New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-04-07
From Washington.
Things In Washington.
From our Regular Correspondent.
wA,g1SeTos. April 5.b, 1916


gave you, Yesterday, sketch of Mr.. McDUF-
FEES speech on Oregon. Ii was amusing TO see the
uneasy movements and frowning looks the extreme
Oregon men, when he was sketchlng the beauty
and fertility OF the soil. take the following extract
from his speech. as reported in the Union The
Book upon which he relies for his statements Is no
British authority Il is Mr.. Greenhow book. which
has been endorsed by the 54o 30 men IN various
ways. Mr.. McDUFFIE proceeds to say:
was referring TO calculations that had been made OF
the expenses OF such The snnua! sacrhce, in
Guiding the destruction OF our commerce and the ex
penses of the would be hundred million OF dol
lars put that the lowest estimate and a. am re-
sponsble TO God would give the tenth part OF this
sum for the whole Oregon territory. Now this being
clear question OF calculaion-o pro and loas-es lar
as our honor Is no; involved. have brought book
from which having shown what the title is TO tina,
for which con.ending will proceed TO exhibit
10 the Senate the probable value OF the country IN
dispute. If there portion OF the earth IN
which would regard il the greatest misfortune Ter
poor TO be obliged 10 SETTLE consider that that
portion of the earth is this Oregon territory II Is
country tina, almost appears to have been blasted by the
God of creation It is totally destitute OF every attrac
ton. It almost incapable OF sustaining civilized
human being And yet this is the country that has been
msgnifed into perfect FL Dorado Let me now call
the atteLtion of the Senate to few short extracts
which | we'll remember were published mainly at the
instance OF the present Secretary OF Stse-then
member Of this body-a book giving me most recent
perfect and accurate account OF the Oregon territory
Of any that has yet been published. The Oregon
territory very remarkable Il is divided into
different regions By mountains. First, there are the
California mountains running parallel with the coast
about eighty miles from the between them and the
according this work is Urea OF 320VO square
miles, Of which about one-eghth or one-tenth only Is NJ
for cutvaton-tha is about four or ave thousand square
miles and as far as can learn and far any just in
ference can be drawn from settlements made, this mis-
cradle strip of land is the only portion OF Oregon on
which a civilized human being can rest his foot with
certainty tina, By agricultural he support
isteuce have said that OF these regions the nrst and
best is that 10 the ocean, and the remarkable
fact that settlement has been made this SIDE oil the
valley of the Willamette; that after entering Oregon
the euerant travels thousand miles before he can
find spot inviting him to settle, is pretty conclusive EVIL
dence that the region anded to is the only portion OF
the territory capable of sustaining civilized human life
OF the territory North OF 49,, about which we
are so anxious TO go 10 war, Mr.. Greenhow says
THE territory North of 49.h parallel OF latitude, and
Northwest Of that drained by the Columbia river has
been called Nan Caledonia by the British turtrader
who frat established posts in il beyond the 55th parallel
in 1906 is sterile land of snow-cad mountains tor
rivers and lakes frozen over more than tWothrds
Of the year presenting scarcely single spot In which
any of the vegetables used food by civilized people
can be produced.
These statements fell upon the Senate with great
force The $40 40 men found it indispensable to do
something-and so Mr.. BREEsE rose and read eX-
tracts from Vancouvers Voyages, descriptive OF the
country on the shores of the Sounds and lnets This
was useless. for Mr. MCDUFFrE had acknowledged.
with Mr.. Greenhow. that there were some tour or
five thousand square miles on the shore and rivers NJ
for cultivation These were the facts which VAN
couver's Voyage refers TO-
Mr. MCDUFFIE replied:
"No doab there may be small slips o the country mt
for cultivation but the description have given is beyond
all doubt that which applies to the whole country gene
rally shall be very glad if any gentleman proves that
the description is inaccurate. Sir Alexander Mckenzie
who explored the whole country. gives precisely the
same account of the region of Frazers river rs have
quoted from Greenhow. And may add that Mr.. White
now here has said, as understand, within the last
month that for agricultural purposes lOregon Is not
worth fig
The House of Representatives, as | have men:
toned did literally nothing yesterday They agreed
to suspend discussion on the Cumberland Road bill
in two hours after it shall have been taken up again
in Committee of the Whole. They then proceeded
to long discussion on the bill for the Relief of the
schooner Success. The pay of the House while
fighting on this subject far exceeded the amount of
appropriation in the bill
Tomorrow will be 3 great day in the Senate
The galleries will be crowded for hours before the
time ofmcetng shall send you pretty full abstract
of Webster's speech nv TO morrow afternoons mail
If nothing occurs to delay my letter you will have
column or more Of an abstract for your paper Of
Tuesday evening. His remarks will be interesting
independently of the Oregon question. He will let
out some of the political history OF the Ashbur
ton Treaty, the American part of which he conduct
ed with so much ability and patriotism. 1t will be
te ono grratest. If the greatest speech, Of
his fe HIcHELIBU.