Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/203

 SLACUM'S REPORT ON OREGON, 1836-7 195 The land on which the mission house is established is rich alluvial deposite, open prairie, interspersed with good timber. Mr. Lee acknowledges the kindest assistance from Dr. Mc- Laughlin, of Fort Vancouver, who gave him the use of horses, oxen, and milch cows, and furnished him with all his supplies. Indeed Dr. McLaughlin has acted towards many of the settlers in the same manner, giving them the use of cattle and horses on the following terms : The produce of the neat cattle and horses belong to the Hudson Bay Company, and are liable to be called for at any time. If the cattle die, the persons holding them are not charged with their value. Horses to be returned in kind, or the sum of $8, the current value of the horse, is charged. To convey an idea of the industry and progress of the Will- hamett settlement, I beg to refer to paper B. It would be doing the Messrs. Lee and their associates injustice, were I to omit speaking of their successful and happy efforts in establishing a temperance society among men who are generally considered as being almost without the pale of moral restraint, (I mean trap- pers ;) and it affords me great pleasure to add, that every white man in the settlement entertains the highest respect for the character and conduct of the Lees and their associates. This circumstance is sufficient evidence of their worth. Papers C and D will show their laudable efforts in arresting this destruc- tive element, the white man's poison, the Indian's certain death. The case of Ewing Young, referred to in paper C, will be understood by his statement E, and some verbal explanations which I shall make in relation to his case. After duly considering the great benefit that would result to this thriving country if the distillery of Ewing Young could be prevented from being put into operation, and inasmuch as he candidly admitted it was nothing but sheer necessity that com- pelled him to adopt the measure, I told him (Young) that I thought he had gained his point without adopting the expedient that produced it, as I was authorized by Mr. Finlayson to say, "if he would abandon his enterprise of distilling whiskey, he could be permitted to get his necessary supplies from Fort