DOUGLAS, DAVID, was born at Scone, in Perthshire, iu 1798, where his father was a working mason. He received a plain education at the parish school of Kinnoul, and was early placed as an apprentice in the garden of the Earl of Mansfield, at Scone Palace. As a lad ho was remarkable for his fondness for books and the study of plants. In the winter he devoted his evenings to reading, and in the summer to making botanical excursions fur the purpose of collecting the wild plants of the neighbourhood. In 1818 he went to live at Valleyfield, the seat of Sir Robert Preston, Bart., whose garden was then celebrated for its choice collection of exotic plants. Here he was treated with great kindness by the head-gardener, Mr. Stewart, who procured him access to Sir Robert's valuable botanical library. From Valleyfield he removed to Glasgow, where he was employed in the botanic garden of the university. His intelligence attracted the attention of Dr. (now Sir William) Hooker, who was the professor of botany at Glasgow, and he made him hie companion in his botanical excursions for the purpose of collecting materials for his 'Flora Scotica.' By Sir William Hooker he was recommended to the Horticultural Society of London as a botanical collector, and in 1823 he was sent to the United States, where he procured many fine plants, and greatly increased the collection of fruit-trees in the possession of the society. In 1824 ho was sent by the Horticultural Society to explore the vegetable productions of the country adjoining the Columbia River, and south ward towards California. The vessel in which he went out touched at Rio de Janeiro, where he collected many raro orchidaccous plants and bulbs. In the course of his voyage round Cape Horn ho shot many rare and curious birds. He visited the island of Juau Fernan dez, where he sowed a quantity of garden-seal, with the wish, lie says, that ha might "add to the collection of a second Robinson Crusoe, should one appear." He arrived at Fort Vancouver, oa the Columbia River, in April 1825. During his journey be sent home from time to time large numbers of beautiful plants, with seeds and dried sped. mens, the latter of which were added to the berbaritim of the society at Chiswick. Of the genus Pintld he discovered several species of
gigantic size, one of which has been named after himself, P. Douglasii. In the spring of 1527 he went from Fort Vancouver across the Rocky Mountaine to Hudson's Bay, where he met Captain (afterwards Sir John) Franklin, Dr. Richardson, and Captain (new Sir George) Bnck, returning from their second overland arctic expedition. With these travellers he returned to England, bringing with him the results of his researches. Shortly after his return he was elected, free of expense, fellow of the Linnean, Zoological, and Geological societies. He remained in London two years, and sailed again for the Columbia River in 1829. He afterwarde went to the Sandwich Islands, where he had remained some months when an accident put an end to his existence. The natives of the Sandwich Islands aro in the habit of making pits, in which they catch the wild bulls. In one of his excursions, Mr. Douglas fell accidentally into one of these pits, iu which an infuriated animal was already trapped. The animal fell upon him, and be was found dreadfully mutilated and quite dead. This occurred on the 12th of July 1834.
Of modern botanical travellers, Douglas was one of the most enter prising and successful. Almost all the new hardy plants of our gardens were introduced by him. To him we aru not only iudehted for many valuable timber-trees, for numerous species of the beautiful genus Ribes, and other ornamental shrubs, but the favourites of every gerden—the Clarkias, Penstemons, (Enotheras, and Lupines, were almost all first collected by him. A list of all the plants collected by him would occupy too much space, but an idea of the value of his labours may be formed when we mention that of the species com monly growing in our gardens no less than 217 species, belonging to 43 are the result of his various voyages. Of these, 53 are woody plants and 145 herbaceous plants. Ilia dried collection of Californian plants alone consists of about SOO species, but these were only a part of his extensive herbarium. (Gardener's Maga:ine, vole. xi. and xii. ; Oompanion to tits Botanical Magazine.)