Page:History of Oregon volume 1.djvu/624



the events just narrated were taking place the political condition of the colony remained unchanged. From the newspapers brought by the immigrants, and occasional news received by way of the Hawaiian Islands, the Oregon question still threatened war. Among other rumors was one that the British plenipotentiary had proposed as a dernier ressort to leave the question open for twenty years to be settled finally by the choice of the people. But this was believed by Americans to be improbable, because it was shown by Gallatin in 1827 that the country must be settled by Americans, and the late immigrations had demonstrated it. British subjects received the rumor with equal incredulity, believing that England would not consent to any compromise by which the country north of the Columbia would be endangered. So uncertain and critical seemed the