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

Congress from the territory vi Oiosoii' ga " go
Gle which originally appeared IN the Boston Cou-
rier was written with intention to forward II Tor
publication in that paper. AS had however been
transferred to the columns of this paper the author
has asked place for it in our columns, which IS
cheerfuly accorded to It,
To the Editor of the Boston Courier.
Having examined the letter of your Oregon correspondent
dated H. b. Companys Office, Columbia river, October
lh ls4s" and to which referred in my note to your pa
Der Of December =, ls4s, now proceed to make few
comments upon it, and leave the public decide to how
much confidence can be placed in its statements And
would here remark that of the greatest evils under which
the reading public is aborng al the present time that con-
trarey of statements concerning the same subject supen
duced by cloud Of careless correspondents which hangs
about the public press determined to write some'hng'
they what in too many instances providing hey can
enlist the public the Warehouses; OF their tae mis-
Messrs Editors with all due Difference appears TO have been
the of mind of your Osegon correspondent IN inns case
have no doubt acting the responsive Priessess Of the
Hudson Bay Company's Temple. And the profuson with
which he writes can be accounted for in other way,
conceive than that he have been labong under the
effects of that sparkling wine whose age is centennial and
which the Company always prousey with strangers
as sort of gauge to measure their price by But, to his
story
Near the commencement Of his letter he tells you that,
having left his company the Grand Round ne proceeded to
the DaIes the mission of the late Dr. Whitman Here
statement the very outset false IN substance and cau
lated to deceive the public. The Daes known
Dr. Whmans mission. The missionary station known as
Dr. Whitmans mission is situated Waapu in the forks
of the Waa WalIa river hundred and fifty two hun
dred miles beyond the Dalles. Dr. Whitmans mission is
known the Presbyterian mss!on while that at the Dales
as the Methodist mission They laid down on the
maps and such is The fact So much, then, for the correct
ness of the Hudson Bay Compaays Office correspondent in
this particular
He proceeds to describe the horrors Of journey om
the Grand Round to the Dales. And to catch the of
your reader he proceeds amidst the fall of horses and the
crash Of mountains On side is the rightu precpice,
fifteen hundred feet perpendicular, while the other the
tops of the mountains tumbing from almost Unreasonable
elevations across his path Death his right death is
his left death before and behind him. death beneath him, and
dealt, above him Even Headleys description of Marshall
Mcdonald crossing the Spugen boys play when compared
to the dangers of your correspondent But Will not speak
to its truth in this particular, for suppose he followed the
old Indian trail with which acquainted. 1t might,
however, deceive the public by leading to the conclusion that
this is tie ordinarily travelled road and consequently that all
ernigrans to that country must encounter like dangers Let
this not be supposed There good wagon road from the
Grand Round the Dales which myself have driven
weight without meeting single accident Here wllleave
this flight Of your correspondents fancy.
Next in order he commences racy denuncaton of the
country between Fort Hall and the Daes The whole coun
try between these points, with the exception of the Blue
Mountains and the Grand Round he asms to be "incapa
bic of the least cultivation improvement For six hun
dred miles dozen shrubs, be ams, be
found sufficiently large shelter the traveller. "The are
msa is the only rerdnt thing that thrves in this country
to every that this writer speaks concerning that of which,
from the very of the CASE lie know but very little
He agent, clerk, in regiment of rmen hurryng
through their journey with all possible dispatch Their
vision shut in by very few miles either side and be-
couded with smoke, and yet this remarkable genius in
pressing march of this kind, able make typographical
survey Of all that country lying between Fort Hall and the
Dales, distance of six hundred and fifty miles, and extend
ing from 42o to 40 north atudeto use bis words
extent almost unlimited, with sufficient accuracy to be
able to declare select out the Blue Mountains which, TO be
sure clothed with the timber and the Grand Round
and the remainder of the country incapable of the least cu
tvaon improvement" 1t is wonder that genius of
this kind should have been able discover that Snake river
was of volcanic origin.
Now cannot stop to describe you the country thus
surveyed by that gentleman but might ask him what the
horses and mules Of that regiment lived for six hundred
miles, artenisia sand might ask him what the
and stock of the hardy and waywon emgants through that
country for the last years have lived upon What the
thousands of horses owned by the Snake Indians nhabg
the banks of the volcanic Snake river" live upon Whe
Their be the cattle and horses owned Fort Hail. which
live and thrive during the winter without being housed fed
Whether he the thousands Of horses belonging the
Cayuse tribe, which thrive the year round and year,
upon those immense barren desers where nothing but
artenasa grows and which is incapable of the least cult
walton and Improvement I" Whether he their and
cows the thousands Of horses owned by the Nez Pec
by the Wala Walas, and Spokans' Whether it is not
fact that Dr. Whitman and his felowaboers had taught the
Cayuses the Nez Perces and Spokans the Of agrcu
ture to very considerable extent And whether these In
dams did not to have fields of corn potatoes wheat bar
ley, &c., oxen horses and hogs and all too in that
<barren desert incapable of the least Improvement cu
tvation, and not in the Grand Round the Blue Mountains
either would ask him if it is fact we'll settled that
that part of Oregon lying between the Blue and Cascade
Mountains which term Middle Oregon" one of the
finest grazing countries in the world And finally would
ask him what this language MEANS be found in the 4h
volume of Capt Wlkess Exploring Expedition, and uttered
concerning garden and crops Walatpu, section Of
country between the Blue Mountains and the Dales " They
have fine kitchen garden in which grow all the vegetables
raised in the United States and kinds fine melons
The wheat, of which stood feet high, in
full head, and nearly ripe. Indian in asse
some Of measured nine feet in height They will reap
this year about three hundred bushels of wheat with