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other families and two single men took claims in the same neighbourhood, and thus was the foundation laid for a new community in the north.

The Hudson's Bay Company accepts the protection of the provisional government. While these sturdy frontiersmen were hewing a road through the jungle north of Cowlitz Landing, the settlers in the Willamette were winning their greatest political victory by inducing the officers of the fur company to bring themselves, their people, and all the property of the organization under the protection of the provisional government. This was achieved on the 15th of August. The monopoly, which had dominated the affairs of the Northwest for a quarter of a century, had at last sunk to a subordinate position; and the Oregon question, so far as control of the country itself was concerned, had been settled by the pioneers.^

1 McLoughlin made a special arrangement with the officers of the government, whereby the company was to be taxed only on the merchandise which it sold to settlers. Jesse Applegate is the man who negotiated this important agreement.