Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 20.pdf/377

 FEDERAL RELATIONS OF OREGON

359

would give to the prejudice of the Hudson's Bay Company, to which I was also induced on account of the hostile feeling the immigrants had to the Company, as I was afraid if I did (not) give them employment, that animated with this feeling and urged by their wants, they might make an attack on the property at this place which might be destroyed, and for which the Hudson's Bay Company would never get any indemnification, and the ComIn pany's business in this department would be ruined. doing which, by Sir George Simpson's not writing me in 1843, to take the place in my own name, I had to give five acres of the best ground for building lots, and five hundred dollars to Rev. Mr. Waller, and by the Hudson's Bay Company not giving me sanction to take it in my own name in time (which they could readily have done) I had to pay three thousand four hundred and twenty dollars for improvements not worth one half the money and one thousand nine hundred and eighty dollars for lots to which they had no claim." 24 the influence that place

Dr. McLoughlin resigned his position as chief factor in 1845 to disagreement with Sir George Simpson on the general policy of the Company in the Columbia district. He took

owing

his residence at Oregon City where he spent the remainder of his days, expecting when the boundary question was settled that there would be little difficulty in straightening the tangle over the title, for the Provisional Government had

up

made no

effort to adjudicate

between him and

his rivals, chief

among whom was Alvan F. Waller, one of missionaries. When the treaty was concluded of

Oregon found

that

it

the Methodist the inhabitants

contained a clause which stated that

"the possessory rights of the Hudson's Bay Company and of all British subjects who may be already in the occupation of land or other property lawfully acquired within said territory, shall be respected." This apparently gave to Dr. McLoughlin a specific basis for his claim for, in the absence of laws recognized by the respective countries, priority of claim would give title, especially since the convention of 1818 and 1827 placed

American 24 Ibid.,

citizens p.

133.

and British subjects

For

a

discussion of the

in exactly the

McLoughlin

Dr. John McLoughlin; also Bancroft, History of Oregon,

I,

affairs,

203 seq.;

see II,

same Holman, 113 seq.