, 1863-03-07


terests Of the Pacific, to the Northwest Company
for consideration. On the 23d of October the
negotiations were completed, and the gentlemen
Of the Northwest Company took possession Of
cause Of the expected naval armament, which
would not have failed to take possession of the
place without Stipulations. Nor was it accom-
plished much too soon. On the Both of Nov, the
British sloop of war Racoon. of twenty-six guns,
cast anchor in Bakers Bay. On the 18th Of De-
cember, Captain Black, of the Raooon took for
NAL possession of the post and of the country in
the name of his Britannia majesty, changing the
name of AstoriS to Fort George.
writer of thet day, and one who was a clerk
Of the company of Astor insists that with every
facility, the agents of the company at Astoria,
could have prevented the properly Of tie estab-
lishment from falling into the hands Of the British
and more than intimates that they were traitors
to the interests Of Mr.. Astor. However that
was, it proved sad failure of plan remarkable
we'll conceived, bat the execution of which was
probably not committed to hands Of sufiicien. ad-
mnistrative power. From that time for many
years, the British ensign waved over Fort George
-Astcria.-Cor. Portland Aduocdtc X. H.
Beaver Head Mines.
The Portland Times of the 10Th has the fol-
lowing:
ave have been shown letter to gentleman
in this city, dated st. Louis, January 9Th, 1868,
which speaks as follows in relation to the Beaver
Head mines: Wall has just got in. He brings
a specimen Of quartz from Bannock City, estima-
ted at $4,000 per cord. The placer is paying
from $40 to $lOO per day. In postscript he
adds: "Al the upper rivers are in fine order
The accounts from Bannock are very GOOD
Gwin writes that he has taken 5 200 out of VIM
Ead's claim, since he left. The quartz that Capt.
Hall brought is pronounced by all miners the
best ever discovered. l pulverized one pound in
a mortar, and got 3S "a cents. Gregory, from
Pixies Peak, says it is worth $4,000 per cord
We are adding 25 feet to the steamer Shreve-
port. and two new engines" This letter is from
Mr.. James Harkness, of La Barge, Hardness &,
Co., the new American Fur Company, who are
now engaged in running steamboats, up the Mis-
souri, river, and Hardness is also interested in the
contemplated stage line between Fl. Benton and
the Bitter Root valley. He further writes that
the emigration the ensuing year will be very
large.
In connection with these mines, correspond
ent Of the Rocky Mountain News writes as fol-
lows: 'Bannock City is located in Grasshopper
Gulch, tributary of Beaver Head or Jefferson
Fork of the Missouri river, and is about four hun
dred miles north of Salt Lake; four hundred and
fifty miles little south of east from Fort Walla
Walla. and three Ldndred miles southwest of
P'Ss-ns, our m no:i S.ciI;,:-
pretty well cut off from all the world and the rest
Of mankind. The Snakes and Bannocks Join us
on the South, the Pen dOreies on the west, the
Flatheads on the north and the Backfeet on the
east. The Flatheads are very friendly, and the
Pen dOrelles are on the steal, and tie Snakes
and Banaocks are heavy on the shoot, bet your
life.'
Our gulch contains one thousand inhabitants
and nearly all are doing well, making from FIVE
to fifty dollars per day to the hand, in favorable
weather. Even at present, some are making
twenty dollars per day, rocking little in the af
ternoon. In some instances as high as fifty dol
lars have been washed out of one pan. A few
very rich quartz lodes have also been struck
lately. The Dakotah lode is paying on the dis
covery about eight dollars to the pan of dirt, ta-
ken from a cave to which no limits have as yet
been found. Specimens of quartz are found COW
cred with gold. The quartz will be easy to crush
but so far we have no machinery to crush it with
1t would naturally be supposed that this country
is very cold in winter, but it has proved other
wise so far. A little gulch mining is still done
nearly every day. The ground is bare of snow