ernor Abernethy was financial agent, were decidedly anti-
Hudsou s bay, as its religion was anti-Catholic. It hap
pened then that when all the documents relating to the
council with the Nez Percés, and Mr. Spalding s letter to
the bishop of Walla Walla, in which he said, "My object
in writing is principally to give information through you
to the Cayuses that it is our wish to have peace; that we
do not wish the Americans to come from below to avenge
the wrong; we hope the Cayuses and Americans will be
on friendly terms; that Americans will no more come in
their country unless they wish it. As soon as these men
return, I hope, if alive, to send them to the governor to
prevent Americans from coming up to molest the Cayuses
for what is done. * * * Our help, under God, is in
your hands and in the hands of the Hudson's Bay Com
pany " were given into the governor s hands by Mr. Og-
den, he desired to suppress those portions of it which
revealed the duplicity of the author, pardonable perhaps
under the circumstances, but Mr. Ogden would not con
sent, saying that if any part were to be published the
whole must be, in justice to all concerned.
This position of the Hudson's Bay Company for Og den was second in command at Vancouver though emi nently just, was offensive to the ultra anti-British and anti-Catholic party, and most of all to Colonel Gilliam, who before setting out for The Dalles, was said to have declared his intention of pulling down Fort Vancouver about the ears of its inmates.
There is a humorous side to this effervescence of national dislike, namely, that many believed he could carry out this threat; and that the company believed that he would, or at least that he might attempt it; wherefore, under pre tense of being afraid of the Indians, it proceeded to strengthen its walls, and mount its unused ordnance.
The following correspondence remains in evidence of how near the provisional government of Oregon was brought to a war with Great Britain:
