The true Democrat., 1856-01-22

and move them with the Swiftness of steamers.
 All that have seen here have large English pistols, with bows and arrows and butcher knives. Altogether they are more like warriors than any thing have yet seen any where from Texas to Washington territory.
 | Why our government does not place an arm- ed steamer on these waters is matter of great surprise to every one. The sloop-of-war De- catur has been here for few months, and its influence has been most salutary in impressing our own Indians with the kind of arms we are able to bring to bear upon them in case of a rising among them. But these northerners, well knowing their ability to keep out of the way of any sailing vessels, appear to care noth- ing for her. Only few days since the captain sent boat to stop one of these canoes from proceeding up the Sound; on approaching the canoe, the officer ordered them back, when every Indian disclosed his pistol and knife and coolly told the officer they would not return. 1 The officer was glad to back out as graceful as he could and allow these savages to pass on.- othing but an armed steamer can afford protec- 1 ton to our northern frontier.
 | Our people are eager to have the Indian diff faculties settled, as they are quite confident that the Colvil mines will be worked with.great ad- vantage the moment that men can pass in safety to the mines.
 | 1 think the volunteers will rush into the 1 fight and that with success. A great majority of them are animated with pure patriotism while some doubtless are eager to plumber the | Yockamas of their immense herds of horses 1 do not believe the Yockamas will be hard to subduc. This is a prairie country, and they must fight or run. But the scene is quite changed when we come to those west of the mountains; here few miserable cowardly de. wills can lay concealed in the dark impenetrable underbrush and shoot men as they pass along with perfect impunity.
 Speaking of the state of things in southern Oregon, the Oregonian says:
 l The Indians in the Rouge river and Umpqua valleys are still committing their depredations on the defenceless settlements, pillaging and burning houses and property of the settlers, and growing bolder by their success, have approach l ed nearer the towns
 | The same paper has an account of fight at Little Meadows, on Rouge river, about the 18th of November The account says:
 l Part of Major Martins battalion was engag- ed in crossing Rouge river by means of raft. On placing the third log in the river, they were fired upon from the brush on the opposite side, | by superior number, and not being prepared for fighting, were compelled to lay behind the rocks, or anything which would shelter them 1 from the enemy's fire, till night covered their retreat. A Mr. Lewis, of Capt. Kinney's com pany, was killed; one of Capt. kinney's, two of Capt. Williams, and one of Capt. Rice's companies were wounded; one other was wounded, but of whose company was not learn | ed. It is not known that any Indians were kill led in this engagement.
 | During the day beef belonging to the vo- lunteers was killed, and at night the Indians crossed and carried it off, together with quan- l tity of arms, ammunition and provisions. | The end of the war, the Oregonan remarks, will only be when the last red-skin who has spread terror among the peaceable citizens of Rouge river and Umpqua valleys, shall have | bit the dust.
 | The San Francisco Herald, of December 20, has leading article on the news from Oregon and Washington territories, which furnishes some very interesting information, and goes to show that the Indian war in the territories Is likely to be long, bloody and protractod one. We copy the main portion of the article, as fol- 1 lows:
 The Indians are making up arms in all quar- ters, and boldly declare that the war will be one of extermination-tha they will either drive the whites from the country or perish in the effort. They resisted all the cntreaties of Father Pandosy in charge of the Yakima mis- sion, to refrain from hostilites, and through l him sent defiant message to the "soldiers, , in which they declared they were forced into the war by the outrages of the whites-that they will fight to the last, and Eff vanqushed the men who protect the camps will kill all the women and children, and the country will then be at the white mans disposal" They assert they numbered at the beginning of the war l ,O5O warriors that they were expecting 10000 more in few days, and if that number should prove insufficient, they could raise many more. We very much fear their estimates arc not exagge- rated, and that we are now engaged in formi- dabe Indian war. We have heard from a source likely to be acquainted with the facts 1 that a general outbreak of the Indians had been determined upon by an Indian chief of great authority among the Oregon tribes two or three years ago.
 There is no reason to believe that he has been very long engaged in effectng a confederation of tue tribes on this coast with view of si- multaneous attack upon the whites at all points For years he has been arranging his plans and his messengers--the most influential and elo- quent of his tribe-have been despatched tc all the tribes, even as far as the Sioux in Ne- braska and the Yumas on the Colorado, to urge upon them a general war of eXterminatiOu against the whites. The Sioux, one of the most powerful and warke tribes on the conti- nent are in open rebellion--all the tribes in Oregon and Washington territories, with the exception of the Clackamas and a few others who have been fast friends of the whites, are ravaging the settlements, and do not hesitate tC encounter large bodies of troops in the open field. Inalmost every encounter of importance they have etker defeated the troops or held their own. We have news by the Columbia of battle fought between the Oregon volun- teers, on the march against Fort Walla Wall the Indian headquarters, and large force o the savages.
 The fight was hotly contested for two days The whites lost number of men, including very large proportion of officers and were final ly compelled to halt and entrench themselves until they could obtain supplies and ammuni- tion. Many other encounters have taken place on small scale, in which the Indians are report. ed to have been driven back, but never without inhctng loss upon their enemies. The affair has assumed such magnitude-the chief at the head of the confederation is so shrewd and de- termined-the savages are so numerous so wei armed, and fight so desperately they inhab country withal so remote and so inaccess ble especially in winter, that considerable army will be required to reduce them. It is mos unfortunate that hostilities should have broker out at this juncture. The settlements in tht territories are in their infancy, and the filling III of the country depended upon the preserva ton of peace with the Indians. Immigration across the plains must entirely cease, and many of the settlers now located in the exposed dis tricts will desert their farms and fly to a more peaceful country for security. The growth o Oregon and Washington will be in consequence checked to an extent from which they will not recov CT for years.
 What Another old Line Whig says.
 The following is an extract from speecl made by Hon. John Kerr, at mass meetin! recently held in North Carolina. Mir. ker was formerly distinguished whig member o