Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 11.djvu/12

6 this work of Abbott's gives all the laws in relation to the creation, boundaries, and names of counties in Washington Territory to 1889, it may be said, safely, that the name of Clark County has never been changed to Clarke. Abbott cites no law in relation to the change of name of this County, other than said Act of September 3, 1849. The heading of this Act changing the name of Vancouver to Clark, as printed in Abbott's book, is "Vancouver or Clarke County," which shows that the misspelling of the name Clark was not done inadvertently. But that does not change the name. An Act of a Legislature is more authoritative than ignorant or deliberate misspelling in a private compilation. It is to be regretted that so valuable a work is thus marred.

It is to be hoped that as this County was intended to be named in honor of Captain William Clark, and as adding a final "e" to the name makes it appear to be named for some unknown man named Clarke and, as the use of such name is wholly unauthorized, that the proper authorities of Clark County, and especially its Superior Court, hereafter will use the correct name. A Court should follow the law.

For a better understanding I think it well to give a brief statement of some facts in connection with the original Oregon Country and the formation of the Oregon Provisional Government.

Prior to the boundary treaty of June 15, 1846, what is now the State of Oregon, was only a part of what, prior to that time, was known as the Oregon Country. The southern boundary of the latter was well known. It was latitude fortytwo, or what is now the northern boundary of California and Nevada. Its western boundary was the Pacific Ocean, its eastern boundary was the Rocky Mountains, and its northern boundary was latitude fifty-four degrees, forty minutes, on which was the southern boundary of Russian America, the