Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 15.djvu/12



4 JUDGE WILLIAM C. BROWN

west Company had already penetrated the passes of the Rockies and were trading and exploring both on the Fraser and the upper Columbia, and a line of trading connections down to tide-water was their coveted goal. The Astorians at the mouth of the Columbia knew when they came out that the North- westers were operating on the west side of the continental divide, and had been for a number of years, but apparently they knew this only in a general and indefinite way. They had no exact information as to the extent of the Northwest trading operations west of the Rockies, nor how far to the westward of those mountains that company's men had pene- trated, but they were soon to learn. The first direct intimation that the Northwesters were close at hand came to the Astorians about two months after they had landed, and while they were just getting well started with the construction of the buildings at "Astoria," when two strange Indians from the interior appeared. They bore a letter addressed to "Mr. John Stuart, Fort Estekatadene, New Caledonia." They explained that they had been sent by Mr. Finnan M'Donald, a clerk in the service of the Northwest Company, who was in charge of a post recently built on the Spokane, and were commissioned to deliver the letter to Mr. Stuart on the Fraser. That while en route they had heard from the Indians up the Columbia, that there were white men at the mouth, and thinking that Mr. Stuart would probably be found among them, they had come to deliver the letter. The Astorians derived much information from these Indians in regard to the interior and also in regard to the operations of the Northwesters, and it was decided to send an expedition into the interior under the command of the partner, David Stuart, to establish a competing post, and July 15th was fixed upon as the date when it was to start. The above is Franchere's version as to when and how it was first determined to send a trading party into the interior. Alex- ander Ross, however, makes it appear that it was not decided to send out such expedition till after July 15th. Anyhow about noon on July 15th, 1811, the Astorians were considerably sur- prised by the unexpected arrival of a canoe flying the British