Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 19.djvu/195

 EVENT OF ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO 183 manned with fifty men well armed ; Capt. Biddle and Dr. Hoff- man in the first, myself in the second, and Lieutenant Voorhees in the last, set off for the river for the purpose of taking pos- session of the country that bounds it, in the name of our coun- try." After mentioning their inability to land on the outer shore of Cape Disappointment because of the reefs and heavy seas and their passage in by the channel, the journal continues : "And with the usual forms took possession of the country in the name and on the behalf of the United States of America. The ship about this time fired a national salute. We nailed up a piece of lead to a tree, on which was inscribed an account of what we had done ; gave three cheers and drank success to the new enterprise." Here is given a description of the Chinook Indians. "From the Chennook village we stood across the river for the establishment founded here by Mr. Astor of New York, and now in the possession of the English N. W. Company. As we approached it I had the mortification to see the British flag run up, and to know that Captain Biddle was not authorized by his instructions to haul it down and place in its stead the American standard. The establishment consists of one large two story and four or five small dwelling houses, two or three stores, and other out-houses, round the whole of which there is a strong and high picket. There is at this time but three guns mounted, although they have five or six more without carriages. Twenty-five whites, and the same number of Sandwich Islanders, constitute the present force of the settlement. The place is commanded by James Keith, a Scotchman. On our way back we landed at Point George and took formal possession of the country on that side of the river in the name and on behalf of the United States, nailed up a board, on the one side of which was painted the American coat of arms, and on the other an inscription, the same as that on the lead put up at Cape Disappointment." (See Amer. Hist. Record, Vol. Ill, pp. 292-3.) This description of Fort George (Astoria) is of interest in connection with the statement made by Mr. W. A. Slacum,