Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 14.djvu/267



LOWNSDALE LETTER TO THURSTON 227

seemed to consider he should approach Americans with Amer- ican freedom and ease on his left hand was a somewhat short but corpulent man a pace in rear of the former and off to the right, and several paces in rear, a slender dark complected individual, whose keen eye appeared to scan the group of Amer- icans with scrutiny, but as the leader came up and commenced the harangue the other two appeared to divide to right and left, and face inwards to the speaker comme'nced with these words, "Ye are Americans, I suppose. I am ," etc., etc., soon showing by his dialect that he had known in his younger days the "Highlands of auld Scotland" and with the affability, mixed with hasty blustering words often repeated, as if to give them their proper place and bearing, he greeted the American camp, taking off his hat at the same time, to give effect, but immediately placing it on his head again. With all his native warmth he offered the young Americans the accommodations and any assistance the fort and company could render. A little fired with the affable manner in which they had been offered and the desire to obtain what information they might be able to obtain, after a short consultation on the retiring of mine host, a messenger was dispatched to the elevated steps to notify him of their acceptance, not, however, until some canvass. Lieutenant Wilkes asked the younger officers in con- sultation if they were satisfied to accept the hospitalities which had been offered in this characteristic manner. All asserited

but one, Mr., about 20 years of age, usually taciturn

and rarely offering but little objections to the apparent wishes or his fellows. He arose from his seat on a small box con- taining some spirituous liquors, which had been brought from the wreck and, gracefully bowing towards the senior officers, at the same time sayi'ng in a clear but not loud voice, "Sir and gen- tlemen: I am sorry at any time to differ in the slightest de- gree from your wishes or sentiment, but in this I do here see some ground to differ in opinion with you, wherein I feel called upon by my sense of duty to object to receiving these hospitalities in the manner in which they are offered. Do 'not mistake my words as being opposed to the receipt or recipro- cation but I am opposed to laying myself under obligations to any nation or their representatives whereby the weakness of my nature and the very feeling which makes me willing to receive these ki'nd demonstrations of hospitality, unhinges my efficiency as an officer of the United States, from reporting the facts which may exist in the relations we bear as a gov- ernment to that of Great Britain, of whose interests this same