Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 23.djvu/416



366 T. C. ELLIOTT

Letter of John McLoughlin to Edward Ermatinger

Fort Vancouver 1st Feby 1835 My Dear Sir

I have now before me your Kind Letter of January 1834 and Allow me to congratulate you on your new situation and I sincerely pray it may be a source of per- petual felicity to you the name of your Wifes family is Known to me in 1817 I was a month 111 at a Mr Grover a Tavern Keeper in Haldimand and I there frequently heard Mention of Col Burnham the Gentleman you saw who Knows me is Robert Henry a long time a Clerk to the N W Co in the English River and afterwards a part- ner he is Brother of the Mr Henry who was drowned at the Columbia with Mr Donald McTavish and who left his property to his Brother Robert make him my Com- pliments if you see him again your Account of your situation is certainly gratifying and I have no Doubt that your situation is more Respectable more comfortable and perhaps more profitable than that of any Chief factor in the Country however Gros Bourgeous as you style him he may consider himself you have one great satis- faction you Act for yourself and have no one to con- troul you While you Know that in this Country you would be working for others and people who Know Nothing of the Business have the power of diciding on the Merits of your conduct and who would place a Runt a fellow that Knows Nothing can do Nothing as your Colleague Merely because they want to reward a Creature But let us change the subject I see that you and several of my friends expected me down last year the truth is that I had given them to Understand that I would do so But on reflection I considered it as well that while I was in the country It was as well for me to remain a little longer so that when I went down It might be optionable with me to remain if I was so In- clined as to the Business of this place it goes on in the Old way Except that last Summer I sent Ogden to erect