, 1863-08-15
Letter from Vancouver,


VANCOUVER, August 10, 1868.
| sit down to write you letter, and what
shall l say If l rehearse the sentiments
of a traveller who passes over the dusty
road from Walla Walla to Walula they
would be too dry for perusal If were to
endeavor TO tell you of the gay party that,
on board the Nez PerceS Chiet, last week
visited the upper Columbia and viewed the
grandeurs of the scenery and tripped the
light fantastic toe at Wallnla, would pic
ture the scenes of imagination, for | was
not invited to join them there, and as a mat
ter of course saw nothing of their enjoy
mentS. If | were 10 describe the country
from Wallula to Cello, | would make
"grand flourish" over the left) the enter
prise Of the builders of Umatilla City, and
picture the rocks and sands and rapids and
monotouous shores that lie along that hun
dred mileS Of distance If l were to tell
you Of the road of iron that joins the Dalles
with Cello, | might Gil more space than
you have to spare in the description of that
route as it appeared in 1859, when the first
railroad line was projected and when a small
party Of five men made surveys for eStima-
ting the cost of that portion of the Pacific
Railroad, destined 10 be so soon completed
by the energy Of the Oregon Steam Navi-
cation Company, the pioneers of the Co
lumbia Navigation. Who can ride along
this road at the rate Of twenty miles an
hour without feeling that in this age Of
progress the steamboat and car are super
cediug the ox-team and the stage coach and
that before long the rest of the iron band
will be made which is to span the continent
and Join us to the Atlantic? The thoughts
which thus filled my mind, taking an utili
tartan view of this work, were changed to
an admiration of the picturesque as we
passed over the Cascade portage, where the
train rattles over ravines, plunges into for
esls, rOarS through rocky cuts, and Vles in
| its swlftneSs with the rushing waters Of
| the " mighty Oregon" as it foams over the
mighty rocks, now laundering up their moss
| grown heads during low water. From the
| Cascades to Portland the same variety Of
majestic mountain scenery prevails. The
white ryulets which rush in torrents Of
foam from the snow clad rocks in spring are
now dried in their channels and only few
feathery waterfalls are now seen in place
of the hundreds which were in view whsn
passed over this route eight months ago.
On our arrival at Portland the misty
Willamette gave US its usual greeting,-a
relief | must confess from the cloudless sky
and dry air of our WaIla Wala. The first
thing | did at Portland was, as usual, to
catch cold and the next thing was to go
to Vancouver Have you ever been iu a
town in an old settled country two hundred
aud fifty years old, where the grass grows
in the streets and where everything wears
an air of primeval repose Such q place
is Vancouver " For Rent appears on
majority of the houses, and the few stores
which are now running" do what we
would call 10 Walla Walla very small bus
mess The enterprise and energy which
the people of Clark County have shown
is deserving Of better fate but the cap
! ita of trade has been located elsewhere and
they must be content to remain way place,
and see pass daily by that commerce which
they have strven so hard in vain 10 con
troll.
We bad Thanksgiving Day here on the
the 9th, in accordance with the Proclama-
ton of the President. Rev d. Bagley de-
livered an impressive and forcible address in
the morning, aud at night the citizens as
sembIed to hold jubilee over the late vic
tories and the signs of returning peace.
Addresses short, eloquent and patriotic
were made by Messrs. L. Holmes, Judge d.
P. OHphaut, Gen. Benz Avord Judge J..
f. Wyche, J. j. McGiIvray and Rev ]. O.
Rayner. National airs were sung, aud the
whole affair went off nicely for an i'm
promptu meeting. Messrs. Holmes and
McGilvray were for hanging promiscuOusy
after the war was ended, but the other gen
tlemen breathed spirit of less rancour and
more in accordance with the times in. which
we live 1t would seem to me it were time
to talk of punishment when the contest was
closed that if the members of the @. S. A.
were 10 have the choice of meeting death
with the halter, on the conclusion of a
peace, as The expiation of their treason,
or continuing the war and dying at the point
of the bayonet or the mouth Of the eau
non, they would not hesitate in choosing
the latter. Yours TRULY.