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278 WILLIAM BARLOW estimating it at a million dollars. I think their own profits ran up to hundreds of thousands, though Seth could not say how much money was made, as he was not in partnership with the old gentleman at that time. But Meek, his brother-in-law, was in with his father and built the Standard flour mill at Mil- waukie out of his profits of the nursery. I think the nursery was the foundation for Meek's and Eddy's large fortunes. I would have been two years in advance of them, and I knew all about the nursery business back in Illinois. Eddy and Meek, I think, were both sons-in-law of Mr. Luelling and were in- terested with him in all his successful business ventures. I only write this to substantiate what I lost by listening to men that I thought knew what they were talking about. But I thought then and believe now that they thought they were telling me the truth. Well, it is now the winter of '46, and it was as fine a winter as I have ever seen in Oregon. I hired a man and went on the place that I had traded for. We could work every day in our shirt-sleeves. If it rained at all it rained at night. Wages were very low. Could get a man for little more than his board. No money in the country, so had to tak.e his pay in truck and "turnover," as we called it. Most of the business was done by and through merchants of whom there were four in Oregon City, and they were rated about like the Irishman's whiskey. He said he had never seen any poor whiskey in his life, but he had seen some a great deal better than others and all would make drunk come. All the merchants floated more or less paper money, which was only redeemable at their own store, and you had to take just what they had to sell or take nothing. That was what made some a great deal better than others. Abernethy's was considered the poorest paper, though you could get flour and lumber at his mills,, gunflints and remnants at his store. Ermatinger, or the Hudson's Bay store, was gilt-edged. You could get all kinds of substantial goods at that store if you had their paper. The way this paper was floated was through the agency of Dr. McLoughlin. He had a large flour mill, three run of fine, French burrs and they^