The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1847-02-05

ups, hhl vi INC oiNlOuI oIeost SHc
fell and wept.
From tie st. Louis r, ,ri,l'.
or Es:oN-.-N North n""L Of '.r columbia.
We have received from j. &.
Wall, Esq, who recently returned
from Oregon, very interesting des-
cription of that territory north Of
the Columbia, up to our line on Pn-
get Sound. All accounts, hereto
fore, Of this portion of Oregon Ter
ritory represented it as barren and
sterile to such degree that cult
walton was almost impossible and
Mr.. Wall informs us that when about
to start with some others to examine
the country in the vicinity of Puget
Sound, numbers of the Hudson's
Bay Company cndeavored to dis
Suade them from their purpose. DR..
Mclaughlin, in particular. was ur-
gent against their proceeding, be-
cause he averred it was Sruitless
journey to explore II desert and bar
rem waste. They departed, how
ever, and the results of their exam
nation we give below, in Mr.. WIS
own words. 1t will be found of
great interest, asst at once sets aside
the false descriptions given of that
country TO emisrants by the Enylis!:
The right or north bank Of the
Columbia, like the south, is one
continued Chain of high hills and
bluffs, heavily timbcrrd, from Cape
Disappointment to the mouth Of the
Cowli,z river, which enters the Co.
lumbia. on tie west side, about fifty
miles above the cape. Up to this
point there is little or no land on the
Columbia susceptible of cultivation,
with the exception of a creek bot
tom on the south side, near the
IN nth, called "Cratsup Palms."
which is, perhaps, from mile, TO a
mile and a half wide, by fourteen or
fifteen long, and the islands on the
river, which are numerous, are from
one to fifteen miles lcng. ] cannot
properly call the soil alluvial, as the
Columbia has its source in volcano
ic region, and passes over, in its
long course, little else t'an basaltic
roc. and sterile sand; its deposits,
of course, are not snch rs to form a
fertile soil, From tbs point up to
Font Vancouver, and, in fact, for a
distance of near a hundred miles,
up to the gorge where the river pass
rs through the mountain range, the
bluffs rrcrde at some places half u
nile or NOR" from the river, and ali
others approach very close
But We come now 10 speak more
particularly Of the country north,
and we will, in the first place. no.
,icr the Cowlitz valley. From the
mouth of t is river TO distance OF
thirty miles up, on both sides are a
succession of prair!rs and low and
handsomely rounded and heavily
tmbrrrd hills. At u distance o,
about thirty miles from the Colum
bil, on the west side OF the river, is
q !ar2" aud beautiful rolling prairie,
twrINe or ftteen'milrS in extent.
Here is what is called the French
settlement. Most of the settlers
here are French, formerly in thr
employment ofihe Hudson Bay Com
pany who, prricrling the peaceful
and quiet lives Of farmers to the
more adventurous career oftrappcrS
determined to make settlement and
community of their own, and selec-
ted this spot for their habitation,
The soil here is Of a dark vegetable
mould, partaking much of the ma
ture of the prairie soil in the ives.
tern Fart of the United States.
think in point of fertility it is rqua
to any land have ever seen. Here
too, the Hudson Bay Company hav.
trading post, and large farm
conducted on n magnificent scale
| was informed by the gentleman in
charge of the Fort at this place, tina,
the company took from their farm
eight thousand bushels wheat of the
last years crop. The greater part
Of the labor is performed By Kama
kas Sandwich Islandcrs) and Indi.
ans, owing to the cheapncss of thei'
labor compared with the whites. I,
is only about fifteen miles from .hi,
place to the South Fork ofthe Chick
alrs river. The country between
these two points is beautifully diver.
! sin.l u;th small nr,;,;,, n,,l l.b.