Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 5.djvu/305

 I: i -MI i .1 :, TIONS OP AN OLD PIONKKR. 295 Noereii:nty nf our country over that portion of Oregon lying smith of tin- 4!th parallel of north latitude. This was known in Oregi n .-IN ai-ly as December of that year, ns the fact is menti( .!!(! in (Jovernor Aheniethy's message, dated December 1. lMi. ("Oregon Laws and Archives." 158.) The final settlement of the conflicting claims of the two governments in this manner did not surprise any sensible man in Oregon, so far as I remember. It was what we had every reason to expect. We knew, to a moral certainty, that the moment we brought our families, cattle, teams, and loaded wagr.ns to the banks of the Columbia River in 1843, the ques- tion was practically decided in our favor. Oregon was not only accessible by land from our contiguous territory, but we bad any desirable number of brave, hardy people who were fond of adventure, and perfectly at home in the settlement of new countries. We could bring into the country ten immi- grants for e( ry colonist Great Britain could induce to settle there. We were masters of the situation, and fully compre- hended our position. This the gentlemen of the company understood as well as we did. In repeated conversations with Dr. MeLoughlin. soon after my arrival in Oregon, he assured me that he had for some years been convinced that Oregon was destined soon to be occupied by a civilized people. The reasons f< r this conclusion were most obvious. The country, with its fertile soil, extensive valleys, magnificent forests, and mild climate, was admirably fitted for a civili/ed and dense popula- tion. Its lcal position on the shores of the Pacific marked it ax a tit abode for a cultivated race of men. Besides, the natives had almost entirely disappeared from the lower section of On-iron. Only a small and diseased remnant was left. The coloni/.ation of the country, either by British or Amer- icans, would iqually destroy the fur trade, the only legitimate business of th unpany. No doubt the gentlemen connected with that company thought the title of their own government to Ore iron was superior to ours; while we Americans believed we had the better title. I read carefully the discussion between Mr. Buchanan, our Secretary of State, and the British Nfin-