Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 26.djvu/348

282 appointments to President Polk. Lane very earnestly desired to effect the change from the Provisional Government to the Territory while Polk was still president, and in spite of delays incident to the long journey by way of Leavenworth and the Santa Fe trail to California, and thence to the Columbia River by ship, he had the satisfaction of reaching Ms destination in time to issue his proclamation and to assume the duties of the new government on the last day of Polk's presidency, March 3, 1849.

The first news of the action taken by congress creating the Territory had reached Oregon early in February by way of the Sandwich Islands, and was announced by Governor Abernethy to the legislative assembly of the Provisional Government in his message of February 5, 1849. That body had met for an adjourned session, after failure in the December preceding to secure a quorum for the transaction of business, owing to a general exodus of the male population to the gold mines in California. Many of the members had resigned, and some had simply gone away without taking the trouble to resign. However, the Governor by proclamation had called a special election to fill vacancies, and he had designated February 5, as the date for a special session, in harmony with the date fixed upon adjournment by the minority members of the legislative body. When the adjourned session convened, the Governor delivered a message, in which he said: "We have received information that our Territory has been provided for; that the officers necessary to carry on the government have been appointed and are now on their way to this Territory, and will no doubt soon be in our midst." He advised, since the legislature of the new organization would probably soon convene, that an adjournment be taken as soon as indispensable business of the session was attended to.

The new governor, bearing his commission from the government at Washington, arrived and issued his proclamation, and then addressed a letter to Governor Aber-