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302 REVEREND EZRA FISKER

through a crisis in the history of the country, and ask God for grace that we may be brought through without repining at his providences. We feel a strong conviction that the time is near at hand when God will enlarge Zion on these shores, and we shall enjoy all the blessings of civilization and Christi- anity for ourselves and our children.

I preach every Sabbath, although the number living in our place is as yet very small. I shall probably divide my labors between this place and Clatsop Plains, in the opening of the spring. I have spent most of my time the last two months in building a small frame house, and have it now almost en- closed, and shall probably soon move into it. 119 We shall then open a small Sunday school of the few children we have in the place. We feel pretty strong convictions that we shall make this region the field of our future labors, should God permit, and this becomes the commercial point on this river, which is very probable. We are waiting with anx-iety, how- ever, to learn what the Government will do for this country; you probably know at this time, or will before the rising of congress. 120 I have written you five or six times since our arrival in the country, and two or three times on our way, but have not yet had a single line from you- Will not a box of clothing be sent to aid Brother Johnson and myself in clothing our families? Second-handed clothing and coarse, too, will be very valuable to us. You can have no conception of how thankfully it would be received, or of the difficulty of obtaining clothing in this country. I know positively that our families would rejoice exceedingly, if they had the old clothes which are regarded useless by hundreds of our brethren in the old States.

1 19 This house was used as a post office by John M. Shively, who was one of the first two U. S. postmasters appointed for Oregon (1847). Bancroft, Hist, of Ore. 1:614. A picture of the house was in the Oregon Daily Journal, Dec. 31, 1909.

120 It may be that the author had not yet heard of the final settlement of the Oregon boundary, which was made in the summer of 1846.