The Portland daily press., 1895-05-14
JOHN c. FREMONT.
Judge Peabody Lectures on the Career of
the Path finder before the Portland Club.


At meeting of the Portland Club last
night Judge Henry c. Peabody delivered
a very interesting address upon the
career of Gen. John c. Fremont. We pub
lish the following extract relating to his
Mountain region and ON the Pacific
| coast.
Fremont was born January 81, 1918, in
the estate of respecta HE poverty, in the
City of Savannah, Georgia, though the
usual residence of his family was in
Charleston, South Carolina. His pre-
cocity attracted the patronage of a gem
erous and wealthy stranger. At college
be readily excelled all his fellow stu
dents, but he was expelled for persistent
neglect Of the prescribed course of study.
The Secretary Of War discovered his
special publications as a civil engineer and
| gave him an appointment which opened
to him field OF usefulness not only to
| his own country, but enabled him to con-
tribute to the world's knowledge of an
interesting, but almost unknown section
north OF the Missouri river.
| In October. 1851, he married Jessie
Benton, daughter OF the distinguished
| Senator of Missouri. The Senator had
| the fair successfully rebelled.
| After completing the maps of his
famous survey, which had given him a
European reputation, he projected Il
| daring scheme OF exploration over the
range of the Rocky Mountains hitherto
deemed impossible. His scientific OBJ
| servation covered vast field of astrono-
my, geology, botany and geography. He
oyercame not only deserts, forests, rivers
and mountains, hnt tribes of warlike
Indians who forbade his advance into
their country. To deputation of chiefs
almost as,numerous as his rerinue he re-
piled in speech of absurd but effective
audacity, We have thrown away our
bodies and will not turn back. Do you
think that our--great chief will let his
soldiers die and forget to cover their
| gravesf See, have pulled down my
white houses and my people are ready. u
The map of Fremont's exploration ex-
tends between the 34th and 45th parallels
OF north latitude, through 2s degrees
OF longitude from the junction of the
| Kansas and Missouri rivers to the catar-
acts OF the Colum bia and to Santa Bar
bara and Los Angeles. 1t included the
immense ranges of the Rocky Mountains
and Sierra Nevadas, and the great basin
lying between them. which was terra in
cognita and the home of strange tradi-
tion and fabulous peoples until traversed
4
a wonderful country, walled in SO effec-
tually in part from the ocean just be-
yond its mountain barriers that great
lakes into which flow many rivers are
imprisoned, having no outlet to the sea.
These natural parks now reserved by the
government as national parks, the won-
derlands of the Yellowstone and the Yo-
semitic attract visitors from every poI-
tion of the globe.
Fremont's second expedition was at
tempted under the auspices of the gov
ernment for the purpose of completing
lis survey across the continent On the
limo of the Colum bin river and it's tribu-
tafies. This service performed, his am
bition and zeal as an explorer led him to
attempt to unveil tie mysteries of the
unknown region between the Rocky
Mountains and the Bay of San Fran
cisco. There was river designated on
maps which assumed to EN- brace this
region, called Buena Ventura, and it
was his aim to reach it before the dead
of winter, and to seek the protection of
it's wooded and grassy banks when the
he found this river to be but myth, its
name euphemism which had lured
him and his adventurous band into a
desert in the face of impending winter.
His observations showed that he was in
the latitude Of the bay of San
|
over mountains which the In
dians told him were impossible in win
ter, and from them no guide could be
procured. Without guide, through ter
ri ole suffering from frost and famine,
they reached the Sacramento Valley, a
4 genial land smiling already with bud
ding flowers and unfolding foliage.
west ern base of the great Sierras he be-
came familiar with the valley Of the San
Joaquin, and entered again the great
basin and brought to the knowledge of
the world. new regions. He explored the
great lakes of Utah, the gold fields OF
the slopes of the Sicrras, the parks and
the great and luxuriant valleys of the
Sacramento and San joaquin territory
which had been long exposed not only
to foreign dominion but also to the
curse of Asiatic civilization.
fear yet the gifts which the Pacific
Ocean may bring from other lands. l
cherish the memory of Fremont for the
great things he did to secure America to
Americans and to make it free; and ]
nation to protect it through the years to
come, not only from invasion but the
more impending danger of immigration.
4 Again in Nav lS45 Fremont, under or
ders from the government, sec out to
pursue his explorations beyond the
ROCKY MOuuLalIS, ana Win special
/ object to discover a new and shorter
route from the western hasa OF the
Rocky Mountains to the mouth of the
Columbia river. This would carry him
through settled part of California, and
in order to give no offence to the author
tiles of the province he left his command
on the border and advanced alone one
hundred miles to Monterey to explain
his object ami obtain permission to go to
the valley of the San Joaquin. Leave
was granted by General Castro. the COM
mandant. But almost Immediately he
w, S warned that the commandant was
preparing to attack him, under the pre-
text that he was, under the false euise
of scientific mission, exciting Ameri-
can settlers to revolt. He took position
fayorab bile to defence aDout thirty miles
from Monterey. raised the flag of the
United Staten and awaited attack. Aftel
the threatened danger seemed no longer
s to exist he commence his march toward
+ Oregon. But he found himself contin,
ualIy harassed bv hostile Indians who
were melted by Gen. Castro, and he re-
ceived intelligence that the Mexican gen