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 How BRITISH AND AMERICAN SUBJECTS UNITE 147 yield to the persuasion of their neighbors and McLoughlin writes as if he, too, realized that it was to their advantage to join the Americans. In a letter of March 20, 1843, he says, "Tho some of the Canadians were present at the meeting of March 17 (the second of the Wolf Meetings) still, though in no way inclined to join in the measure to erect a temporary gov- ernment, yet they must admit the strength of the argument used by the Americans that they must,, now that people are coming here from different countries, adopt some plan to keep peace in the country, and that while they, the Canadians, are bound, those who come from the states are amenable to no authority. " 22 Perhaps if the enterprise had been less partisan and not so manifestly the outcome of dislike of the Hudson's Bay Com- pany, the Canadians would have been persuaded to join it. But McLoughlin had received information of the petition against the company directed to the Congress of the United States. 23 Besides in the minds of the officers of that organization there was a real danger that the success of the movement might lead to "serious difficulties, for if these people enter on the exercise of self government they will unquestionably attempt to assume authority over all the inhabitants of the district, British as well as foreign/' 2 * So pursuing the same policy as before they endeavored to defeat the undertaking by the use of the Cana- dians. At a meeting of the inhabitants of the Willamette settle- ments on May 2, 1843 ? the Canadians attended in full force and all but defeated a motion recommending the establishment of a provisional government. 25 Upon the passing of this motion by the small majority of two the dissenters withdrew. 26 The fear of the Hudson's Bay Company officers that the Ameri- cans would be numerous enough to carry their object had been realized. 22 F. O. Amer. 401. 23 Letter of Simpson, June 21, 1843, cited above tells of a letter written to McLoughlin by an American lawyer, Hastings, of a "close meeting" at Falls of Willamette for purpose of petitioning Congress. 24 Ibid. 25 The journal of the meeting shows that the motion was at first declared lost. A division is said to have given a majority in favor of organizing. Gray, Hist, of Oregon, p. 279. a6 Journal of meeting of May 2, 1843, in Oregon Archives.