In evidence of the interest taken by the Hudson's Bay
Company in the affairs of the Oregon government, the
following letter of Ogden is interesting. It refers, prob
ably, to a letter to President Polk :
VANCOUVER, March 21, 1848. Mr. George Abernethy :
MY DEAR SIR : I duly received your note, with the letter en closed, which has been duly forwarded to the states, and trust it will reach its destination in safety. Our express, three boats, thirty men, three gentlemen, and our bishop, all well armed, left yesterday afternoon, and the precaution has been taken to have thirty horses in case they cannot proceed with the boats, as the express must go on to its destination. Pray, what is the object of Woodworth s visit? For volunteers, in numbers, it cannot be! his ship being too small nor can the country afford, in its present unsettled state of affairs in the interior, and I fear, likely to be, in the upper part of the Willamette, if reports are to be relied upon, to spare any. I fear it will require all to protect our adopted country. Appearances have a gloomy aspect ; may we hope it will soon pass away, and that brighter days are in store for us. I have written to my friends on the east side, and forwarded those you sent. On the arrival of our boats at Walla Walla, a party will return to this place, and if Newell does not arrive from the interior, we shall then have no news from the army. Mr. McBean has a good opinion of the com missioners, and writes me they acted with judgment, but fears the general will commit some rash act. What does Campbell report in regard to the intentions of the American government in regard to Oregon? Do they intend to let it stand over until the Mexican affairs are finally settled? I hope not. It is now more than full time decisive measures should be adopted for the safety of one and all. You have certainly done your part well, and if the government would but liberally supply the sinews of war money the country can well be defended with her own resources. You ought to have forwarded a duplicate of all your dispatches by our express in July, and they would be in Washington ; if Meek does escape, they will not be there long before that. 1
Yours truly, PETER SKEEN OGDEN.
On learning of the death of Colonel Gilliam, Ogden pre pared an obituary notice for the Spectator, which he sent
!This rather blind sentence was meant to say that Meek s dispatches would not, even if he escaped the perils of his journey, get to Washington long hefore the letters by the Hudson's Bay Company s express. He was, however, in the United States two months before.
