Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1843-05-13
OREttON.

properly estimated by the people ofthe Unite
States, In fact, until Of late, very little fa
boon known of its coiDtnOiiest geographical
features, and less Of its Topography and i'm
tnense resources, which have hitherto lnil
| ia ohsenrity, or been stealthily carried of b.
the grasping cupidity of a To- bign monopoly
President Monroe did indeed refer 10 It il
Iis lest Message to Congress, and recon
manded the establishment of a military post
at. or TEAR, The mouth Of The Columbia river
as a protection to our " hale fisheries and oul
commerce with the Indians and PresidelIi
Adams, at the commencement of the sIG-
reedinr Congress, reiterated the same re,
| comnendation for the same reasons, adding
the suggestion that ali exploration OF The North
west coast was eSpedient but neither OF
them limited at the settlement nf the country
by Offering encouragement and protection to
co|onists, Little attention was paid 10 their
suggestions. by the Congress to Which they
were addressed, nor has there been since
except an occasional resolution, report, or
speech upon the subject. Within a few
years, however, some definite measures have
been proposed and able reports and argu-
ments been made IN reference to the great
value and political advantages TO be attained by
taking immediate possession of our Pacific
frontier. and thereby a~ffordlng a sale and
easy protection to our commerce.. aud Offering
an inducement for private enterprise TO direct
It's attention that way. But even new our
people seem reluctant to be awakened to its
great aud growing agricultural, as we'll as
political and commercial, Importance or 10
the daily augressions there made upon the
treaty rights and honor OF ottr nation by that
mighty creation and secret engine Of English
aristocracv. the Hudson Bay Company. which
for power and disposition to do evil is second
only to its elder sister, the monstrots East
India Company.
The vast extent of unoncupied territory
living between The Allegheny and the Rocky
Mountains has occupied so much attention
that little thought has been bestowed uToh
what lies beyond. Parents have severely
enough ch.ided The rowing dispositions Of their
enterprising cons and daughters, who were
not content 10 remain for ever within sight OF
the old homestead, but resolved TO their for
tunes Oh the prairies Of Illinois, or among the
openings Of Wisconsin and Iowa. 1t is not
long since a resolution to settle on the banks
of the Ohio was ridieuled through all enter
prislng New England as dreamy and pre-
posterous in the extreme. The good old pu-
fftan Htb1HGGs were ACTIVE III tiLtld'tfR iht'~
phlets and caricattt1es, depicting III the most
glowing %celors, the poverty aud WletcEed-
ness Of those feoltardy EN- grants who lett
the hills and rock bound shores Of their early
homes 10 dwell SO far away in the savage VIII
dernnss. We remember TO have seen one,
published within the past thirty years, which
represented a family returning from the "bar-
rem and deesolate West,' SO starved and for
lorn that they could with difficulty retrace
their foolish steps. The wife, with a hall
a dozen sick children, was bolstcred in a
ricbety cart, into which was larnossed, with
cords and straps, an old ra"-boned horse
which was trying 10 feed at some low dry
mullen stalks by the w3Vslde; while the
father. leaning on q crutGl and a staff, was
directing some ragged boys 10 go into a
wretched log cabin 10 beg for food. The
German FlatR, on the Mohawk, in those times,
was SO far away from home, that whoever set
tied there could never be expected to return
more than once in a lifetime. The Ge-
nessee Valley and tho Holland Purchase
were quite out Of the known world. But
those clouds are all dispersed, and with them
the huge buebears which they Swallowed. A
few days OF agreeable travel, at a trifiIng ex-
peEler. now bring the once Hnapproaellable
West into next door neighborlloed with New
England itself. Another quarter OF a century,
at the same ratio of advancement, Will see
our frontier settlements st the base OF the
Rocky Mountains; or, if proper steps are
by our Government, on the shores OF
the Pacific and weekly mails passing and
repassinr from Bangor to the city of Che
nook" at the mouth of the Columbia.
Some narrow minded politicians have as
serted that our territory is large enough a.
ready, without going west Of the Rocky
and that the expense Of settling
that country, and of maintaining our rights
against the assumptions Of England, viii cost
more than it will come to and hence, that
our country had better reIinqnisll ill idea OF
ever occupying that beautiful and glorious
1t is better, say they, TO make IN OF
ferlng Of it to the ~avarice OF English capita
and the unbounded ambition OF that
naughty, oyerbearing, and wicked natinn'
to contend about a territory al go little
consequence better placate their favor al
such trlfiing expense, by granting AL they
rather demand, Tor England does not
ask-than to hazard a rupture, perhaps
another war, with our latherIand. Such tnen
are both ignorant and unpatriotlc. They
neither know tue value of Oregon, nor care
for the rights and honor Of their country 10
correct the errors into which such minds have
allen, and to extend more generally correct
information upon this subject, which is daily
increasing in interest, We design IN The pre-
sent article to present our readers Il descrip-
ton of the position, extent, internal resources,
and commercial ard political importance OF
this beautiful, rich, healthy and magnificent
norton Of our national domain. We vii! also
rive a clear and reliable statement of the
upon, which our claim to its owner
shin rests, and the reasons why VIC are bold
in asserting that England has, r1ghttul'y, no
claims at all upon the Pacific coast,
Climate and Productions.-All travellers
aptee in their testimony respecting the ex-
IRENE miidntss, equabl!Ity, and salubritJ OF
the climate of Oregon, and the astonishing
exubcrance Of its productions. mo othcr sec
tion Of The United States can compare with it
Ii is never visited by tho north and east winds
which sweep, with such chill and FURIOUS
freedom, over the Atlsntlc States and down
the valley nf nc Mississippi. The prevailing
winds 2,e from the west, and partake OF the
tcmoerature of the oee an from which they
come. cool il summer and warm in winter.
The lower region, or that west OF the cascade
Mountains. is rarely visited with snow, nor
that portion south Of the Columbia with Sc
we're trcs.s. Vegetation grows lt'zur!antiy IN
mid winter. The Willamet valley. which
lies close under this range, and OF winch
more IL known than any other part 81 the
territory, is represented as the most beautiful,
productive, and healthful spot IN the world
the real, tangible, literal Eldorado dlscoV-
cred at last. t is $50 nailes ioEg, anu from
lot so miles wide. One visitef says OF 1t,
..ln beauty of scenery, fertility OF soil, and
other natlfsi ea7antages,5 no portion OF eur
country surpasses ii"