Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/204

 196 DOCUMENT couver, on the same terms as other men ;" and further : I pro- pose to loan him $150, get him a supply of decent clothing from the. fort, in my name, and give himself and his partner, Car- michael, a passage to California as he informed me he was exceedingly anxious to go thither to clear himself of the calumny that General Figaroa, had through Dr. McLaughlin, circulated against him, producing in effect the most unjusti- fiable persecution. Mr. Young seemed deeply sensible of my offer: said a cloud hung over him so long, through Dr. Mc- Laughlin's influence, that he was almost maddened by the harsh treatment he had received from that gentleman. I left him under a promise of receiving an answer to my proposition next day. In the course of conversation with Mr. Lee, Young, and other settlers, I found that nothing was wanting to insure com- fort, wealth, and every happiness to the people of this most beau- tiful country but the possession of neat cattle, all of those in the country being owned by the Hudson Bay Company, who refuse to sell them under any circumstances whatever. I then pro- posed to give to as many of the settlers as chose to embark in the Loriot, a free passage to California, where they might pro- cure cattle at $3 per head. The advantage of being landed in California or Bodega free of expense, and the risk of the road, was very great. A meeting was accordingly held in the lower settlement, where the paper F was drawn up. Mr. Young was appointed leader of the party. All the settlers who had money due them from the Hudson Bay Company contributed to the enterprise. Ten men embarked in the Loriot, and were landed safely at Bodega, on the 20th February. I advanced Mr. Lee $500. This sum, added to the contributions of the settlers, produced $1,600, a sum sufficient to purchase five hun- dred head of cattle in California. I will here remark that when I parted with Mr. Young, at Monterey, on the 2d March, he had every prospect of procuring all the cattle required, on the north side of the bay of St. Francisco. He had likewise re- ceived propositions from several Americans residing at Cali- fornia to return with him to the Willhamett with their stock of cattle, thus doubly reinforcing the settlement from this ac-