Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-01-12

petition, VOL a, page o5f, WGere ne
Of the most remarkable places upon the Columbia The
river here compressed into channel three hun
dred feet ,cide, and half mile long," "Besdes the
main channel there four five other small channels
through which the water passes when the river is high
these are but few feet across The river falls about fifty
feet in distance of two miles, and the greatest be-
tween high and low mark is sixty-two feet The
great rise is caused by the accumulation of water in the
river above which is damned by the narrow pass and is
constantly increasing until it backs the water and overows
MANY low grounds and islands above. This quotation
from one of the most eminent of American explorers, APP
pehend defines the position Of your correspondent truth
in this particular. But let proceed
He comes next the Cascade mountains, and led 10
exclam This region will become settled, and why
Because between and communication the Cascade
Mountains lift their heads height that forbids all land in
The river navigation nothing, as the Cascades
obstruction that cannot be removed They are forty
five miles below here, he Dales,) and extend nearly five
miles. Every article be carried this portage by
hand There formerly wagon road, but has become
filled up by the trees and rocks constantly falling from the
cliffs that hang it."
Now, Messs Editors that he first asserts the Cascade
Mountains forbid all land intercourse" and at the next
breath tells you there wagon road between those
same regions And all that binders wagon communication
no, is the rocks and trees which hare fallen into it. Now,
sir this be poor apology for Yankee to sup
pose these rocks and trees cannot be removed from this wagon
road He tells you ecy article must be carried over this
portage by hand excluding the possibility that the old road
can erer be reopened that communication be
found between the Willamette valley and Middle Oregon,
through any other pass in the Cascade Mountains tseems
he had surveyed the Vho range of mountains and become
sufficiently informed make the sweeping assertion that
all Oregon lying Jeoeen the Cascade and Blue Mountains
- 10
had between that region and the ocean, by Of ho
mountains and the Cascades. Yet, he did not fall upon
Captain Barlows road the Cascade Mountains, along
the foot of Mount Hood which thousand wagons have
passed. and which drove five yoke OF in lS7,
drawing twenty hundred, Whoat single accident Andthis
the wagon road which youcorespendent caeessy
toned either, bu, better and different Besides
these tco land communications, there is good pas
these same mountains from Nesquay Wala Wah, and
another one through the range far south Of Mount
Hood and still another called the southern route leading
through the celebrated Canon, to say nothing about other
passes which time and the necessary observation will discover
The Cascades he tells you extend nearly five miles, while
the language of Captain Wilkes concerning the place.
is follows Speaking Of tie Cascades the CAPTAIN says
This the head of ship navigation, where the river takes
norhward and for upwards of ttoo miles is compare
lively narrow, four hundred and fifty yards wide 1t falls in
that distance about forty eet,' &c. In this too the
racy of your correspondent is gan defined He makes the
Cascades FIVE miles, Captain Wilkes two, little more
And you will perceive that the fall in these two miles about
forty feet, which certainly would lead suppose that
road impossible to be Constructed here. And per-
sonal interview with Captain Wilkes this subject he
that there is insnrnountabe barrier to the
sruction Of railroad, even, from the Daes down the Co.
umba by the Cascades, and thence Pugets Sound And
this is fact well known to The people of Oregon Now, sir
-.
other parts of his letter. when the fasy of his statements
appears plainly in all those points have mentioned
The writer betrays himself when he says, in the
ton, being about leave tie Cascades, " 1t the first
time had clear viewthe whole country having been
veloped in thick smoke since reached it till this tine"
BY his confessions, therefore, he had been perfectly
able to judge of the country from the Grand Rounds the
Dales because be could for the smoke that envelop
ed it. But thick that smoke was, which is always
dense that of the year, satisfied that his
tai vision enveoped by smoke still dense. But
will leave this part of his letter.
Now, Messrs Editors, wish you understand that your
correspondent at the time he wrote had part of the
settlements o Oregon except what he going from Van
Cape Disappointment and back-not one-tcentieh
part of the whole He evidently not the Catsop
Plains, he says nothing of them, consequently he no
portion Of the community who pretend make farming their
business Tie very few people that nhab the banks of the
Columbia, from Vancouver to the mouth of the river, Cat
sop excepted, are mostly engaged in bering and do not
pretend to tun their attention to agriculture with the excep
ton Of little gardening. He had, therefore, seen none
of the agrculturss and comparatively Of the people,
Yet he makes bold say, "Evry has either been to
the mines Of the family" agriculture has
been enr abandoned The finest farms here have raised
fifty dellars worth of produce, &c. Now, ss beg leave
to say that all these statements false fasity ITSELF
The larger portion Of male population, above Is years.
have been to the Mines but that evey has been or
sent Of the family, is altogether And that
agriculture has been entirely abandoned" is still false
On the other hand, true that amidst all the excitement
there produce enough raised and harvested in Oregon in
the summer Of lS4s, to feed the population the coming year
The assertion that farm in Oregon has produced fifth
dollars worth Of produce will be properly appreciated when
tell you that the wheat fields in Oregon, this last season.
averaged from fire fifty acres, which would yield on an
average twenty-five thirty bushels to the acre. Now
when he tells you that -four worth there Sl4 per barrel
perhaps he calculate whether any of those fields would
produce fifty dollars worth not. You may assured
that those fields in most instances cere harvested Now sir
-four, and pay o' grinding ami packing besides know ia
cob Spores of Linn county, had fifty of wheat sum-
which, say the least would yield bushels TO the acre.
That whedt cas aNharreted It would YIELD at five bushels
per barel $50 barrels of -four This at Sl4 per BARREL
would be worth 500 Now hoecer near SO are to 500
so near your correspondent came to telling the truth.
The next fact worthy of notice Islander on Governor
II s.