New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-08

Sound and Of Bulfnch Sound. Win
Gray's charts Broughton in the Chatham explore,
the Columbia rs far tie Cascades the first bfnaR
in il, navcation about $50 miles from the Pacilic
The settlement of Astoria ny the As,ors tur
traders. in 1911, or by The Winships OF bos'oh'
who preceded them in 1910. is interesting II al
New-iorkers The Missouri Fur Company. III
800. by Henry, one Of its agents. founded a trad
ing pest on the Snake River, attitude AZ degr IS
and this was the first establishment ny cilizeh'
of The United States west Of the Rocky Mountains
The Pacific Fur Company sent the founders Oh
Astoria out by sea. Located on the south bank
of the great river, the post became strategic
point Ii was a legitimate act of occupation ny
the United States. giving National title perma-
npntly to q great territory. II became Fort
George in 1913, being sold to the British, but was
nominaly restored by, the treaty Of 1917, the
british retaining actual possession for some years
In the settlement OF the Oregon question, when
finally gave that great country TO the United
States. il was held by Adams that the transfer OF
Astoria 10 the Northwest Company by the Astors
at n price of $780, did not affect the American
claim to the property. and that far - discovery
can give claim 20 country the claim oil the
United States 10 the Oregon country WAS lndis-
putable. 1t said, however, that save Tor
The pretensons of Great Britain, there was no
object in that country worth con'endihg l2f ~
any party" Indeed, the little East was completely
blind 10 the value of this great new country.
When the Northwest Coast made its lirst app ar.
ance in the Congress of 1921. when the report 81
the committee was read in the House, Mr: Tucker
opposed any emigration TO the westward OF the
Rocky Mountains because the two populations
must ever have different interests. Again. IN
the discussion Of 1928 il was SAID that the Rocky
Mountains served as a natural pounuary acr T
which no communication could ever extend we
wonder less at this idea held ny the w0rtlleS OF
that time for to-day il is matter OF continual mar
vel TO travellers from the East upon the fdclnc
Coast that in so far and different country
there shouId exist commemorative bound 10 the
same Government and with me same laws anu
interests as our own. So completely do the great
mountains and even more the wide deserts oi the
/ "
the two ocean coasts asundcr in every Important
interest: the essential unity of interest and OF
government is moie and more amazing.
The Oregon question was before Ihe counlr!
from 1923 until 1916, when II was settled by
treaty in favor of the United States II is need
less TO say that the discovery OF the Columbia ny
GRAY and the Indian deeds given 10 hendricks.
were the basis of the claims Of the United States.
Yet when the heirs Of these two commanders ana
of Joseph Darrell and Others presented "A petition
10 Congress about the year 1850, asking for some
land secured by the expedition, nothing could br
gained further than n half promise of 1000 acres
of Government land. As this would have only
half paid the expenses incurred by the petitioners.
Thomas Corwin Of Ohio who had the matter IN
charge regarded the offer an insult. and refused
To allow the report To 90 ont OF the committee.
In 700 Mr. Earrcl, Of London. tired 10 sell, IN
that city. some of the lands claimed under
the Indian deeds The title was not
doubted. but it is not asccrtaincd that
any capitalists wanted land in that FAR
policy of the Hudson Bay Company, supported by
England. to keep settlers away from their vau
able fur preserves. and they kept up their eH9rle
at exclusion both by land aud sea until late
The second wife of Joseph Birrll was Miss
Webb. n sister Of General Sam Webb Of Washing-
tons staff He was the man who returned 70
England with dsdan Letters from the AUTHORITIES
addressing his conmauder-in-c chief as Mr.. w 'si-
ington. But his fame to the New York OF today
will rest on far other claims than thesr lie was
Al lVAI fta "a
bachelor Of the good old New.York days. and was
daily to he seen walking from his hotel in broad
way toward the Battery. beau complete. Wild
hnr. kncc-breechcs and chapcan bras 10
distracting was he to the ladies that Joseph Bar
rcll wrote him from Boston that hc should apply
to the Mayor Of Ncw-York "a arrest him and
have him married ont Of hand. MANY
letters are in existence from one Ia the
other of these men in which wcirhty discourses
and society gossip happily mixed.
From Western Ncw-lork in 1886 went two
pairs Of missionaries, two young men ana thcir
brides toward this Western coast Think Of
what travel there was: for year the Boston and
Providence Railroad had been running. IL was
fifteen years later that the first train entered
Chicago. At Cincinnati the first whitr-Dorn ci'-
zen welcomed the missionaries. They were
warned again and again Of tine impossibility OF
getting women over the plains. At St LOUIS
they joined ,he annual iT Tnn S,rr. oN
up the Missouri Late in May. 1886 they came
10 the Platic-thc two devoted men, Spaldng
and Whitman and their enduring young wives
On June they at Laramie, on July they
threaded the south Pass, where the Rocky and
Wind River Mountains almost come together. the
great divide Of the waters Of the Continent. This
pass was discovered by Fremont six years later
When fairly on the Pacific Slor. $500 miles
from home, they spread their blankets kncelcd
around the Book for which the Indians had begged
and took possession Of the Western side Of our
Continent for Christian civilization The policy
Of the Hudson Bay Company did not admit women
settlers and the officers and men were married
10 Indian women, making low hnlf-brced
society At last, the "a OF September. four
months tourney from the Missouri, they reached
the valley Of the Columbia and the real acqusi-
ton of Oregon began. DR.. Whitman appreciated
the value Of a wagon road. So did the Hudson
Ray Company, which did its best 10 keep out
this adjunct Of civilization. DIR. Whitman fought
his wagon through Still the company prevented
emigrants from bringing their wagons
past Fort Hall. until Marcus Whitman In ls43
brought in a great number Of Families with their
wagons and stock and by crossing the mountains
in the dead Of winter. AT great peril and against
opposition. gained Washington in time Ia cxp2sc
the schcmings Of England az regarded Oregon. BY
taking 900 wagons with cmigranfs through the
posts Of the Hudson Bay Company he saved Or
ron 10 the United States surely n the Co
Iumbia Rcliviva had won IL by it's discovery Of
1892 Whitman carried through over 800 emf
grants.