The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1829-07-29
WHOLE NO. o9S9.
From the Boston EUening Bulletin.

OREGON TERRITORY. Rut l;,tIe 10 kno,y,,
OF this territory in this section of orr conn
try, and still less of the river from which II
derives It's name. So extensive ia tho con
tlhent OF America, and so much of If re-
mains yet UNEMPLOYED, that many. yerv
many, OF our citizens are more Thoroughly
acquainted with the localities and condition
! OF Europe, than with the climate, soil, veg
etaDle and animal productions of certain
portions OF their own country. The Miners
journal gives some extracts from a work
! recently published in French, by gentle
man VINO resided several years west of
the ROCKY Mountains, which give a more
minute and interesting account of the ter
Iltory above mentioned, than we have be-
! fore seen published.
! During the three years which he spent in
the vicinity of the Columbia or Oregon Riv-
err, the cold seldom passed the freezing
point' and The heat was never greater than
." 7H degrees. West winds aro rnost
frequent IN spring and the early part OF
summer-north-wes winds in the latter
part Of summer and first of autumn-and
southwest winds blow almos: continually
from the first of October till the beginning
OF January, which ia the rainy season, and
most disagreeable part of the year.
The result of several experiments satisfied
him that the land along the Columbia ia
generally unit tor cultivation, though the
soil Is not every where the same, and there
were probably places which would yield
abundant crops. Various kinds of garden
seeds were planted by him in the month of
May but, though his garden had fine ap-
pearance in August. and the vegetables
were suffered to remain in the ground until
fbp pnH of naPpmhnr ofili
maturity but radishes, tur7lips, and potatoes.
The turnips were of prodigious size, one
of them measuring thirty-tiree inches in cir
cumtel ence, and weighing fifteen and half
pounds. A dozen of potatoes produced
ninety, which were planted the succeeding
spring, but the second season was so much
colder than the first, that these produced
nothing at all.
Cedar, spruce, white pine, hemlock, &C.,
were the most common trees, the cedars
being generally four or FIVE fathoms in cir
conference, and the hemloeks from ~ to
~ inches IN diameter. An immense white
pine tree Is mentioned, which seven men,
standing With their arms extended, were
not able to encircle, and which upon adj
measurement was found to be torty-tvo feet
IN circumference.
Wild fruits in abundance are to be found
from the middle Of June to the middle Of
October. Besides the raspberry, the months
OF July and August furnish pleasant acid
fruit OF blue color, about the size of q
cherry, and another fruit which grows in
clusters on n small bush like the garden
curIant, which has a fine taste, is whole
some, and may be eaten in any quantities
withoutlnlHry. Blackberries, cherries, cur
rants, wild pears. and crab apples, are also
found, together with q great variety of nu-
trtious roots, of which the natives make
great use. There ia one in particular.
which they reduce to paste by pounding
make into cakes of FIVE or six pounds
weight, and bake it on fiat stones heated in
the tire-producing bread almost as pal-
atable as our own.
Salmon and sturgeon abound in the Co.
lumbia River, during certain parts of the
year, aud these constitute the principal food
o: the natives. The salmon fishery COM
mences in July, and continues until August.
In the latter part of which month, and dur
ing September, sturgeon of an excellent
quality are caught. Some of these are very
large, one Of which he saw measuring IL
feet, and weighing 800 pounds. In Octo-
Der and November salmon are again to be-
had, though of different species and poor
er qdaHty. In the month of February, a
small species of fish of very fine flavor,
is taken in abundance; but these remain
only a short time.
The quadrupeds of this territory are the
elk, the fallow-deer, the black-tailed deer,
the roe deer, the black bear, the brown
bear, the grey bear, the white baar, the
wolf, the panther, the tigercat, the raccoon,
the whistler, species of marmot, the land
otter, and the sea otter. The grey bear is
represented as being extremely fierce and
carnivelo Gus. G8=
The most remarkable birds are the nun
eagle, the black eagle, the turkey-buzzard,
the hawk, the pelican, the cormorant, the
swan, the heron, the crane, the bustard,
variety of ducks, and several species of
geese. The nun eagle is so called, from
its having white head, though the rest Of
lis plumage is of a dirty black.