The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-04-24
DAILY INTELLIGENCER.
Saturday, April "a. 1880.


Stco IOilOWlnS VI new uooA' al 6uto
bic. raphy of one Ct the earliest pio-
ueers, best known citizens. aud most
honorable men Of the p .cific coast:
The remarkable career Of Mr.. Peter
III. Burnett, the auth,,r OF this autobi.
ography, deserved to be recorded and
10 are glad it has been given TO the
world. In no country bat this. perhaps
would such career be possible. There
have been pioneers who have had more
varied and stirring experiences than tha
autho. Of this book. But few indeed
have been thoss whose lives teach such
sn instructive lesson 40 Mr. Burnett's.
Of the value Of Integrity. sobriety. aud
good principles.
Born at Nashville, Tennessee. in 1907.
in Poverty. the sum total Of Mr. Bcr-
nets school education. a. he tells. was
to learn to read aud write and cipher,
80 fer a. the rule OF supposition"-
whstsver that may be-snd to parse
and punctuate with tolsrsbls accuracy.
With that slender foundation of schol.
sstic education. he has been prsctis-
ing lawyer for Some years, Judge OF
the Supreme Court Of Oregon. Justice
Of the Supreme Csurt OF Califnruia, and
Governor OF the latter State, and 10 nov
10 his hcnored old age. . banker in
San Francisco. Up to the age of thirty
six he had failed in nearly vsrytbing
he had undertaken. He had lived In
various places. been . storekeeper, be-
come bankrupt and fsand himsslf in
debt to the amount Of seyarsl thousand
dellars. In 1643 q Congressional re-
port about Oregon fell into his hands
and he determined to emigrate thither
with bis wife and six children. He or
ganizsd q wagon company, and the
smigrAnts made the long and severe
journey across the mountains to the
Pacific. They left the rendezvous just
beyond tho line Of the State of Missouri
on the nth Of May, and arrived at Fort
Walla Wplla, In Oregon. on the 10th Of
October, having been lat days on the
way. In this journey we get . glimpss
OF Gov Fremont. then about thirty
years cid, whose mo lest appearance,
calm aud gentle manner and email foot
covered with . thin calf skinned boot
ere laudsd BY Mr. Burnett. In Oregon
he remained Ave years, when hearing oi
the discovery Of gold in CAlifornis, be
went thisheS, overland, stopping at the
nines. and arriving in March, 1849, at
San Francisco. which then contained
about 1900 inhabitants, Of whom fifteen
were wsmen, Ave or six children, and
the remainder nesrly MI young men,
very few being over forty. The people
Of CaliferniA were quick to appreciate
Mr. BurDett's worth. A State Govern
msnt WAS formad soon after his arrival
and he was elected the first Governor Of
California, beng insugurAted Decsm-
Der Is, 184o. As soon rs possible after
reaching California. he sent for his wife
and children, and that State has been
his home ever since.
II there was not much literary merit
in Mr. Burnett's book, he writes clearly
and has not few interesting things e
tell Of himself and those with whom BIZ
has come in contact. Amusing were
s.some OF the primitive notions in West
ern Missouri. where No lived before 90
ing to Oregon. Tho inhabitants
dressed very simply, aud the appear
ance OF . man in broadcloth was much
remarked. Once when shopkeepel
Of tho town of Liberty, q man of eda.
cation. strictly temperate habits and
we'll behaved. attended preaching in
broadcleth. the preacher during hi,
sermon referred to the man. though moi
by name, 'as the smooth faced youne
man In fioe apparel, and severely con.
dsmnsd HE style Of dress ~ being CON
trary to the spirit of the Gospel.
Another Aissourian Of that time Va,
man OF good natural rarts, but very
illiterate. who Was elected q member
Of the State Senate. This Senate,
spelled Congress '.Kongriss.D aud
while attending his Hrst session of til,
Hsuats. was asked how low tue mercu-
~ fell IN his locality. He promptly
replied: 1T ran into the ground about
. foot"
IN Missouri. 1t that time. wese founs
many Rocky Mountain trappers. swhs
were fond OF drawing the long bow and
invsntiuG rosnauoes Of what they bad
sean. Black Harris, o Que Of them wa
called, was ene OF the most extrava.
CAN'T oftheps invsutors.
He said that on one occasion no wa,
hunting In the Rocky mountains alone
and came in tight Of what he supposed
to b . beautiful grove Of green trees
but when DO approached. he found il /,
b pstri6ed forest; and 50 sudden has
bsen the process q petrifAction tha
the green leaves were al petritlsd, hns
the very birds that wsss then siueini
IN the grove were petrifed in the acs 8
singing, because their mouths were stil
open in their Pstri6ed state.
There Il quiet hpmof 10 this desorip
ton at the people Of Oregon in M
RurDstt's time:
never saw ~ fae population, a.
whole community, - I saw in Oreco,
most Of the time while I was there
They were Ill honsst. because there va
nothing to steali they we're III sober
hecause there wan no liquor TO drink
there were no misess, because Their
was no moaey 10 hoard; and they wer
industsieuA because il vas work .
okaSvo.
Hr Burnett's career in Californi
soema 10 have been prosperous frou
the start. and he deserved His prospect
81. All the old debls he contracted il
4iasoaFi. bsfors going to Oregon. b
paid in fall. although & was not accom-
plisAod until 1862. The total sum b
paid wAs 81, TAO. He pleasantly add.