R. Thurston, delegate from Oregon, of which see copy No. 1, and by same
mail an Oregon newspaper containing a communication over your signature,
the letter [latter], I think, addressed in your handwriting.
From the tenor of Mr. Thurston’s letter, I presumed he wanted my
testimony for some purpose not friendly to yourself. I answered his
letter as per copy No. 2, but doubting if my testimony, except it suited
his views, would be presented, and being ignorant of his intentions, I
wrote the Hon. R. C. Winthrop, late Speaker of the House of
Representatives, and at present a member of the Senate of the United
States, as per copy, (No. 3) and received from him a reply as per copy
(No. 4).
Should you wish such services as I can render in this part of the United
States, I shall be pleased to give them in return for the many good
things you did years since, and if my testimony as regards your
efficient and friendly actions towards me and the other earliest
Americans who settled in Oregon, will be of use in placing you before
the Oregon people in the dignified position of a benefactor, it will be
cheerfully rendered.
I am, with much respect, yours truly,
NATH. J. WYETH.
Mr. Thurston writes to Mr. Wyeth. “That Dr. McLoughlin has, since you
left the country, rendered his name odious to the people of Oregon.”
(That I have rendered my name odious to the people of Oregon, is what I
do not know.) And “By his endeavors to prevent the settlement of the
country, and to cripple its growth.” I say I never endeavored to prevent
the settlement of the country, or to cripple its growth, but the
reverse. If the whole country had been my own private property, I could
not have exerted myself more strenuously than I did to introduce
civilization, and promote its settlement. “Now that he wants a few
favors of our Government, he pretends that he has been the long-tried
friend of Americans and American enterprise west of the mountains.” Mr.
Wyeth states how I acted towards him and his companions, the first
Americans that I saw on this side of the mountains. Those that came
since, know if Mr. Thurston represents my conduct correctly or not. As
to my wanting a few favors, I am not aware that I asked for any favors.
I was invited by the promises held out in Linn’s bill, to become an
American citizen of this territory. I accepted the invitation and
fulfilled the obligations in good faith, and after doing more, as I
believe will be admitted, to settle the country and relieve the
immigrants in their distresses, than any other man in it, part of my
claim, which had been jumped, Mr. Thurston, the delegate from this
territory, persuades Congress to donate Judge Bryant, and the remainder
is reserved. I make no comment—the act speaks for itself, but merely
observe, if I had no claim to Abernethy Island, why did Mr. Thurston get
Congress to interfere, and what had Judge Bryant done for the territory
to entitle him to the favor of our delegate. Mr. Thurston is exerting
the influence of his official situation to get Congress to depart from
its usual course, and to interfere on a point in dispute, and donate
that island to Abernethy, his heirs and assigns, alias Judge Bryant, his
heirs and assigns.
Yours respectfully.
JNO. McLOUGHLIN.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PUBLICATIONS
OF THE
OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
-------
SOURCES OF THE HISTORY OF OREGON.
VOLUME I.
NUMBER 1.—JOURNAL OF MEDOREM CRAWFORD—AN ACCOUNT OF HIS TRIP ACROSS THE
PLAINS IN 1842. PRICE, 25 CENTS.
NUMBER 2.—THE INDIAN COUNCIL AT WALLA WALLA, MAY AND JUNE, 1855, BY COL.
LAWRENCE KIP—A JOURNAL. PRICE, 25 CENTS.
NUMBERS 3 TO 6 INCLUSIVE.—THE CORRESPONDENCE AND JOURNALS OF CAPTAIN
NATHANIEL J. WYETH, 1831-6.—A RECORD OF TWO EXPEDITIONS FOR THE
OCCUPATION OF THE OREGON COUNTRY, WITH MAPS, INTRODUCTION AND INDEX.
PRICE, $1.10.
-------
This is of prime authenticity and authority, being nothing less than two
hundred and forty-five letters written by Wyeth before, during, and
after his expeditions, together with his original journal of them both,
just as it was jotted down day by day. Nearly all of this is brand new
matter, hidden from the public in manuscript all these years, and no
more genuine “sources” of history of trade, settlement and adventure in
the West will ever be forthcoming.—From the Nation (New York) issue of
December 14, 1899.
“Seldom has a young historical society been able to illustrate the early
annals of its locality by the printing of manuscripts so interesting and
so important as The Correspondence and Journal of Captain Nathaniel J.
Wyeth, 1831-6, which the Secretary of the Oregon Historical Society,
Prof. F. G. Young, has just published as a part of his series of
‘Sources of the History of Oregon.’ He has been so fortunate as to find,
in the possession of a lady in Massachusetts, letter books containing
two hundred and forty-five of Wyeth’s letters, and his journals of the
two expeditions—1832-1833 and 1834-1836—which he conducted from the East
to the Oregon country, with a view to the occupation of the latter by
the Americans of the United States. These Mr. Young has printed in a
volume of two hundred and ninety-two pages, with two maps. It makes a
contribution to the early history of the state which would alone justify
the existence of the Oregon Historical Society.”—From the American
Historical Review, October, 1899.
-------
THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY FOR 1898-9. INCLUDING
PAPER BY SILAS B. SMITH, ON “BEGINNINGS IN OREGON,” 97 PAGES. PRICE, 25
CENTS.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON.
-------
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL confers the degrees of Master of Arts, (and in
prospect, of Doctor of Philosophy,) Civil and Sanitary Engineer (C. E.),
Electrical Engineer (E. E.), Chemical Engineer (Ch. E.), and Mining
Engineer (Min. E.).
-------
THE COLLEGE OF LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND THE ARTS confers the degree of
Bachelor of Arts on graduates from the following groups: (1) General
Classical; (2) General Literary; (3) General Scientific; (4)
Civic-Historical. It offers Collegiate Courses not leading to a degree
as follows: (1) Preparatory to Law or Journalism; (2) Course for
Teachers.
-------
THE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.—
A.—The School of Applied Science confers the degree of Bachelor of
Science on graduates from the following groups: (1) General Science;
(2) Chemistry; (3) Physics; (4) Biology; (5) Geology and Mineralogy.
It offers a Course Preparatory to Medicine.
B.—The School of Engineering: (1) Civil and Sanitary; (2) Electrical;
(3) Chemical.
-------
THE SCHOOL OF MINES AND MINING.
THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE at Portland.
THE SCHOOL OF LAW at Portland.
THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC.
THE UNIVERSITY ACADEMY.
Address
THE PRESIDENT,
Eugene, Oregon.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
● Transcriber’s Notes:
○ Missing or obscured punctuation was corrected.
○ Typographical errors were silently corrected.
○ Spelling and hyphenation were made consistent when a predominant
form was found in this book; otherwise it was not changed.
○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).