The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-03-07
TIL E REPU B LIC.
From Oregon.

| ate lettcr from Oregon Guy, Whch 10 Hot Wilhou'
interest. for the observations it contains in refer
ence to the present and prospective condition oil
| Oregon. We extract as follows
" The fall emigration has come in without any
particular nishap; but as suppose they will write
| To their friends all will say about them Is this
they look well, in health, tough, and hardy; the
men have a rough appearance, and the ladies do
not look if they had Just come out OF bandboxes.
But all this will be changed by few days rest.
They seem pleased, and the children appear per-
fectly happy and they are as lively and sprightly
as young antelopes.
some of the good and enough Of the bad at the
mines in the summer Of '4S. ] got some gold and
| "a good many chills The ague and fever, chills
and fever, scarcely ever originate here. In the
| fall, when the masma from your prairies and low
lands spreads over the country, here vegetation is
dried up, and the air is pure and nvigorating; and
while your atmosphere is smoky nd>hazy, an or
| dinary eye can pierce ours and become familiar
/ with objects hundred miles distant Indeed, at
| this season the views presented about our coun-
try are grand-inspiring the soul of man with no.
BILE emotions-making him feel that he is not only
surrounded with Gods most beautiful but his sub
lilnest works. Nor does the eye tire at the sight,
or the heart safe at the wonders of nature, In my
lecture at Springfield attempted to describe some
thing of the scenery of this valley. How poor and
4 tame that effort!
''Since left Iowa have been principally in Ore
! gon; and have seen great changes here The
gold discoveries in California operated to our in
4 y,
has passed. These discoveries led off population
at first, and put entire check to Improvements.
| Flourshing farms were abandoned for the moment.
| Young men ceased to take possession and improve
their claims. Buildings III the process OF erection
were left unfinished. Wagons and teams were in
demand, and the population moved off in masses,
as if the male population in some mighty exigency
had been called To bear their countrys eagles amid
the storm and strife of battle But there is now
another change passing before us. The gold hunt
| ers have returned 10 their homes and occupations
The farmer is again improving his lands increasing 6
his stock and rendering his home desirable. Gold,
unless il be made to subserve these and other
useful purposes is of little worth. And, after all,
labor Is better than gold. II is that which is now
beautfying this valley and preparing it for the
happy abode Of a numerous population.
'"rhe year came through last preceded the In
dian That dark time for Oregon.
But our men, half armed and lily provided for,
soon taught the savages the invincbc character OF
Anglo-Saxon valor. The Indians, Venture to say,
will never again make upon Oregon. Some
vicious individuals may occasionally commit out
RACES; but these will be promptly punished. In
dian tribes in the neighborhood of settlements dare
not now withhold culprits when demanded by our
authorities.
Society is greatly in advance here OF what you
may'suppose. In fact, it is the very smallest por-
tion ofemigrants who not intelligent, and fully
| understand the rights of others we'll as their
own Ii would not be fair to class our emigrants
with those who in former times inhabited the from
tiers OF the new States Scarcely any family comes
here who are not fully up 10 the general standard
of morality and education.
al have referred to the gratifying fact that peo-
pie are progressing with improvements. Our farm
ers find that every thing which have for sale
finds sure market at high prices. The crops the
last season were fine, though not large, and this fol
the reason that the principal farmers were absen
in California. Wheat is worth So a bushel; pota
toes 81 To y 80; turnps 80 TO 75 cents; onions .
a bushel. These last can be raised here with grea
facility. Mr.. Wetherby of Yam Hill grew scvera
| hun with lle
ing the land and sowing the seed. Thousands ant
thousands of bushels of onions and other vegetable
can be sold here at the prices named So that, !
they cannot get gold rs fast in attending TO thei
farming business as they can by digging in Cali
fornia, they quite sure ofobtanng il in consider
able quantities, and that with far more comfort ant
pleasure to themselves. From the appearances o
the fields and the industry OF the farmers In th'
counties in this neighborhood, judge that we shai
have much larger crops the coming season than we
had the last. The wheat crop, you know, nevei
fails here altogether. Some IL yields bete
than others; but it is injured by blast, rust
| or smut.
"We are having some cmigrants from California
Some come here 10 spend the winter, and other
because Of the rough fare there II these had thei
families with them, / have no doubt they woulC
stop for aye. Indeed, for some time think we maj
expect our largest emigration from thence. w,
are looking ahead, herel We are expecting, in
few years, to be knocking at the door of Congress
for admission into the Union. You will hear u
there What misfortune that Govern
ment did not stand 10 their line--5io 40'? w,
have ceded away country having immense com
mercia advantages, all of IL good as Maine; anc
the Island of Vancouver contains within herself re
sources for powerful State What became Of tn,
doctrine that European colonies should not b'
planted on American soil, when Vancouver wa,
given up 10 British rapacityi
al was over in the Puget Sound country in tho
spring. The British lied TO US, when they told u'
the country north Of the Columbia good for
nothing Tor agricultural purposes There are good
farming lands scattered about the country. II Is a
better country than some parts OF the interior o
Pennsylvania; and il furnishes excellent harbors
the best in the world. Had not naval officers
engaged in lot speculstions in towns upon the San
Francisco Bay, their capital and means would have
been employed in developing the advantages Of the
country and the hsrbors on Puget Sound.
al and few friends havc formed a company to
explore the coast south of the Oregon. We hear
that there harbors on that coast, and rivers
running into them from the coast range. Lumber
Is good article here, in the various forms Of oist,
plank, shingles and lathes, and always will be for
foreign demand-and such is the immensity Of the
stock Of timber that many generations will pass
before il can be seriously diminished We want
manufacturing lumber. The coast range has the
best timber in the world and il would seem as IL
this country were designed by Providence 10 fur
nish not only California with this absolutely ne.
cessary article of civilization, but many OF the
islands of the sea.
"You thought me enthusiastic when I spoke to
you OF Oregon. am not the less 20 now You
have seen the change Of the last few years in the
business and commerce Of the American territories
on the Pacific; il will increase. VIC think in a more
rapid ratio in coming ycars, We shall soon be
building ships and steamboats, here. We have tim
bcr, iron, coal aud copper in these territories and, If
your population docs not transplant themselves
upon the Pacific coasts, we have a recourse for OBJ
tanning the labor in the millions Of those who would
gladly come 10 us from the Celestial Empire.
| 81 promised you, when left Illinois, that would
glunc 49, Iola.r H..t
| that paper has been dead pretty much ever since
the gold discovery, until within few weeks past
or, rather, until the full emigration came in The
| printer docs not seem 10 be affected by the gold
fever, and lentertain the hope that the paper will
be regularly printed hereafter.
| ''Yours, d."
Tns AprHoRkss OF JANE EvRR.-An English