The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-03-16
Pioneer and Historical.
Annual Address by W. II. Gray.

The sixth annual meeting of the Pio-
neer and Historical Society of Oregon
was held at Astoria on the 22d and 23rd
days of February last. The annual ad-
dress which was delivered by w. H..
Gray, President of the Society, contains
great deal of interesting history. 1t
was published in the Historian, and we
republish it believing it will be of inter-
est to the readers of the INDEPEN-
DENT:
ANNUAL ADDRESS.
Officers and members of the Pioneer
and Historical Society of Oregon.
Respected and honored ladies and
gentlemen, felloU citizens.
On this sixth university of our soci-
ETY. we propose to review briefly few
of the many incidents relative to this
country, its aboriginal and present in
habitauts. 1t is not my purpose on
this occasion to state more than simple
facts, and suggest the natural inference
relative to such transactions as relate
to our early history. 1t is well known
that up to the year 1892, sixteen years
after the Declaration of our National
Independence, the vast country lying
between the parallels of AZ > and ASS
40 min. north latitude, and extending
from the Rocky mountains on the east,
to the Pacific Ocean on the west, was
occupied by numerous rowing tribes of
Indians. Prior to the above date no
civilized or christian organization had
been established north of the AID par
allel, nor was there anything in the
country, representing a more civilized
race, until 1911. The city in which
we meet to-day has the honor of re-
ceiving the first marks OF an advanced
civilization.
At that time a thousand light ard
well shaped caloes might be seen on
the waters of the majestic river before
us, filled with aboriginal life, and won
dering natives, looking at the marks of
superior skill and daring of the hardy
mariner and adventurous trader. The
natives of this country were slow to
comprehend-like the natives that have
preceded them-that intelligence is
power, and ignorance leads to destruc-
ton.
THE NORTHWEST FUR COMPANY
In 1880, obtaining a charter from
Louis XIII of France, entered the
country called Acadia or New France.
About two years after in 1852, Charles
I, of England ceded to France the
British claim to it. In 1870 Charles
III, of England, to circumvent the
French, and recover his American Ter
rltory, chartered the British Hudson
Bay Company.
AN ERROR.
Most writer's of the present day at
tribute to the Hudson Bay Company,
an earlier existence than that of the
French Company, while the latter was
of an earleir date by forty years, and
was the most active in exploring and
occupying the vast country now known
as British Possessions, and Oregon, in
North America. The two fur compan.
les above referred to, continue their
separate trading interests in the coun-
try. The French under the charge of
Louis XIII, as stipulated in the treaty
Of 1897 with England, were protected
in their rights of trade and property in
all the country they had explored and
occupied with trading posts-the char
ter of the Hudson Bay Company limit.
ing them to the waters, bays, rivers,
lakes and creeks entering into Hudson
Straits, together with oil the lands and
territories not already occupied, or
granted to any of the Kings subjects,
or possessed by the subjects of any
other christian Prince or State.
THEIR FEUDS.
will no. detain you to describe the
active, bold and daring adventures, the
feuds set on foot by these two rival
companies Of foreign fur traders; nor
Of their deadly strife with each other;
enlisting all the fury Of the savage ele-
ment to snpplant each other in their so
called christian Commercial Relation
with the nstives, suffice that their own
writer's, end servants, and history in
form 10 thai the deadly strife was con-
tinucd among them till the British Gov
eminent, In le2l, BY an act Of Parlia-