful artist within the walls of the Smithsonian Institution." In the introduction of Vol. VIII is a general sketch of the lines explored, that on the 47th parallel being designated as No. 1, page xiii. The general report on zoology is divided into four parts: Part I, on Mammals, by Spencer F. Baird, fills Vol. VIII, and is accompanied by a number of plates, a systematic index of common names, a list of authorities and an alphabetical list of localities. Part II, on Birds, compiled by Spencer F. Baird, fills Vol. IX, and is accompanied by lists of species, authorities and indices in addition to some beautiful colored plates. Parts III and IV on Reptiles and Fishes, respectively, are found in Vol X. The report accompanying Part III was omitted since it had been extended beyond the limits originally contemplated. Vol. XI contains a brief account of each of the exploring expeditions from 1800 to 1857, by Lieut. G. K. Warren, with topographical maps, profiles and sketches to illustrate the various reports and surveys. Chapter IV, pp. 63-70, deals with the exploration of Washington Territory. For further information on this portion of the country, the student is referred to the alphabetical index on page 111 and to profile maps Nos. 1, 2 and 3 on the route of the 47th and 49th parallels. The Washington University Officers and Board of Trustees CLARENCE B. BAGLEY, President JUDGE JOHN P. HOYT, Vice-President JUDGE ROGER S. GREENE, Treasurer JUDGE THOMAS BURKE SAMUEL HILL PROFESSOR EDMOND S. MEANY, Secretary Seattle Department of Printing, University of Washington |