The Arkansas banner., 1846-02-25
colony, especially Us Lam much engaged to- day, and they, throw so much additional light upon the subject before us.
 ELIJAH WHITE. WAsHIsGToN, Dec 27, 1915.

day, and they throw so much addltlohal light upon the subject before us
 ELIJAH WHITE.
 WAsHISGToN, Dec 27, 1915.
 OREGON CITY,
 JUNE 27 1845, SIR: In reply 10 your letter, dated June 24, 1915, 10 me as member to represent the dis. rict Of Ciatsop in the legislative committee of Oregon, requesting information on the strength, character, prospects, &c., oi that part of the colony have the honor to repre- sent, have 10 state, that the situation oi the land in CIatsop district differs from that oi any other district now settled or occnpied by whites in Oregon. owing to it's situation at the mortii of the Columbia river. consi- llcgabe portion of the district may be called broken, or mountain lands, intersperscd with numerous small PYairjes or plains, oi excellent soil. All the information you may wish oa the maritime situation oi the eoull- try can be correctly obtained from the reports ot scientific officers Gf the government oi the Gaited States. appointed for the purpose.
 The present population, of white inhabt- l ants. is abont one hundred souls, fitty-two ol which are males. over the age of twenty y-one years, and capable of bearing arms. There aie in our infant district, nol yet one year old, one saw and grist mill, and one shmgle mill in operation; also two retail stores, cone, however, being the Hudson Bay Company's.1 1 fair estimate of the present harvest may stand thus: Wheat 2,000 bushels, potatoes 1000 bushels, besides oats, rye, peas, Nc The farmers are all AmPrcans-moral, hon. est. and intustfous. The plains of CIatsop are twenty miles in length and ahont one-and- a-haif in width; the soil first rate, and the grazing or pasture land sufficient for the sup port of several thousand cattle. They contain about half the population of the district. deem it unnecessary to describe the charac- ter of the landa around Astoria, as it must be well knowGto you, and all others, who seek information after the welfare ot our beautiful and healthy country. The climate is excce- dingly mild, and sickness unknown among IS. The growth of timber here has also been described by travellers, and as their reports are abroad amongst the people, all the ihfor- nation wished for can be easily come al.
 have the honor to be,
 Very re >pectully,
 Your obi servant,
 JOHN MCCLURE.
 Dr. ELiJ2u WHITE, sub-agen. of Indian affairs.
 VALE OF TIE RlcNscoLL.
 July 7, 1915
 DEAR SIR: Il gives me great pleasure to answer the questions propouuded in your note of the Fist ult, in relation to Oregon l exceedingly regret that your letter has been raisad hy aecident-in consequence Of which, am unable 10 answer your Inquiries in the osdel in which they were present. ed.
 ] consider the lands lying immediately on tde Columbia and Willamette rivers, as far as have examined, superior 10 any of lhe bottom lands of the western States. The E uPlaulls are equal in fertility and productive ness to the uPlands of Missouri, Illinois, or Kentucky and the more elevated or hlll- lands are, out of all comparison, superior to the highlands of any of the above mentioned | States. And inc country is admirably adap- ted to pastoral purposes, the grass and clo- yer being good throughout! the whole year. have been happily disappointed as to the navigation of Willamette river. From what l heard others say shortly after my arrival in this country, thought it extremely doubtful whether 1t could be navigaicd above the falls; bui on ascending that stream myself last win ter, in ! boat of considerable size, all my doubts in relation to the difficulty of nayiga ting Ii by boas ot even large class were entirely removed have never look ed or travelled upon more beautiful stream, or one of more easy navigation. And the Willamette is destined to be to this rich and beautiful valley b which il gives name, what the Ohio is to that vast and popal0us region of country through which it. fows,-a thogoughlaie upon whose tosom will be borne the surplus accemuatons of industrious mil- lioas-the true ~eal.h eff na,ioni The climate is deraud less variable than lkat of other countries lying under the same parallels of latitude; and healthy 10 degree almost incredible to one ral-et iN inc United States. l. is q very rare thing to hear of case of sickness. Last winter was somewhat disagreeabe an account of he abundant rains; but have been informed by men who have lived in this country for the last thirty years, that he pas winter has hadno precedent with in the period oi theiFresidence in Oregon; that heretofore, tae rains have fallen in gentle and broken showers, inierspefsed wiih brief in- !erYals of pleasant sunshine; and that clear sky ia winter, lostwo three successive. weeks has been by no means unusual.
 The scenery s tsingularly picturesque and sublime. Language is too meagre to de- scribe it; themost gilled pencil could net paint it The pleasing alienation of hill anJ dale, the 1owery plains along whose smiling bo- sons the slIvery waters of mountain springs alternately dance and finger, the dark forests of towering frs, and the heafenwafd aspiring mountain pealSa, from whose sublime altitu- dcs the snow never melis, all couspire 10 ex- Pand the mind and elevate tlle soul to brighter and noblei conceptions of the great invisible Author of Nature.
 ! would, with entire cheerlulness, write at fl.