Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 24.djvu/219

 Carey : History of Oregon 199 About these he writes with a firm, clear hand, as one who has been not merely a critical reader of other men's con- clusions, but also as to some features a genuine investi- gator. And he gives us a well-rounded story. Begin- ning with a somewhat concise description of the land itself, he presents next a sympathetic account of the orig- inal inhabitants and then plunges into the history of discovery. The era of the fur-trader, the "Nootka Sound" controversy, the voyage of Captain Vancouver, the Boston Men, Gray's discovery, and John Ledyard con- stitute themes of a second distinctive group of chapters. A third deals with Jefferson, the Lewis and Clark expe- dition, and Astoria. The fourth group of chapters deals with the British fur companies, the reign of Dr. Mc- Loughlin, also American fur-traders and mountain men. The fifth group notes missionary influences, the mission- ary settlement, the Whitman martyrs. The concluding cycle of chapters is on the beginnings of government and the determination of boundaries, the last chapter being a compenduous essay of forty-four pages. In the portion of the book just described, Judge Carey has demonstrated his right to be counted among the his- torians. His plan is comprehensive, his research appar- ently adequate. The treatment accorded diverse topics discloses a good sense of perspective and a discriminating historical judgment. Slight errors could no doubt be found, were that type of criticism deemed worth while. But, on the whole, considering its extent, the volume (in the portion under review) seems singularly free from such blemishes. One must, however, query the statement (p. 357) that Whit- man's "choice of the southern route alone had made his trip at that season possible." Also, I am aware of no evidence to support the observation (p. 364) that Whit- man announced his intention to return in the spring and aid in piloting the immigration. The author cites no evi- dence for this statement; and some other statements