I never, myself, saw the treatment described in the preceding paragraph, but have heard it described by persons who have witnessed it.

The decimation among the Indians I knew of personally, and the hospital, established for their benefit, was a Hudson's Bay building not a stone's throw from my own quarters.
The death of Colonel Bliss, of the Adjutant General's department, which occurred July 5th, 1853, promoted me to the captaincy of a company then stationed at Humboldt Bay, California.

The notice reached me in September of the same year, and I very soon started to join my new command.

There was no way of reaching Humboldt at that time except to take passage on a San Francisco sailing vessel going after lumber.

Red wood, a species of cedar, which on the Pacific coast takes the place filled by white pine in the East, then abounded on the banks of Humboldt Bay.