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«Dans le haut des vallées entourées de hautes montagnes, on ne voit point de cailloux roulées, qui soient étrangers
«Toute l'étendue du terrain granitique que j'ai traversée, se trouve presque couverte de ces masses; les uns sur les sommets des montagnes les plus élevées, les autres sur la pente et dans les vallées. Plusieurs de ces masses sont arrangées les uns sur les autres avec un art inimitable, les autres sont isolées et éparses.
«Mais l'inspection des vallées que l'on découvre du haut du Cramont démontre pleinement le peu de solidité de ces deux suppositions. En effet, toutes les vallées que l'on découvre du haut de cette cime sont fermées, au moins
«Des montagnes basses (comme le Jura, qui est bas comparativement aux Alpes) sont bientôt fixées par ce moyen. Il ne se fait presque qu'un seul talus depuis leur sommet jusques dans les basses vallées, ou sur la plaine. Aussi l'état de ces montagnes est-il déj
«Je ne prétends cependant pas que l'érosion des eaux pluviales, des torrens et des rivieres, soit l'unique cause de la formation des vallées: le redressement des couches des montagnes nous force
«Mais ce dont on peut être certain, c'est que, si les montagnes qui bordent ces deux rives de la vallée du Rhône, se ressemblent par leur nature, qui est calcaire de part et d'autre elles ne se ressemblent point par leur structure. On n'y voit aucune correspondance, ni dans les positions, ni dans les formes: Les vallées qui les séparent ne se correspondent pas non plus.
«Ainsi les angles saillans et rentrans alternativement opposes dans les vallées des montagnes, peuvent bien contribuer
Whitehouse returned this morning to our camp on the Kooskooske in surch of his horse. As I have had frequent occasion to mention the plant which the Chopunnish call quawmash I shall here give a more particular discription of that plant and the mode of preparing it for food as practiced by the Chopunnish and others in the vicinity of the Rocky Mountains with whom it forms much the greatest portion of their subsistence. we have never met with this plant but in or adjacent to a piny or fir timbered country, and there always in the open grounds and glades; in the Columbian vally and near the coast it is to be found in small quantities and inferior in size to that found in this neighbourhood and in the high rich flatts and vallees within the rocky mountains. it delights in a black rich moist soil, and even grows most luxuriantly where the land remains from 6 to nine inches under water untill the seed are nearly perfect which in this neighbourhood or on these flats is about the last of this month. neare the river where I had an opportunity of observing it the seed were begining to ripen on the 9th inst. and the soil was nearly dry. it seems devoted to it's particular soil and situation, and you will seldom find it more than a few feet from the inundated soil tho within it's limits it grows very closely in short almost as much so as the bulbs will permit; the radix is a tunicated bulb, much the consistence shape and appearance of the onion, glutanous or somewhat slymy when chewed and almost tasteless and without smell in it's unprepared state; it is white except the thin or outer tunicated scales which are few black and not succulent; this bulb is from the size of a nutmeg to that of a hens egg and most commonly of an intermediate size or about as large as an onion of one years growth from the seed. the radicles are numerous, reather large, white, flexable, succulent and diverging. the foliage consists of from one to four seldom five radicale, linear sessile and revolute pointed leaves; they are from 12 to 18 inches in length and from 1 to 3/4 of an inch in widest part which is near the middle; the uper disk is somewhat groved of a pale green and marked it's whole length with a number of small longitudinal channels; the under disk is a deep glossy green and smooth. the leaves sheath the peduncle and each other as high as the surface of the earth or about 2 inches; they are more succulent than the grasses and less so than most of the fillies hyesinths &c. the peduncle is soletary, proceeds from the root, is columner, smooth leafless and rises to the hight of 2 or 21/2 feet. it supports from 10 to forty flowers which are each supported by seperate footstalk of 1/2 an inch in length scattered without order on the upper portion of the peduncle. the calix is a partial involucret situated at the base of the footstalk of each flower on the peduncle; it is long thin and begins to decline as soon as the corolla expands. the corolla consists of six long oval, obtusly pointed skye blue or water coloured petals, each about 1 inch in length; the corolla is regular as to the form and size of the petals but irregular as to their position, five of them are placed near ech other pointing upward while one stands horizantally or pointing downwards, they are inserted with a short claw on the extremity of the footstalk at the base of the germ; the corolla is of course inferior; it is also shriveling, and continues untill the seeds are perfect.
«Ne croyez pas, dit M. d'Arcet, en faisant mention des vallées des Pyrénées, que les eaux aient pris ces routes parce qu'elles les ont trouvées frayées antérieurement
«Lorsqu'on voyage dans les vallées, on va ordinairement en tournoyant; et quand un angle saillant oblige
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