Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 24.djvu/468

 436 T. C. Elliott ernment is determined to possess itself of that valuable country I can raise 3000 men in Missouri and Illinois in the course of six months. I am aware that the popular notion now is to advance no man to military honor unless he has been to the Military Academy at West Point, and you might commit yourself and injure your standing as the Chief of the Dept. of War were you to give counten- ance to my suggestions. That is a matter for your own reflection. Sure I am that with two months reference to the Tactics of the country I can drill a company of horse, a squadron or regiment, equal to any man in the army. If it would be useful to the department over which you are called to preside I will say further that I can command three men, one whom has been 26 years in the Origon, and the territory on this side of the mountains, and the other two from 16 to 20, all of whom speak the various languages of the Indians inhabiting the country, and would on invitation for small allowance, come to the seat of Government and give explanations. There is one thing more which I will venture to call your attention to. For the last four years I have made out lists for some ten or twelve companies of Europeans, mostly English, who come here and join some trading company and penetrate the country clear to the Pacific professedly to hunt buffalo or to collect natural curios- ities. From the outfits they make and the instruments they take with them the most common observer would at once say these men were sent by the Governments and in- structed to make a reconnaisance of the country, and to report their observations. Even now I am preparing the necessary equipage for two Englishmen who leave in a few days for the head of the Yellowstone river and thence to the Wind River Pass in the mountains. By means of these men the British acquire a perfect knowledge of the country and its resources, and in case of a contest for the maintainance of our rights these will