The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-07-06
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.

One of the prettiest towns in all the
country is Vancouver, on the Columbia,
place renowned in the earlier days of
Oregon Territory as being trading post
and fort of much Importance, and which
still holds its military station, though
the prestige of it's military dignity has
departed, and the lovely Siwash no lon
ger captivates the sturdy army officer as
of yore. Instead of the Indian dance
and hunt and war song, the camas dig
ging and berry gathering of cloochmen
and the arrow matches of tenas titlicuns;
instead of the wigwam and the smoked
salmon, the jerked venison and bark
canoes, you see beautifully laid out
town, with neat white cottages and
buildings more pretentious, with
churches and school-houses and stores
and shops and offices of every descrip-
tion abounding, while gardens and orch
ards flourish on every hand, and vines
and shade trees garnish almost every
dwelling. Vancouver is not fast place,
in business sense, at least. 1t may be
as fast in its young Americans as larger
towns, and is quite as much an adept in
tobacco smoke and drunkenness as Port
land, making due allowance for the diff
ference in size; but its landlords are con-
tent with reasonable rentals, and its
merchants with business that, if slow,
is sure. AS this is the county seat,
there is a rush of business in the legal
and judicial line twice every year, and
the County Court holds its sessions reg
ularly, so there is paying business for a
few lawyers and the usual quota of
county officers.
Fort Vancouver sits high and dry
upon the plain back of the town, and
here you may find one of the neatest
and best ordered government barracks
on the Pacific Coast. The Indians and
the old officers being gone, the present
incumbents are gentlemen in morals
, and culture, and the town and its envi-
rons are as staid and orderly as any one
could wish them to be.
Here is the Vancouver Independent, a
weekly journal, edited byW. Byron Dan
iels and published by the Daniels broth
! ers, which, as country newspaper, is a
credit alike to the place and its ener-
getic and gentlemanly proprietors. Mr..
Daniels, Sr., though yet in his twen-
= ties, has been honored by seat in the
Territorial Legislature, whittier he will
repair in the autumn to do valiant SER
s vice for the enfranchisement of woman.
The public school, under the manage
:. ment of H. G. Leiser, Esq, has just
closed, as have also the Catholic schools
j and Mrs. Nicholson's musical academy
t Rev. Mr.. Stubbs, last year of LaGrandt
J, circuit of NJ. E. Conference, and now o.
s Vancouver, together with his intelli
- gent wife, who is also preacher of abil
d ity and zeal, is much beloved by his
IS pastorate, and there is strong hope tha
: he will be retained for another year.
Our friends, the Maxons, still carry OF
r business at the old stand, surrounded by
" peace and plenty.
I Hubert Daniels, formerly Portland
u schoolbOy, and now responsible fam
1t lily man." keeps a fiourishing tin-wart
k establishment.
= Judge Stewart, Captain Smallwood
It Hon. S. w. Brown, and their families
e and many other friends and patrons o
our mission, greet the wanderer ant
t. welcome her home again, and we cal
J. hardly realize that eighteen month
s. have elapsed since last we met the ia
is miliar faces of all these old-time friends
le We do wonder if it intends raining al
10 summer? 1t really seems like it. Th
D, cherries, which load the trees almost t.
ID breaking, are bursting open because c
Y the rain; vegetables are growing eve
= larger than is their wont, while tn
le wheat is falling down, the grass is wais
e, high, and dog-fennal aud roses run rio
Of everywhere. You get as wet by walk
,e ing in the gardens as you would b.
,e swimming the Columbia; but the air
lie as pure and sweet as the breath c
Is "Araby the blest," and you draw nea
the cheerful fire and thank your star
that the weather is not sultry, as in Hi
nois, nor dusty, as in California. Bu
, it's too rainy, and the undersigned is to
lazy for lectures, so we visit and atten
- to business between showers, aud cuddl
down in Mrs. Daniels easy chair whe
=" tired, where we talk over old times il
:, Yamhill, and cogitate upon the muta
- tions of life till dinner time.
Thus the days go on till Saturday
~ Many friends patronize the Peoples Pa
81 per and buy "David and Anna" 70
'e their libraries. At one P. NJ. we begi
III to look for the o. S. n. Co.'s steame
D. from the Cascades. 1t is half-past fiv
b when her whistle blows. We bid friend
le goodbye and go aboard the snug packe
j. "Vancouver" to await the "Oneonta's s.
Of mooring, while crowd goes ashore be
he hind a bevy of deserters in manacles
eS who are being taken to the fort to re
- ceive trial, sentence, and punishment
" for attempting to elude the vigilance G
army discipline and escape the monOt
n, ony of "soldiering."
Of Back water from the Columbia gorge
no the Willamette at its mouth and fill
LID