Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 18.djvu/307



Boston, January 31, 1839.

Sir: In compliance with your request, I shall willingly communicate to you a brief account of my connexion with the Oregon country, and of such facts in regard to that valuable portion of our national domain, and of adjoining regions, as have come within my observation and are of public interest.

The perusal of Lewis and Clark's journal, personal conference with intelligent navigators and hunters who had visited and explored the territory beyond the Rocky mountains, and facts derived from other sources entitled to credit, many years ago, satisfied me that this region must, at no remote period, become of vast importance to our Government, and of deep and general interest. Possessing, so far as I could learn, a salubrious climate, a productive soil, and all the other natural dements of wealth, and by its position in reference to divers most important channels of traffic, as well as its configuration of coast, and variety of native productions, being admirably adapted to become a great commercial country, I foresaw that Oregon must, eventually, become a favorite field of modern enterprise, and the abode of civilization.

With these views constantly and vividly before me, I could but desire most earnestly to communicate them to the public, and impress them upon the Government. And, to accomplish these objects, I have done and suffered much; having been particularly attentive to it for many years, and wholly devoted to it a large part of my time.

One great object of my labors has been to induce Congress, in the exercise of a sound discretion and foresight, and in