Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/391

 DOCUMENTS 383 The disturbed state of the Oregon country to which Gov. Simpson refers was the Indian war then in progress and reported to him in the dispatches from Fort Vancouver in the spring of 1848; and the sketch of Oregon City by Paul Kane, the artist, would be of interest, if accessible now. An inter- esting inquiry arises as to the Mr. McMellan mentioned ; could this have been the Mr. McMillan who was on the Columbia with David Thompson as early as 1809 and returned east with Gov. Simpson from Fort Vancouver in March, 1829, and seemingly then retired from the service as far as the Columbia District was concerned an efficient and trusted officer ? This letter is one of many discovered at the home of a son-in-law of Mr. McKinlay, at Savonas, B. C. ; the original is now in the Archives Department at Victoria. T. C. ELLIOTT. Walla Walla, December, 1912. Norway House, 24th June, 1848. Archibald McKinlay, Esqre., Willamette Falls. My Dear Sir: I have the pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of your valued communication of 16th March by which I am glad to find that all goes on with you at the Willamette Falls as well as might be expected from the disturbed state of the Country and the poverty and reckless habits of the surrounding population; the old outstanding debts come in very slowly and I fear there is very little prospect of their ever yielding a dividend of 50%. It is very satisfactory to learn that so good an understanding exists between Mr. McLoughlin and yourself ; you ought by all means to cultivate that gentleman's good will and be as useful to him as in your power. I should be glad to learn the nature and extent of Mr. McLoughlin and his sons business oper- ations.