New-York daily tribune., 1858-12-29

The climate take it all 10 all, is mach like that Of
Englsud, aud all plants aud animals which do IN
Britain viii prosper IN Oregon. The Oregon fru,
is excellent particularly the apples and plums; the
peaches and pears not quite 80 good as those Of
California
All along the coast of Oregon there is a range Of
mountains about forty miles wile, aud they are
So d,usely timbcred with cedar, pine. spruce and
fir that the de nsiy of the wood alone would render
them worthless for an age, if they were not rugged.
/ But they are very rugged, and the Umpqua ana
Rogue Rivers IN making their way through thcu
have not been able 70 get any bottom lands, and
ar. limited 10 narrow hgh-wsled cinons. The
only tillable lauds on the banks OF those rivers
are about ffty miles from the sea, each having a
valley which IN general terms, may De described
As twelve miles wide BY thirty long. Rogne RIVER
Valley is separated from California by the sissyou
Mountains, about 5000 feet. and from mpqua
Valley by the Canon Mountains, about 5,Ouo teet
high; and the GmPqqa again IS 'sPa,Masa it"Hi
the willamette Valley by the Calapoo!d Siouu''Nus'
also about 5000 feet high.
There are several little harbors along the facihc
coast Of Oregon. but nearly the whole foreign trade
of the Territory is doIe through the ports ol lor'-
! Land and Crescent City. Portland lies w miles
from the ocean. access to It being had through me
/ Columbia which at low tide IN dry seasons mas
only nile feet of wat.T-scarcty enough ior sea
going vessels From Portland, steamers run up the
w
the river though hardl, half far by land steam
ers have asc,nded 100 miles further, to Eugene
CITY. but the ordinary conveyance from CoFNallis
southward is in stages. which however, do not run
regularly south of Eugene City The Traveller from
California 10 the Willamette Valley il usually com
relled 10 90 aioot or on mueback. The valley oi
the Jmpgua does what little foreign trHle IL H's
partly through Portland, partly through Crescent
CITY. and partly through the port ot Gardner, M
B. II ,h 80 Rogue valley trhut
altogether with Crescent City in California, whence
there is a wagon-road, l2O miles, leading out over
the mountains 70 Jacksonville.
All Oreeon-that is its western division, except
the low land, Of the Willamette, mpqua ana
Rogue Valleys-is covered with dense TIMBER
chiefly of coarse grained uood-such AS iir, spruce
,nd 6cmlock In the southwestern corner OF the
Territory. however. there are considerable forests
Of white cedar--a large and beautiful tree pro-
duciug A soft fne-e grained lumber. and very trag'
rant With II perfume, which, | think, might v,
initiated by mixing ottar of roses with turpchtlhe'
Oak and ash are rare. Nearly all the trees arc
coulftrOus.
The towns of the Territory are Astoria, Rainier
ST. Helens. and the Dalles on the Columbia Rner;
all Of them very small places at present and all,
save the last, without any prospect OF future
growth On the Willamette are Portland, Mil
waukee Oregon City, Bueyillc ChampOeg Far
field, Salem, Albany, Corvallis, Bonneville and
! Eugene City. On the tributaries OF the Villa
mette are Clackamas, Lafayette, DAYTON, Parkers-
Vile and Santiam. On the Umpqua are Gardner,
Middleton, Scottsburg, Winchester, Rosebug and
CaIonyille. In Rogue Valley are Jacksonville,
Waldo and Athouse. The largest place Is Port
land, which has $500 inhabitants
The Territory generally is healthy. Wages are
from So to So day for mechanics. and from SlJ
to $40 per month for farm laborers. Wheat, oats
aud potatoes are ordinarily worth from 81 80 TO
81 per bushel.
At Oregon City, l2 miles above Portland there
s Il fall in the Willamette River, which furnishes a
great water power. There is also great water
power at the Cascades and the Daes, where there
are Falls in the Columbia. Elsewhere water
power is scarce, except in places very difficult OF ac-
In p..re valley ana along the beach of the Pa
cifc there are extensive gold diggings. There are
also large seams of tertiary coal at Goose Bay.
These the only valuable minerals in the Terri
tory. The scenery ON the Columbia is grand, from
Walla Wslla, where it first touches Oregon, to the
ocean. There are FIVE mountain peaks IN the Ter.
ritory rising to the region OF perpetual snow: Mt.
Three Sisters, Mt. Scott and Mt. Mclaughlin, all
about 5000 feet high.
The population numbers T., 600 voters, and about
a., 600 souls in all most OF whom are emigrants
from Missouri and Illinois They are generally
intelligent, industrious and moral. There are about
, dozen newspapers published IN oregon, all Vi
them wcckiies. The chief exports are wheat, -four,
apples, butter, cheese, sated salmon, sailed meats
and Goals and from 10000 to 20, 600 head of horned
cattle and sheep annually driven TO California.
Salmon are very abundant in the Columbia and
its branches, and those taken at the mouth OF toe
main stream are said to b. the best ON the coast
! The fishing is done chiefly by Indians.
Such is n brief, and believe, fair statement of
; the resources and condition of Oregon. 1t =
made TO convey correct idea of the Territory
not to attract or deter emigration. California has
a clearer sky, more agreeable climate. more ex
tensiye and richer deposits OF valuable minerals,
greater natural facilities for internal trade and ex
ternal commerce, . greater variety OF soil and
cline, fitting it for the growth of the fig, the
orange, the olive, and the date, as well as of the
vine, apple, and wheat; but, on the other hand,
has the disadvantages OF scanty timber, very dry
Summers and Autumns-compellng the farmer 10
irrgate his land--an unsettled population small
proportion of families, unsteady course OF trade
ard unsetted titles to most of the soil under Occu-
, patton. Washington has advantages superior ~
those of Oregon for foreign commerce, numbering
and fishing. The nlan advantages of Oregon over
both having large body OF level rich prairie
land with abundant water, aud neither too much
nor too little timber.