Page:Oregon, her history, her great men, her literature.djvu/60

Rh one of the "Tonquin" crew was left to tell the story of the ill-fated ship.

The Ship "Beaver" Arrives at Astoria. The Astor Company promptly equipped the sailing ship "Beaver" to take the place of the lost "Tonquin." The "Beaver" landed at Astoria with abundant supplies May 10, 1812. The Com pany planned rival establishments to all North-West Company trading posts on the Columbia River and its tributaries; and it seemed for a time that the Astor fur traders would prosper in the Oregon Country. But as will be seen there was much trouble in store for them.

Astoria Christened as Fort George. Late in the year 1812, some of the Astor partners were told that a war was raging between Great Britain and the United States, and that the North-West Company expected a British ship to capture Astoria. Resolving to abandon the Columbia River, they sold the belongings of the Pacific Fur Company at a sacrifice to the North-West Company, October 16, 1813. On the 30th of November the long expected "Raccoon," a British sloop-of-war, was seen near Cape Disappointment; on the 12th of December, the American flag was hauled down to give place to the Union Jack, and the name of the station was changed to Fort George.

America Seeks Possession of Oregon. After the War of 1812 had ended, it was natural that America should desire Oregon's restoration. Americans were the first to enter the Columbia River. Americans had purchased Louisiana, which connected the states with the Oregon Country; had founded Astoria; had sent the Lewis and Clark expedition overland to Oregon; had looked upon Oregon as the territory of the United States; and had come to have a patriotic interest in the Oregon Country. Therefore, the American Secretary of State, in July. 1815, notified the British minister at Washington that the Americans would