Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1843-03-16
MISCELLANEOUS.
From the National Intellgencer.
An Interesting Sketch of the
& OREGON TsIEgzgETOEa 4.
BY J. K. TowNsEyH, ESQ.

.lfeSsrs. Gales &. Seafon: As that por-
ton of our extensive territory west OF
the Rocky Mountains. known as the Or
egom. has within short time become a
subject of general interest. and as bill
having for its object the occupation es
this territory is at present before con-
gress, thought that few desu'tory re-
marks in resars. to the state of the coun-
try, the facilities which it Offers to emf
grants, &c. might not be undressing
30 some Of your readers.
1t is remarkable fact that although
large portion of the country watered by
the Columbia river has for at least a
quarter of century been occupied by
the adventurers of Britain, who have es-
tablished trading posts on every eligible
site, little comparatively is known re-
~1specting this Interesting and fertile re-
,gion. The reason | apprehend to be
this. Few, excepting fur traders, men
engaged in an absorbing pursuit, whose
sole object is gain, have been induced to
visit this part of our continent; and it is
well known that the Kudson's Bay Com
.pany. which enjoys the monopoly of the
FUR trade, has, since its first settlement,
forbidden its. officers to publish augh in
regard to the country which might be
calculated to beget desire to emigrate.
1t is clearly the interest of the Company
to discountenance emigration, and its
higher off: GERS hesitate not to avow this.
Within few years. several Americans,
of whom the, writer of this article Isl one,
nave crossed the Rocky Mountains TO
the mouth of, Columbia, with objects en-
trey unconnected with trade or COM
nerce. Mine, was the desire to see a
new country, a love Of adventure for IFS
own sake, and an enthusiastic fondness
lor natural history. ..t-f.
The party with which travelled left
Independence. Missouri, about the latter
part of April. 1884, and arrived at the
s.British fort Vancouver in September,
having performed the whole. journey on
horseback. From this time until October,
1856, with the exception of She first
winter. which passed at the Sandwich
Islands. my resideafce was in the Terri
tory of Oregon. Mr. Mclaughlin. the
chief factor, treated me with uniform and
singular kindness, supplying all my
wants, and furnishing me with every Ia
cility in the prosecution Of my plans
This is, believe, the uniform character
. Of the uperintendents of the British forts
in tiat country. Travellers. naturaliss
and all who are not traders. are kindly
and most hospitabl yetreated, but the mo-
I. nent the vislter is known to trade bea-
yer skin from an Indian. that moment
he is rejected from the community, and
/, rii communication between him and the
d. officers of the company ceases. When
Captain Wyeth. with lis Company. arri-
yel at Walla-W aIa fort. on his passage
down the Columbia, he was repaired by
the superintendent to promise that dur
ing his journey from thence to Vancou
yer-500 miles-he would not buy
beaver skin; the functionary assuring
]. him that unless he consented to bind
Z himself, he wodtd send party ahead of
him which would be instructed TO pur
chase every beaver skin from the Indians
on The route, at price which he( Wyeth)a
could not afford to pay. 1t is fact, no
: torious in that country, that the houora.
Bile company has sum of money. amour
ling to several hundrethshousand pounds
sterling, laid aside at Vancouver, for the
sole purpose Of opposing all who may
come to interfere with its monopoly, by
purchasing at exorbtant prices all the
! furs in possession of the Indians, and
thus forcing the settlers to come to
terms. or driving them from the country.
. II it be an individual WHO'S thus starved
mo submission. he then usually clears
niece of land on the Walammet river.
takes an Indian wife. and purchases furs
rof the. natives, which, by previous con-