Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-09-19
OREGON.

As the great problem is at length solved, showing
what portion of the Oregon territory belongs &c
Great Britain and what portion to the United
States, the next thing is TO examine the value o.
the possessions thus allotted to US. Many descrlp
tions of Oregon have been published, but none
which we have seen bears evidently the marks
of candor and personal acquaintance with the sub.
ject the which has just reached from Canton China
We learn from correspondent there that written BY
Rev. Mr. HINES, who for several years has resided in Oregon
missionary Of the Methodist Church, and has recently
returned this country taking China in his way He there
left the manuscript Of his description, and printed at the
Hong Kong Register Office after his departure for the United
States. He arrived here the 4h of May last
Mr. Hines describes the Oregon territory bounded north
ey hundred and twenty miles by Puget Inlet and from
the termination of that inlet by ridge of mountains
which divides the waters Of Frnzers from those which
flow into the Columba-sad ridge extending in direction
northeast the Rocky Mountains. According to this
definition, the United States have in truth got nearly the
whole of Oregon though they have stopped long way sho
of 81 no. The natural boundary described by Mr. Hines
the boundary which would have resulted from Mr.. Calhouns
able argument in support Of the American title addressed ,o
the British Minister, Mr. Pakenham. Mr.. G. claimed fol
the United States all the country drained by the Oregon
Columbia II is however, better adopt the forty ninth
parallel agreeaby the treaty just signed and ratified
cause leaves chance future differences and gives
a territory symmetrical and compact.
The Pacific which falls under the treaty about
four hundred and fifty miles in LENGTH extending from latitude
forty to Cape Faery at the OF Puget Inlet
Along the inlet have water 'front.' of one hundred and
twenty miles making total of six hundred miles OF
coast without including the gulf which projects from the
end Of Puget Inlet far the southwark commonly called Adj
miralty Inlet These inesthe latter of which who'll
y ourscontan plenty Of good harbor. and they the
only good harbors that coast South of Cape
Fattery the only harbor which ship the mouth
loc( nj
cult of access, and often extremely dangerous.
The of surface embraced within American Oregon,
defined by the treaty. probably less than 800 square
miles or than six times that of the State of New York
From Mr. Illness description of il proceed quote
in his words The reader will observe that the country
about Puges Sound which has been generally described an
excellent agricultural district is represented by Mr. Hines
extremely bacn although "evel and exceedingly beautiful
Strictly speaking he says, there SOIL The praes are
covered with shng small stones, with scarcely any adj
mixture of earth Indeed there but few places on this
somewhat extensive tract where any thing be raised And
this be II observed, 10 the tract or district about which
great nations have been dsputng these thirty year, and for
the of which they have times been in imminent
danger Of mourning the direst calamites.
The face of this country (says Mr. Hines) wonderfully
diversified, and presents every variety Of scenery from the
most awfuy grand and sublime to the beautiful and pic
uresque in nature. In the vicinity of Pugets Sound the
country level and exceedingly beautiful consists mostly
of prairie land, with but small portion Of timber but with
this exception, all along the coast is broken and mountain
On approaching the coast the mouth Of the Coum-
ba ridges of highlands appear either hand
the eye REACH and the elevated points land
marks guide the mariner through the intricate channel
the fearful Bar of the Columbia One high noun
tain, called by the Indians Swalaahoos from Indian ira
don and from its appearance is supposed have been
active volcano. With but little variation the country from
thirty fifty miles back from the coast presents rough Wild
and mountainous aspect and covered with dense forests
fir spruce, and cedar Passing this broken border
the country, you descend the north side of Columbia
into the valley Of the Cowiz, and the south
n
range which, crossing Columbia rver forms
the Cascades and is therefore called Cascade Noun
tains Comprised in these valleys many prares
beautiful woodlands numberless hocks rising ground and
majestic hills from the top Of of which scenery as en-
chanting presented the delights and charms
the lover of nature, who takes time their conca sum-
mits That part Of Oregon extending from the Cascade Moun-
TO the Pacific called the Lower Country and
is about hundred and thirty miles wide
"The Cascade Mountains extend in continuous range
parallel with the coast quite California and have there
been called the Californian range Those
whose mountain observations have been very
form just conceptions Of the grandeur and magni
of this supendous range The highest peaks
cred with eternal and presenting their rounded tops
the heavens, appear like magnificent domes adorn
the great temple of Nature Some of them are more than
fifteen thousand feet above the level of the sea- From one
elevation the Willamette river and from sixty one
hundred and fifty miles distant the writer has counted eight
of these snow-cspped mountains without moving from his
tracks Surely no sight be enchanting. One of
these mountains viz st. Helen, requires more particular
account from phenomenon which presented three years
ago In the month OF October ls42 this mountain
covered all TO be covered with dense cloud smoke
which continued enlarge and off in dense masses
the eastward and filling the heavens in that direction pre-
scented appearance like that Of tremendous conagraon
viewed distance When the smoke had passed
could be distinctly from various parts of the county
that eruption bad taken place the north side of ST. He
len and from the smoke that continued issue from The
chasn crater pronounced to be volcano active
operation When the explosion took place quantities
dust ashes thrown from the chas, and fell in show
for many miles distant This the regu
lar its form and beautiful in appearance of all the
mountains Of Oregon. and, though the north
side Of the Columbia belongs the Cascade range Mount
Hood, the south side of the Columbia is elevated
than st Heeo, and presents magnificent object, which
the gaze without from innumerabe points
more than huodred and fifty miles from its base But
any description OF these gigantic piles Of basa and
must fall far below the reality and is only necessary
pressed with the nsgnfcance Of the works Of when
pared with the works Of Nature.
Passng the Cascade Range the eastward you
into another extensive vaey which reaches 10 the foot of
other range, which, from its azureke appearance called
tho g Blue Mountains" This valley is about hundred
miles broad and is called the middle country" number
Of beautiful rivers flow through this valley and also
crseced by broken RIDGES which divide the
by which it Is waered This part Of the country abounds in
extensive plains and prairie hills, but timber is very
that the eye Of the traveller il seldom delighted with
rocky and volcanic and Of them covered with per-
petua snow.
'They nearly parallel with the Cascade Range, though
far TO he south branches Of them nersec with the latter
range They about midway betwixt the Pacific Ocean
and the Rocky Mountains The country Of the Blue