Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 15.djvu/218



LETTER OF JOHN McLOUGHLIN 1

My Dear Sir: Fort Vancouver> lst March> 1832.

I have now before me your kind letter of 2nd July by which I am happy to see that you are safely returned from across the Atlantic after having, I presume, the pleasure of seeing your friends. By the by, you omit mentioning whether you had an explanation about your Columbia affair and how things at present stand at home; I hope if an opportunity offered that you produced my letters to you on the subject. As to us here we go on in the old way. Ogden is at Nass. Last year though three vessels only two could go on the coast and one was only fifteen days and the other was only three months still the coast- ing trade will clear itself ; and this year when we have nothing to interrupt our proceedings we intend to give it the first fair trial it has had and from what has been done this year we have every reason to expect it will do well.

Our other branches of business go on in the usual way ; our farm yielded

1200 bushels barley

600 bushels pease

400 bushels Indian corn 6000 bushels potatoes

I dare say the last article would be enough for all the King's posts.

As to returns you know I cannot give you any information on that head as the accounts are not made out, though I sup- pose they are about the usual quantity. I suppose you heard of the fever and ague being prevailing here in 1830, and I am sorry to say that it raged with greater violence in 1831 and for a time put an entire stop to all our business. But, thanks be to God for his mercies, my family and me enjoyed good health. I cannot but shudder when I think of Harriott's poor wife. Poor fellow, it has affected him much.

i The original of the above letter is on file in the Dominion archives at Ottawa, Can. T. C. Elliott